Performance Evaluation of a Second-Order Lever Single Axis Solar Tracking System

Abstract

This article presents a novel single axis solar tracking system to enable more solar radiation striking on the photovoltaic (PV) panel. The working principle is based on second-order lever principle. The single axis movement is carried out by balancing the mass of water together with the part mass of the PV panel on one side (left) of the fulcrum and the mass of the PV panel on the other side (right) of the fulcrum. Here the necessity of an external motor for axial movement of the PV panel is avoided. The design and performance of the proposed second-order lever single axis solar tracking system is studied for a period of 90 days (from January 2022 to March 2022). The proposed 20 Wp system prototype model is compared with the conventional single axis solar tracking (CSAST) system of the same rating. The working principle of the proposed system along with the operation of peripheral circuitry and gadgets are discussed. Finally, the percentage of increase in the solar power output in comparison with the CSAST system is estimated along with techno-economic analysis.