The Development of Solar Tracking System : Fabrication and Experimental Study

Energy is a strategic input necessary for socio-economic development. It helps in meeting basic human needs and it contributes to economic growth. The sun provides more than enough energy to sustain life on the planet. Much of this energy does not get utilized. Most solar panels are mounted in a fixed position, and as the day progresses the amount of irradiance is decreased where the sun is not directly in front of the panels. Therefore there is a decrease in the amount of energy absorbed by the collector. To make solar energy more viable, the efficiency of solar array systems must be maximized. A feasible approach to increase the efficiency of solar array system is sun tracking. Solar panels are presently a very expensive way to produce electricity. This project looks at tracking the position of the sun using a microcontroller and a stepper motor. The concept was to make the panel to follow the sun using a microcontroller and a stepper motor. The microcontroller was to instruct the stepper motor to rotate the panel and align continuously with the sun to absorb more light and produce more power.