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Solar Tracking Systems - A Review

The document reviews solar tracking systems as an innovative solution to improve the efficiency of solar energy collection, addressing the challenges posed by the geographical constraints and varying angles of sunlight. It compares different types of solar trackers, highlighting that dual-axis trackers are more efficient than static panels and single-axis trackers, although they are more expensive to install. The paper emphasizes the importance of solar energy as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels in the context of global energy demands and environmental concerns.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
43 views12 pages

Solar Tracking Systems - A Review

The document reviews solar tracking systems as an innovative solution to improve the efficiency of solar energy collection, addressing the challenges posed by the geographical constraints and varying angles of sunlight. It compares different types of solar trackers, highlighting that dual-axis trackers are more efficient than static panels and single-axis trackers, although they are more expensive to install. The paper emphasizes the importance of solar energy as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels in the context of global energy demands and environmental concerns.

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saadmech90
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Journal of Mines, Metals and Fuels, 71(10): 1725-1736; 2023. DOI: 10.

18311/jmmf/2023/35863

Print ISSN : 0022-2755

Journal of Mines, Metals and Fuels


Contents available at: www.informaticsjournals.com/index.php/jmmf

Solar Tracking Systems – A Review


Abhishek Priyam*
Department of Mechanical Engineering, MPSTME, NMIMS University, Mumbai - 400 056, India;
[email protected]

Abstract
The biggest challenge and concern for the upcoming 50 years is the idea of power generation, by making less use of the fossil
fuels. The idea of solar energy as fuel, and the fact that we can convert freely available energy which we receive from the sun
into usable energy, is fascinating, and is probably at the highest priority at the moment as compared to other renewable
energy sources. Although solar energy as fuel is the go-to form of green energy, it is faced with some problems. The two main
problems are, first, it is geographically constrained and second is that it is nearly impossible to collect a hundred percent heat
energy from the sun at every single point of the day. This happens because the relative angle of the sun changes continuously
with respect to the earth. This leads to a problem. The watts delivered by the solar panels gets reduced. Thus, it gets more
challenging to generate power. To overcome this problem, developers and researchers came up with an innovative solution,
“Solar Trackers”. After a lot of studies and extensive research conducted on this technology, it can staunchly said that solar
trackers are the best alternative as compared to static solar panels, for increasing the efficiency. In this paper different types
of tracking systems, their setups and comparison in between their performances are reviewed. After carefully analysing and
comparing different results obtained from different solar tracking systems, we can say that altitude and azimuth dual axis
solar trackers are more coherent, accurate and efficient in collecting the radiation as compared to the traditional static solar
panels and the single axis solar trackers. However, we should also consider the fact that the dual axis solar trackers are not
pocket friendly and are not feasible to install compared with the single axis solar tracking system.

Keywords: Azimuth, Latitude, Microcontroller, Static Panels, Solar Energy as Fuel, Solar Tracker

1.0 Introduction Global warming. Scientists, researchers, developers, and


entrepreneurs have now started to realise the importance
For any nation to be developed and to progress, of renewable energy sources. Extensive research and
energy plays a huge factor in it. The rapid progress in study are going on, on how to make the best use of freely
industrialization and urbanization has led to a drastic available energy sources. Therefore, the demand for solar
unbalanced channelization of energy globally. A huge energy as fuel, geothermal energy, ocean tidal and wave
part of energy is withdrawn, administered and enthralled energy has increased. To create a sustainable environment
in the global society daily. Fossil fuels are responsible to for generations to come, it is important to start using this
produce nearly 85 percent of the energy. As we know, fossil renewable energy.
fuels are not available in huge amounts, their resources Due to the overuse of the already depleting fossil
are limited and most importantly, their depletion rate has fuels, energy deficiency problems have arisen. Especially
gone an all-time high, the increasing amount of their usage the third world countries have started facing energy
and consumption is resulting in the rise of the Earth’s deficiency problems. This has urged researchers to find
temperature, which in turn is resulting in a global issue. an alternative to the fossil fuels which would fulfil its

*Author for correspondence


Solar Tracking Systems – A Review

demands without leaving any carbon footprints behind. aligning itself with it is known as Solar Tracking. The
As discussed above, the alternative energy sources include device is called as a solar tracker.
solar, wind, geothermal, tidal, ocean and nuclear. Solar
energy as fuel, in simple terms is the energy generated 1.1 Solar Tracking System - Components
by mobilizing the power obtained from the sun. It is and Basic Working Principle
therefore the cleanest source of energy having zero carbon
For any solar tracker to work, it requires basic components
footprints, it is a green energy which does not pollute the
that are mentioned below.
environment. Earth acquires around 1.8x1012 MW of
• PV solar module
power from the sun, which is very huge in comparison
• LDR sensors
to the utilization of energy for commercial purposes.
• Servo motors
One of the main issues of solar energy as fuel is that it
• PIC Microcontroller
is geographically constrained. It is because, even in the
• A voltage regulator
extreme and arid regions on earth, where the temperature
• Battery
exceeds the normal temperature on earth, the available
• A charge controller
solar radiation flux seldom exceeds to 1 kW/m2. This
The working of the trackers consists of a Sun tracking
becomes a problem because it is still sparse for most of
algorithm, a control unit, a positioning system, a
the technological utilities. Only 18 to 20 percent of the
transmission system, and sensing devices like LDRs. An
sun’s energy which falls on the panels, is converted into
algorithm is developed to calculate the position of the sun
consumable energy.
throughout the day. These algorithms may be based on
There is another factor which reduces this collected
energy furthermore. Light gathering loss. It is fully
dependent on the relation of the angle of incidence of the
sun to that of the solar panel. Simply speaking, an ideal
situation for maximum energy collection is, where the
sun’s rays are incident to the solar panel’s surface at exactly
0 degrees. So, we can say that power generation will be
maximum if the panel is facing the sun directly. Let’s take
a real-life example. Say, a panel is mounted parallel with
respect to the ground. Then according to the theory of
radiation collection, the panel will collect almost no
radiation from the sun at sunrise or sunset, as the angle
of incidence in this case will be 90 degrees. Whereas,
maximum radiation collection will be done when the sun
is perfectly above the panel’s surface, that is at midday as
the angle of incidence will be approaching to 0 degrees. As
the day will progress towards dusk, the increasing angle
of incidence will cause the power generation to decrease
gradually.
From the above real-life example, we can see that,
in order to gain maximum power output from the solar
panels, it should always be kept aligned always with respect
to sun, that is, the angle of incidence between them needs
to be maintained. This can be done by automating the
navigation of the solar panels to make them continuously
face the sun. Here, a solar tracking system is very useful.
This process of detecting the position of the sun and Figure 1. Actual solar tracker design1

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real time light intensity readings or some are based on


astronomical references. For such, the system’s algorithm
is pre-fed with the data of astronomical positions of sun
and various space objects. The control unit applies the
algorithm, and it coordinates with the movements of
the positioning system. The positioning system helps
manoeuvre the trackers or reflectors to face the sun. It
can be either electric or hydraulic. The drive mechanism
usually consists of mechanical components like actuators,
hydraulic cylinders, and gears. It is mainly responsible
for the movement of the solar trackers as determined by
the positioning system. Sensing devices are used to sense
the amount of radiation coming from the sun. They are
a group of sensors generally used to monitor ambient
condition for pressure, humidity, and temperature2.

1.2 Different Types of Solar Tracking


Techniques Figure 2. Concentrated photovoltaic panels4.

1.2.1 Based on Collectors al. studied and analysed long term performances of 2
a) Flat Plate Photovoltaic Panel (PV) CPV prototypes. Parameter which was considered while
In flat plate photovoltaic panel tracking system, the main analysing the performance was electrical ratings in kWh/
aim is to reduce the angle of incidence between the sun m2.
band the earth as much as possible (also known as cosine The electrical ratings were calculated and then they
angle). By doing so, studies have proven that maximum were compared with the conventional PV systems
energy could be generated. M. Koussa et al.,3 have studied installed in various parts of Singapore. It was found that
the effects of various tracking systems on flat plate the newly developed mini dish Cassegrain type CPV were
collectors. They compared the performances of these 86% efficient compared to other PV systems. Also it was
systems on various days and sky states in region of an arid found that the CO2 savings could be achieved using this
and hot climate located at Ghardaïa site, in the north of type4.
Algeria’s desert. The data collected was measured from
the year 2004 to 2007 in which 14 clear days, 12 partially c) Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)
clear days characterized by different clarity level factors The principle of concentration of solar power was applied
and 5 cloudy days were taken into consideration. It was by Das et al.,6 They developed an innovative system using
found that dual axis solar trackers gave maximum results a mirror booster which gained them 75% more power
(45 - 65%) on sunny clear sky state compared to other from a regular tracking system. They placed the mirror
systems. But on a cloudy day, each system got equivalent in such a way that more light was reflected on the panels,
results. thus increasing the efficiency of the system. But this
comes with a problem. They realised that installing more
b) Concentrated Photovoltaic (CPV) mirrors will result in generation of greater amount of heat
The optics used in CPVs are responsible to concentrate and can thus damage the panel. More or less, this system
the amount of incoming sunlight onto the solar panel. can be useful if the positioning of the mirror is done in
Thus, large amount of energy is concentrated on the solar a proper way. Odeh et al.,7 developed a parabolic trough
panels, giving a boost in the efficiency of the system. The using the same principle of concentrating the radiation,
most common ways to do this is by installing components for water heating.
like lenses and curved mirrors. Muhammad Burhan et

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Solar Tracking Systems – A Review

South or East to West. They are used most commonly in


many tracking systems and are proved to be much more
efficient that the traditional static solar panels. Anuraj
et al.,8 developed a simple single axis solar tracker using
steppe motor. It is made using two photo resistors wherein
to meet a normal day light condition AIN0 needs to
provide higher voltage than AIN1. Resistance is inversely
proportional to the magnitude of sunlight incident on the
photocells. The tracker will move to 3.75 degrees every
15 minutes. As only two resistors are used, it reduces the
cost, thereby increasing the efficiency to about 20%. The
power loss during the process is bare minimum.

i) Horizontal Single Axis Tracker (HSAT)


In this type of tracking system, a single axis is mounted
horizontal with respect to the ground. Li et al.,9 developed
a mathematical procedure to estimate the daily collection
Figure 3. Mounting a mirror on a solar panel system5. of radiation by the system. He found that East-West
sun tracking performed less efficiently (8% increased
efficiency) and North-South sun tracking performed
more efficiently (around 11-12% increased efficiency),
which gained maximum efficiency.

ii) Vertical Single Axis Tracker (VSAT)


In this type of tracking system, the orientation can be
North/South or East/West and the system will move in
Up/Down motion. They are extremely beneficial in the
northern regions where the latitudes range between 40 to
50 degrees10.

iii) Tilted Single Axis Tracker (TSAT)


The axis of rotation of the Tilted Single Axis Tracker
(TSAT) is in between the vertical and horizontal axis.
That’s why the name. While installing them, it needs to
Figure 4. Experimental Setup developed by Odeh et al.7.

To test the experimental setup, a thermal performance


test with open loop water flow was carried out during a
sunny day. It was observed that the solar irradiation
was constant throughout the experiment, but the solar
collector efficiency increased at noon. The setup proved
to be 60 percent efficient at noon.

1.2.2 Based on the Axis


A) Single Axis Tracker
In simple words, single axis trackers have only one Figure 5. Vertical Single axis solar tracker (VSAT)11.
degree of freedom that is they can either move North to

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Abhishek Priyam

Figure 6. Tilted Single Axis Tracker (TSAT)12.


Figure 8. Dish collector in Shanxi, China15.

Figure 7. TSAT setup designed by Rezaei et al.,13. Figure 9. Heliostats in the Dahan concentrating solar
power plant in Beijing, China.
be kept in mind the considerable effect of ‘shading’. This
It is a two axes-based system. The axis perpendicular to
should be done in order to minimize energy losses and
the ground is called the azimuth axis. The second axis –
also to optimally utilize the area of installation12. Rezaei
the altitude axis. It is perpendicular to the azimuth axis.
et al.,13 developed a TSAT based on microcontroller with
When the setup is in working condition, the collector
a 27-degree angle.
rotates in the direction of the sun. Thus, there is a change
ATMEGA 8 microcontroller was one of the main
in the azimuth angle. When, the system rotates around
controlling elements in the entire setup. The setup
the altitude axis, there is a change in the altitude angle.
was tested on 2 different days with different weather
One of the applications of the AADAT can be seen in14.
conditions. Results show that on sunny day, the power
The simulation of the system was carried out with the
production came out to be 4.18% and on a rainy day,
help of vectors. The authors came to conclusion that the
the power production came out to be 4.34%. The entire
system increased the electrical gains by 43.87% and the
experiment was carried out in the city of Kerman, Iran.
efficiency is 49% compared to static solar panels.
Hence, higher power production.
ii) Polar Aligned Dual Axis Tracker (PADAT)
B. Dual Axis Tracking
Polar aligned technique is a dual axis tracking technique
i) Azimuth-Altitude Dual Axis Tracker (AADAT)
also called as spinning-elevation tracking. It has 2 axes.

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Solar Tracking Systems – A Review

the rotary panels were 43.88 degree Celsius. It was obvious


from the results that the rotary panels took greater light
density (9 degrees more) compared to stationary panels.
2 main advantages of the proposed system are, first, it is
not geographically constrained and second is that, being
fully automatic, it doesn’t require operator’s interference.

ii) Auxiliary Bifacial Solar Cell Based Solar Tracker


From the study of Vladislav Poulek et al.,17 it can be seen
that bifacial solar cell can double the energy harvest as
compared to traditional panels. They can produce 5-20%
more energy than monofacial solar module. The main
Figure 10. Polar aligned tracker principle. advantage of using bifacial solar cell is that it can collect
radiation from the back surface also. From their study,
One axis is pointing towards the north pole (Celestial) it is proven that the energy gain from back side of the
and the other is parallel to the earth’s axis of rotation. It cell could be 2-5% more. Also, bifacial cells have 5 to 6
moves at the same speed of the earth’s rotation but in the degrees lower operating temperature, hence, the chances
opposite direction15. of the frame getting damaged is very less (Degradation
of polymer encapsulants of modules). Also, studies show
C) Based on Driver that, using a white tarp below the solar tracker assembly
a) Active Tracker will help the light to reflect on the back side of the panels,
i) Microcontroller and Electro-optical Sensor Based Solar more. But it should be noted that these tarps lose their
Tracker reflectivity by 0.17% per month. Hence, after every 5
Bingol et al.,16 in his paper put forward a developed years or so, they should be replaced by a new tarp.
version of microcontroller based solar tracker. They have
used PIC16C71 microcontroller to keep the setup cheap.
They compared a stationary panel’s reading with rotary
panel. The temperature between 7am to 5:30 pm on
stationary panel were 34.9 degree Celsius versus to that of

Figure 12. 100W bifacial PV panel17.

iii) Date, Time and Sensor Based


Anusha et al.,18 developed a Real Time Clock based
Figure 11. Proposed solar tracker system by Okan
efficient Solar Tracking System. The basic principle of the
Bingol et al.,16.

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Abhishek Priyam

system is that, the controller continuously compares the direction of the sun. Since they are passively powered,
RTC (Real Time Clock) with the stored tabular values. they are not accurate as compared to active solar trackers,
The stored tabular values are positional values of the sun but they can prove to be useful in simple and small solar
w.r.t to time. They are pre-fed in the controller. If the tracker setups (Non-commercial). Other advantages of
values match with each other, then the positional values these type of trackers are that they are more reliable as
are sent to the PWM generator. This makes the motor compared to the complex designs of active/automatic
rotate precisely towards the direction of the sun. This trackers. But their accuracy is not high. They cannot
increases the precision of tracking. function in lower temperatures. They do not have warning
alarms like powered trackers19.
b) Passive Tracker
These trackers are not actively powered by any external
power supply, nor do they have motors for movement
2.0 Literature Review
of the panels. Instead, they have a low boiling point gas. A comparison of basic solar tracking systems by the
This gas, when exposed to the sun, tends to expand and various authors, their setups and the result obtained by
this results in the activation of the actuators. This is called carrying out experiments on them has been presented in
differential expansion. It tends to move the panels in the (Table 1).

Table 1. Comparison of basic solar tracking systems by the various authors

Author/s Type of Tracking System No. of Setup Performance/Result


Axis
Anuraj and Solar Tracking System 1 Photo resistor 20% more efficient
Gandhi8 Using Stepper Motor ATMEGA 16 microcontroller compared to static panels.
Stepper motor.
Rizk, and Chaiko20 Improvised using a different 1 1. Simple triangular set-up of 30% more efficient than
setup for 2 solar panels 2 solar cells fixed panels.
2. LDR.
Protik et al.,6 Microcontroller Based 1 1. Solar panel 9% more efficient than fixed
Automatic Solar Tracking 2. Mirror panels.
System with Mirror Booster 3. ATMEGA 8
microcontroller
4. DC motor
5. Photodiode
6. LM7805 voltage regulator.
Odeh et al.,7 Design and development 1 1. Parabolic Trough Reflector 60% maximum efficiency
of an educational solar 2. Solar Receiver observed at noon.
tracking parabolic trough 3. Thermal Storage Tank
collector system 4. Control box
5. DC motor
6. Photo sensor
7. Gear box
8. 12V battery
9. 2 photovoltaic panels.
Anusha et al.,18 Design and Development 1 1. LPC2148 board with ADC 40% more efficient than
of Real Time Clock based and RS232 fixed solar system.
efficient Solar Tracking 2. 6V 300mA solar panel
System 3. DC motor
4. 12V battery.

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Solar Tracking Systems – A Review

Table 1 Continued

Peter et al.,21 Arduino Based Solar 1 1. 6W solar panel 35% more efficient than
Tracking System 2. LDR static solar panels, especially
3. Arduino microcontroller at noon from 12am to 1pm.
and sensor
4. Proteus software.
Saravanan, et al.,22 Automatic Solar Tracking 1 1. 70 Wp rating solar panel 25 to 30% more efficient
System 2. 3 phase 0.5 hp induction than static panels and also
motor cost efficient than static
3.VFD panels.
4. 2 contactors
5. LDR
6. Inductive proximity sensor.
Chin1 Model-Based Simulation 1 1. 10W solar panel 20% efficient compared to
of an Intelligent 2. LDR (NORPS-12) conventional solar panels
Microprocessor-Based 3. PIC18F4520
Standalone Solar Tracking Microcontroller
System 4. Lead acid battery
5. Servo Motor

Poulek and Libra17 New bifacial solar trackers 1 1. 2 solar cells 15-20% energy boost as
and tracking concentrators 2. Reversible DC motor compared with monofacial
3. LDR solar panels with almost
4. Microcontroller 10-15% energy gains on the
5. Flat mirrors back side of the panel.
6. 100W bifacial PV panel
Rahmana et al.,23 Dual Axis Solar Tracking 2 1. 2 LDRs 52.78% efficient than fixed
System 2. 2 dual comparator ICs panels, 52.948 watt gained
LM1458 as compared to 40.7 of static
3. ATmega32 microcontroller panel.
4. TIP 122 as motor driver IC
5. 2 full gear stepper motors.
Shngys24 Design and Research of 2 1. 2 monocrystalline silicon 31.3% more efficient than
Dual-Axis Solar Tracking cells fixed photo module.
System in Condition of 2. LM324N type operational
Town Almaty amplifier
3. TIP41C and TIP42C type
transistors
4. 1N5407 type diodes
5. Resistors
6. LDRs
7. Capacitor
8. MCU type amplifiers.
Hidayanti et al.,25 Dual-Axis Solar Tracking 2 1. Batteries 19.29% more efficient than
System Efficiency for 2. Microcontrollers single axis panels.
Hydroponics Pump 3. Solar cells
4. Servo motor
5. LDR sensors.

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Abhishek Priyam

Table 1 Continued

Mustafa et al.,26 Direct and Indirect Sensing 2 1. Arduino UNO controller It has been observed that the
two-axis Solar Tracking 2. DC motors efficiency of this tracking
System 3. Gear box system was constant
4. LDR sensor module throughout the experiment
5. Angle sensor whereas the efficiency of
6. Timing circuit traditional solar panel
7. Bluetooth module dropped significantly as the
8. Motor driving circuit. time progressed
Ahammed et al.,27 Energy Efficient Hybrid 2 1. Linear actuator 25.62% more power gain
Dual Axis Solar Tracking 2. Panel carrier and panel over static system while
System carrier rotator 4.2% less average power gain
3. 2 stepper motor (half drive compared to continuous
mode ULN2803 used as tracking system.
motor driver IC)
4. Sensor unit comprising of
light sensor, position sensor
and real time clock
5. ATMEGA32 controller 6.
3W solar panel
Assaf et al.,28 Design and Implementation 2 1. 4 LDRs 30 to 40% more efficient
of a Two Axis Solar 2. PLC compared to the static solar
Tracking System Using 3. 2 DC servomotors panel system.
PLC Techniques by an 4. 3 Relays
Inexpensive Method 5. 5 Limit switches 6
Controlled software designed
to control the movement of
DC motors.
Patil et al.,29 Automatic Dual-axis 2 1. Solar dish 35% more efficient than
Solar Tracking System for 2. 5 Light Dependent Resistor single axis solar tracker.
Parabolic dish (LDR)
3. PMDC geared motor (using
stromtium ferrite magnet)
4. Hercules lite driver IC
5. Arduino UNO board as a
controller.
BİNGÖL et al.,16 Microcontroller based 2 1. PIC16C71 microcontroller It has been observed
solar-tracking system unit that this tracking system
2. LDRs is geographically not
3.4MHz crystal used as a constrained, and it
clock signal generator for doesn’t require operator’s
MCU interference.
4. 2 stepper motors
5. 8 darlington transistors
(TIP22).
Bose et al.,30 Low-Cost High Efficient 2 ATMEGA 16 microcontroller Can generate 65% more
Solar Tracking System Cadmium Sulphide (CdS) energy from solar panels.
Using AVR Microcontroller photocell Also consumes very less
2 stepper motors energy during the tracking
15 cm focal length concave process.
mirror.

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Solar Tracking Systems – A Review

Table 1 Continued

Koussa et al.,3 Sun tracker systems effects 1,2 1. 2 fixed panel systems (Note: The author compared
on flat plate photovoltaic 2. 2 single axis tracker systems performances of these
PV systems performance 3. 1 dual axis tracker system. tracker systems on different
for different sky states: A days at different weather
case of an arid and hot conditions and at different
climate time periods). Dual axis
generated 45-60% over other
trackers. But on cloudy
days, each tracker almost
performed the same.
Ghassoul31 Automatic Solar Tracking 1 1. Proximity switch It is more accurate in energy
System 2. PIC 18F452 extraction as compared
microcontroller to the static solar system.
3. 2 LDRs Also, no drifts occur while
4. Power motor. aligning at the time of
sunrise or sunset.
Pattanasethanon32 The Solar Tracking System 1 1. Photodiode System proved to be more
by Using Digital Solar 2. 2 12V DC motors efficient with less than 1%
Position Sensor 3. 100W bulb for testing error when tracking the
purposes angle approach to zenith.
4. Transistor drivers (Tr1,
Tr2, Tr3 and Tr4; 2N 3055)
5. (LED; NEC 1N1134) all
resistors (1/4 w 1% error).
Usta et al.,33 Solar Tracking System with - 1. 2 magnets By looking at the results
Fuzzy Logic Controller 2. PMDC motors we can say that response
3. 2 directional light detecting time increases when we
circuits use FLC controller hence
4. 2 Amplifiers the tracking becomes more
5. 4 LDR efficient and faster.
6. Photodiodes or
phototransistors.

3.0 Results and Discussions For example, the LDRs used in these systems are
fantastic equipment’s that can be used to track the sun’s
Various papers on various types of solar tracking systems, rays accurately. The assembly of almost all of the tracking
published by various authors have been analyzed. There systems is simple and easy to maintain. Rarely does it
is a clear-cut conclusive evidence that the solar tracking require operator’s interference. One such example of the
technology is far more power efficient than the traditional usage of the simplest of apparatus that is a ‘Mirror’ can be
static solar panel system, From the comparison table seen in Protik Kumar Das’s et al., “Microcontroller Based
above we can say that solar tracking system is indeed Automatic Solar Tracking System with Mirror Booster”
a more accurate and efficient way compared to the paper6. By installing a mirror on the ground, in front
traditional solar panel static system of tracking the sun’s of the system and by carefully adjusting its angle with
rays and converting it into usable energy. The equipment’s respect to the system, we can see that there is a significant
used by these researchers are cheaply available and they amount of boost in the radiation coming from the sun.
give optimum results, thus improving the efficiency of the Such type of setup can be also called as a concentrated
solar tracking system by fairly huge margin. photovoltaic setup.

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Abhishek Priyam

Another example can be seen in Mostefa Ghasshoul’s axis solar trackers, as we saw in the results column of
“Design of an Automatic Solar Tracking System to comparison table above, will fetch greater efficiency than
Maximize Energy Extraction” paper31. The author has single axis trackers. Nonetheless, introducing simple but
gone with a hardware viewpoint instead of a software one. effective apparatus into the systems, can greatly enhance
He has replaced the software used in the system with a the performance of the system, thereby increasing its
hardware which is a much simpler solution and a greater efficiency over other systems.
alternative. He mounted a proximity switch on the panels
and a reflector on the PILOT. The author has given PILOT,
a name, to a sub-system which detects the position of
5.0 References
the sun where maximum energy can be gained. This 1. Chin CS. Model-Based Simulation of an Intelligent
system is intelligent, simple to make and efficient because Microprocessor-Based Standalone Solar Tracking. In:
it follows the sun, only if there is a possibility of larger MATLAB: A Fundamental Tool for Scientific Computing
energy extraction. Also, the consumption of energy by the and Engineering Applications; 2012; pp. 252-78.
motors will be very less as compared to the energy which 2. Rockwell Automation. Solar Tracking Application. A
is extracted. On the other hand, the system is capable of Rockwell Automation White Paper; 2009; pp. 1-8.
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installation as compared with dual axis trackers. But dual Conference. 2013; 3:1-8.

Vol 71 (10) | October 2023 | http://www.informaticsjournals.com/index.php/jmmf  Journal of Mines, Metals and Fuels 1735
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1736 Vol 71 (10) | October 2023 | http://www.informaticsjournals.com/index.php/jmmf  Journal of Mines, Metals and Fuels

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