Optimization and Performance Evaluation of Single Axis Arduino Solar Tracker

Abstract

The use of clean energy (Solar, Wind etc) in other words, renewable energy is becoming more important for lowering global warming as the world becomes hotter as a result of global warming . The aim of this paper is to consume the maximum solar energy through solar panel. A Solar Tracker is a device onto which solar panels are built-in which tracks the motion of the sun ensuring that maximum amount of sunlight strikes the panels all over the day. Power output from a solar cell will be high when it is facing the sun. The components used for its construction are servo motor, Arduino Mega (microcontroller) and LDR. Light Dependent Resistors (LDRs) are used for sunlight detection. The active sensors continuously monitor the sunlight and alternate the panel towards the direction of the sun. Four light dependent resistors (LDR) have been used to trace the synchronization of sunlight by detecting brightness level of sunlight. For rotation, two standard servo motors are been used. The effectiveness of output power will increase when compared with the traditional model(Fixed solar panel).