1

CHAPTER-1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Solar Tracking System
As we know, sun is a one of the most important component in this world. Without sun,
it is impossible for a human or living creature to live in this world. Humans nowadays feel
uncomforted about the global warming situation. Even this kind of situation bring a lot of
negative perception, they should have to think it through the positive way. One of the way to
reduce the global warming is to reduce the utilizing of electrical voltage and change to a natural
voltage source like wind, rain, tides, sunlight and geothermal heats. So, the engineers try to
create a new device that can convert the natural energy to an electrical energy like solar panel for
sunlight energy, wind turbines for wind energy, water turbines.
The problem that still exists now is the device that invests by an engineer. For example,
the solar panel that many of the users use is only in a one way direction. If the sun located at the
direction that is not perpendicular to the solar panel, the power that can be generate is low
compare to the when the sun located exactly perpendicular to the solar panel. The sun is rotate
from east to west but the highest power that can be generate by the solar panel is when location
of sun is perpendicular to the solar panel. So the power that can be use in the night day is quite
short. So, the project that I will do is called Solar tracking System. This is because the sunlight
can generate a clean and free power. This project helps for power generation by setting the
equipment to get maximum sunlight automatically.
Energy crisis is the most important issue in today's world. Conventional energy resources
are not only limited but also the prime culprit for environmental pollution. Renewable energy
resources are getting priorities in the whole world to lessen the dependency on conventional
resources. Solar energy is rapidly gaining the focus as an important means of expanding
renewable energy uses. Solar cells those convert sun's energy into electrical energy are costly
and inefficient. Different mechanisms are applied to increase the efficiency of the solar cell to
reduce the cost. Solar tracking system is the most appropriate technology to enhance the
efficiency of the solar cells by tracking the sun. Light dependent resistors are used as the sensors
2

of the solar tracker. The designed tracker has precise control mechanism which will provide
three ways of controlling system. A small prototype of solar tracking system is also constructed
to implement the design methodology presented here.
A solar tracker is a device that orients a payload toward the sun. Payloads can be
photovoltaic panels, reflectors, lenses or other optical devices. Thus the tracking of the suns
location and positioning of the solar panel are important. The goal of this project is to design an
automatic tracking system, which can locate position of the sun. The tracking system will move
the solar panel so that it is positioned perpendicular to the sun for maximum energy conversion
at all time. Photo resistors will be used as sensors in this system. The system will consist of light
sensing system, microcontroller, gear motor system, and a solar panel.
In flat-panel photovoltaic (PV) applications, trackers are used to minimize the angle of
incidence between the incoming sunlight and a photovoltaic panel. This increases the amount of
energy produced from a fixed amount of installed power generating capacity. In standard
photovoltaic applications, it is estimated that trackers are used in at least 85% of commercial
installations greater than 1MW from 2009 to 2012.The solar panels are operating at optimal
parameters when they are at the perfect right angle to the sun. Unfortunately this is accomplished
only if solar panels are rotated by the sun. This is the purpose of this diy solar tracker system.




Figure 1.1 Solar Tracking System
3

Solar energy is rapidly gaining notoriety as an important means of expanding renewable
energy resources. As such, it is vital that those in engineering fields understand the technologies
associated with this area. My project will include the design and construction of a LM358IC &
LDR-based solar panel tracking system. Solar tracking allows more energy to be produced
because the solar array is able to remain aligned to the sun. This system builds upon topics
learned in this course. A working system will ultimately be demonstrated to validate the design.
Problems and possible improvements will also be presented.
At present, there is a great interest towards solving the energy problems facing the world,
more especially the third world countries. This has led to research on alternative energy source
that would complement the conventional fossil fuel. The alternatives energy sources include;
solar, nuclear and wind, but in this research work we focused on solar energy. Solar energy is the
energy generated by harnessing the power of the solar radiation. It is the cleanest source of
energy whose use can contribute to saving exhaustible energy sources. Photovoltaic panels
converts the suns radiation to electricity. The amount of power5 available from a photovoltaic
panel is determine by three parameters first, the type and area of the material, secondly the
intensity of the sunlight and the wavelength. With advancement in solar panel technology,
parameter one had been fully improved upon and standardized.
In this research work, the other two parameter were fully addressed. As this device,
solar tracker ensures maximum intensity of sun rays hitting the surface of the panel from
sun- rise to sunset. A solar panel must be able to follow the suns movement to produce the
maximum possible power. This is achieved through the designed and implementation of the
tracker system, that maintains the panel orthogonal position with the light source. The device is
implemented by integrating it with a 900V inverter and 12V, 100AH battery. The construction of
the tracker is made up of two segments, the electrical and the mechanical part respectively. The
electrical system consists of PV sensor, a comparator circuit and a battery. The mechanical
system consists of the DC motors, worm gears and the frame that housed the entire system.
Resistivity and induction tests were carried out on the DC motors to ensure their optimal
performance in the construction.


4

1.2 Objective of the Project
Below are the main objectives of Solar Tracking System projects.
1. To design a project that can detect and compare the intensity of light.
2. To design a project that able to move a stepper motor based on the intensity of light and show
the direction .
1.3 Project Scope
This project is focused to design and build the prototype of solar tracking system that
would be a starting point to build the realistic solar tracking system. Therefore, this prototype
will cover the scope as followed.
Move both direction and total movement that this system can do is 180 Using
LM358IC,stepper motor(bipolar 5 pin),Light Dependant Resistor (LDR) or Photoresistor as a
sensor,4-Transisters & 4-Diods to detect and compare the solar intensity of light.
1.4 Problem Statement
As we can see, the problem that we can see here is the solar panel that is use is only in
one way direction. Because of this problem, the power that can be generated is low. The second
problem is the price for the solar tracking system is very expensive for the family that use more
power than usual because they need to install more than one solar panel to produce enough
power. So, this project is to fix the problem that occurs here. This solar tracking system can
detect a 180 degree of rotation. So, the solar panel that can be generating here is very high
compare to when the solar panel can only stay in one direction. So, the families dont have to
install more than one solar panel to generate enough power. One solar panel is enough to
produce a lot of power.



5

CHAPTER-2
LITERATURE SURVEY AND DETAIL OF COMPONENTS

2.1 Literature Review
Solar tracking system project had been widely employed by the other giant company like
BP Solar, Yingli Green Energy, Kyocera, Q-Cells, Sanyo, Sharp Solar, Solar World, Sun Power,
and Suntech. Now, many people use solar energy or photovoltaic energy as an alternative power
because its free and renewable. As we can see now, the payment charge for an electricity had
been risen rapidly because the increasing of gas price. Many researchers have tried to find the
alternative energy to replace the gas. One of the alternative energy that we can use is
photovoltaic energy. Photovoltaic energy is the most promising and popular form of solar
energy. In solar photovoltaics, sunlight is actually converted into electricity.
Photovoltaic power was first discovered by a French scientists Antoinc Becquerel in
1839. The first working solar cell was successfully made by Charles frits in 1882. It was made of
thin sheets of selenium and coated with gold. The use of solar panels for generating electricity
and heat seems relatively like new development, it has actually been widely used to generate
power since early 1900s. In 1954 bell laboratory mass produced the first crystal silicon solar
cell. The bell PV cell converted 4% of the suns energy into electricity a rate that was considered
the cutting edge in energy technology.
Scientists continued to reinvent and enhanced on the design of the original silicon cell
and were able to produce a solar cell that was capable of putting 20% return electricity rate. In
the late 1900s as awareness grew in the science community about the effects of global warming
and the need for renewable energy sources, scientists continued to refine the silicon PV and by
early 2000 they were able to make a solar cell with 24% electricity return. In just seven years
scientists were again able to increase the electricity return of silicon solar cell using space age
materials. By 2007, modern silicon PV solar cells were operating with 28% electricity return.
Each photovoltaic cell produces a small amount of electricity so they are wired together into
6

panels to provide enough current (D C) power so it must be converted to alternating current (AC)
with the aid of an inverter.
This is very different from a conventional understanding of solar power as only a way of
heating water. Sunlight is made of photons, small particles of energy. These photons are
absorbed by and pass through the material of a solar cell or solar photovoltaic panel. The photons
'agitate' the electrons found in the material of the photovoltaic cell. As they begin to move (or are
dislodged), these are 'routed' into a current. This, technically, is electricity - the movement of
electrons along a path. Solar panels made of silicon to convert sunlight into electricity. Solar
photovoltaic are used in a number of ways, primarily to power homes that are inter-tied or
interconnected with the grid. Wire conducts these electrons, either to batteries or to the regular
electrical system of the house, to be used by appliances and other household electrical items. In
many solar energy systems, the battery stores energy for later use. This is especially true when
the sun is shining strongly.
2.2 Components Analysis
Sunlight has two components, the "direct beam" that carries about 90% of the solar
energy, and the "diffuse sunlight" that carries the remainder - the diffuse portion is the blue sky
on a clear day and increases proportionately on cloudy days. As the majority of the energy is in
the direct beam, maximizing collection requires the sun to be visible to the panels as long as
possible.
2.2.1 LM358 IC
Utilizing the circuit designs perfected for Quad Operational Amplifiers, these dual
operational amplifiers feature low power drain, a common mode input voltage range extending to
ground/VEE, and single supply or split supply operation. The LM358 series is equivalent to
onehalf of an LM324. These amplifiers have several distinct advantages over standard
operational amplifier types in single supply applications. They can operate at supply voltages as
low as 3.0 V or as high as 32 V, with quiescent currents about onefifth of those associated with
the MC1741 (on a per amplifier basis). The common mode input range includes the negative
supply, thereby eliminating the necessity for external biasing components in many applications.
The output voltage range also includes the negative power supply voltage.
7

2.2.1.1 Description
The LM358 series consists of two independent, high gain, internally frequency
compensated operational amplifiers which were designed specifically to operate from a single
power supply over a wide range of voltages. Operation from split power supplies is also possible
and the low power supply current drain is independent of the magnitude of the power supply
voltage.

Figure 2.2.1.1 IC LM358

Application areas include transducer amplifiers, dc gain blocks and all the conventional
op amp circuits which now can be more easily implemented in single power supply systems. For
example, the LM358 series can be directly operated from the standard +5V power supply voltage
which is used in digital systems and will easily provide the required interface electronics without
requiring an additional 15V power supply.
2.2.1.2 Features
Internally frequency compensated for unity gain
Large dc voltage gain: 100 Db
Very low supply current drain (500A); essentially independent of supply voltage
Wide bandwidth (unity gain): 1MHz (temperature compensated)
Input common-mode voltage range includes ground
8

Differential input voltage range equal to the power supply voltage
Low input offset voltage: 2mV
Wide power supply range: o Single supply: 3V to 32V o Dual supplies: 1.5V to 16V
Large output voltage swing: 0V to V+ - 1.5V
SOP-8L packaging
Green Molding Compound (No Br, Sb)
Lead Free Finish/ RoHS Compliant (Note 1)
2.2.1.3 Functional Block Diagram



Figure 2.2.1.3 Functional Block Diagram of IC LM358

9

2.2.1.4 Pin Descriptions
Pin Name Pin No. Description

OUTPUT 1 1 Channel 1 Output
INVERTING INPUT 1 2 Channel 1 Inverting Input
NON-INVERTING INPUT 1 3 Channel 1 Non-inverting Input
GND 4 Ground
NON-INVERTING INPUT 2 5 Channel 2 Non-inverting Input
INVERTING INPUT 2 6 Channel 2 Inverting Input
OUTPUT 2 7 Channel 2 Output
V+ 8 Chip Supply Voltage

Table 2.2.1.4 Pin Description
2.2.1.5 Application
Eliminates the need for dual supplies
Compatible with all forms of logic
Two internally compensated op amps
Low power drain ideal for battery operation
Allows direct sensing near GND
V OUT can swing to GND
2.2.2 Light Dependant Resistor LDR
A light dependant resistor also know as a LDR, photoresistor, photoconductor or
photocell, is a resistor whose resistance increases or decreases depending on the amount of light
intensity. LDRs (Light Dependant Resistors) are a very useful tool in a light/dark circuits. A
LDRs can have a variety of resistance and functions. For example it can be used to turn on a light
when the LDR is in darkness or to turn off a light when the LDR is in light. It can also work the
10

other way around so when the LDR is in light it turns on the circuit and when its in darkness the
resistance increase and disrupts the circuit.



Figure 2.2.2 Light Dependant Resistor
2.2.3 Motor
Stepper motors are special motors that are used when motion and position have to
be precisely controlled. The stepper motor is closely related in design to three-phase AC
synchronous motors where an internal rotor containing permanent magnets or a large iron core
with salient poles is controlled by a set of external magnets that are switched electronically. A
stepper motor may also be thought of as a cross between a DC electric motor and a solenoid. As
each coil is energized in turn, the rotor aligns itself with the magnetic field produced by the
energized field winding. Unlike a synchronous motor, in its application, the motor may not rotate
continuously; instead, it "steps" from one position to the next as field windings are energized and
de- energized in sequence. Depending on the sequence, the rotor may turn forwards or
backwards.
Simple stepper motor drivers entirely energize or entirely de-energize the field windings,
leading the rotor to "cog" to a limited number of positions; more sophisticated drivers can
proportionally control the power to the field windings, allowing the rotors to position "between"
the "cog" points and thereby rotate extremely smoothly. Computer controlled stepper motors are
11

one of the most versatile forms of positioning systems, particularly when part of a digital servo-
controlled system.
Stepper motors can be rotated to a specific angle with ease, and hence stepper motors are
used in computer disk drives, where the high precision they offer is necessary for the correct
functioning of, for example, a hard disk drive or CD drive. Only very old hard drives (from the
pre-gigabyte era) use stepper motors; newer drives use systems based on voice coils.



Figure 2.2.3 Motor
2.2.4 Transistor
Invented in 1948 by Bardeen, Brattain and Shockley .The bipolar junction transistor
consists of three regions of semiconductor material. Contains three adjoining, alternately doped
semiconductor regions: Emitter (E), Base (B), and Collector (C) . The middle region, base, is
very thin compared to the diffusion length of minority carriers. One type is called a p-n-p
transistor, in which two regions of p-type material sandwich a very thin layer of n-type material.
A second type is called an n-p-n transistor, in which two regions of n-type material sandwich a
very thin layer of p-type material. Both of these types of transistors consist of two p-n junctions
placed very close to one another in a back-to-back arrangement on a single piece of
semiconductor material. Diagrams depicting these two types of transistors are shown in Fig. 12.1
12









Figure 2.2.4 Transistor

2.2.5 Resistors
Resistor is an electrical component that reduces the electric current. The resistor's ability
to reduce the current is called resistance and is measured in units of ohms (symbol: ). If we
make an analogy to water flow through pipes, the resistor is a thin pipe that reduces the water
flow. In this inverter circuit resistor is used for charging the capacitor and variable resistor is
used for adjusting the output frequency to exact 50 Hz
Here we use resisters of different specification shown below-
13







Figure 2.2.5 Resistor
2.2.6 Rectifier diodes
Semiconductor diodes are active devices which are extremely important for various
electrical and electronic circuits. Diodes are active non-linear circuit elements with non-linear
voltage-current characteristics. Diodes are used in a wide variety of applications in
communication systems (limiters, gates, clippers, mixers), computers (clamps, clippers, logic
gates), radar circuits (phase detectors, gain-control circuits, power detectors, parameter
amplifiers), radios (mixers, automatic gain control circuits, message detectors), and television
(clamps, limiters, phase detectors, etc).
The ability of diodes to allow the flow of current in only one direction is commonly
exploited in these applications. Another common application of diodes is in rectifiers for power
supplies. Rectifiers are mainly used in power supplies where an AC signal is to be converted to
DC. The DC voltage is obtained by passing the rectifiers output through a filter to remove the
ripple (AC components). Although, various types of filters (covered in the chapter on Frequency
Response) can be used a capacitor .

14


Figure 2.2.6 Diode

2.2.7 Variable Resistor (Port)
Variable resistors are often called potentiometers, or pots for short, because one very
common use for them is as an adjustable voltage divider. For many years they were often called
volume controls, because another very common use was in adjusting the audio volume produced
by amplifiers, radio and TV receivers. Yet another early name for essentially the same
component when it was used simply as a variable resistance was rheostat meaning a device to set
the flow (of current). Pots are made in a variety of physical forms, and with the actual resistance
element made from different materials. Some pots are made for frequent manual adjustment via a
control knob, while others are designed to be adjusted only occasionally with a screwdriver or
similar tool, for fine tuning of circuit performance. The latter type are usually called preset pots
or trimpots. This generally allows much more convenient setting, but such pots are not as
common as the single-turn type because they are rather more expensive.

15


Figure 2.2.7 Variable Resister
2.2.8 DC Batteries
The battery is an essential component of almost all aircraft electrical systems. Batteries
are used to start engines and auxiliary power units, to provide emergency backup power for
essential avionics equipment.
Batteries operate by converting chemical energy into electrical energy through
electrochemical discharge reactions. Batteries are composed of one or more cells, each
containing a positive electrode, negative electrode, separator, and electrolyte . Cells can be
divided into two major classes: primary and secondary. Primary cells are not rechargeable and
must be replaced once the reactants are depleted. Secondary cells are rechargeable and require a
DC charging source to restore reactants to their fully charged state. Examples of primary cells
include carbon-zinc (Leclanche or dry cell), alkaline-manganese, mercury- zinc, silver-zinc, and
lithium cells (e.g., lithium-manganese dioxide, lithium-sulfur dioxide, and lithium- thionyl
chloride). Examples of secondary cells include lead-lead dioxide (lead-acid), nickel-cadmium,
nickel-iron, nickel-hydrogen, nickel-metal hydride, silver-zinc, silver-cadmium, and lithium-ion.




16

CHAPTER-3
PROJECT DISCRIPTION

3.1 Solar Tracking System
A solar tracker is a device that orients a payload toward the sun. Payloads can be
photovoltaic panels, reflectors, lenses or other optical devices. Thus the tracking of the suns
location and positioning of the solar panel are important. The goal of this project is to design an
automatic tracking system, which can locate position of the sun. The tracking system will move
the solar panel so that it is positioned perpendicular to the sun for maximum energy conversion
at all time. Photoresistors will be used as sensors in this system. The system will consist of light
sensing system, microcontroller, gear motor system, and a solar panel.




Figure 3.1 Solar Tracking System

17

3.2 Circuit Diagram of Solar Tracking System Using LM358IC

Figure 3.2 Circuit Diagram of Solar Tracking System
3.2.1 Working of Circuit Diagram
The heart of the above circuit is two voltage comparators made using LM358 Dual Op-
Amp. We all know that when the intensity of light falling on a LDR increases, its resistance
decreases. Here LDR is connected with a series resistor (R3 & R4), hence when the intensity of
light falling on a LDR increases, voltage across corresponding resistor (R3 or R4) increases.
The output of the voltage comparator will be high when the voltage at non-inverting
terminal (+) is higher than the voltage at the inverting terminal (-). Inverting (-) terminals of both
comparators are shorted and connected to a variable resistor (RV1), which is used to set the
reference voltage. Thus the sensitivity of both LDRs can be adjusted by varying the 10K pot
shown on the left side of the circuit diagram. When the light falls on a LDR increases, voltage at
the non-inverting (+) terminal of corresponding comparator increases and its output goes HIGH.
18

3.3 Software used
3.3.1 PCB Designing steps:
1. Design your circuit board, Use PCB wizard software to draw your circuit board.
2. Buy a plain board that is coated with a fine layer of copper on one side from a retailer.
3. Scrub the board with a scouring pad and water to make sure the copper is clean. Let the
board dry.
4. Print your circuit board's design onto the dull side of a sheet of blue transfer paper. Make
sure the design is oriented correctly for transfer.
5. Place the blue transfer paper on the board with the circuit board's printed design against the
copper.
6. Lay a sheet of ordinary white paper over the blue paper. Following the transfer paper's
instructions, iron over the white and blue paper to transfer the design onto the copper board.
Iron every design detail that appears near an edge or corner of the board with the tip of the
iron.
7. Let the board and blue paper cool. Peel the blue paper slowly away from the board to see the
transferred design.

Figure 3.3.1 PCB Designing
19

8. Examine the transfer paper to check for any black toner from the printed design that failed to
transfer to the copper board. Make sure the board's design is oriented correctly.
9. Replace any missing toner on the board with ink from a black permanent marker. Allow the
ink to dry for a few hours.
10. Remove exposed parts of the copper from the board using ferric chloride in a process called
etching.
a. Put on old clothes, gloves and safety goggles.
b. Warm the ferric chloride, stored in a non-corrosive jar and sealed with a non-
corrosive lid, in a bucket of warm water. Do not heat it above 115 F (46 C) to prevent
toxic fumes from being released.
c. Pour only enough ferric chloride to fill a plastic tray that has plastic risers in it to rest
the circuit board on. Be sure to do this in a well-ventilated space.
d. Use plastic tongs to lay the circuit board face down on the risers in the tray. Allow 5
to 20 minutes, depending on the size of your circuit board, for the exposed copper to
drop off the board as it etches away. Use the plastic tongs to agitate the board and tray
to allow for faster etching if necessary.
11. Wash all the etching equipment and the circuit board thoroughly with plenty of running
water.
12. Drill 0.03 inch (0.8 mm) lead component holes into your circuit board with high-speed steel
or carbide drill bits. Wear safety goggles and a protective mask to protect your eyes and
lungs while you drill.
13. Scrub the board clean with a scouring pad and running water. Add your board's electrical
components and solder them into place.






20

3.4 Datasheet of components
At the design stage component availability and cost were put into consideration.

S.no Component Rating Quantity cost
1. Resistors 47 k ohm 1 2 Rs
15k ohm 1 2 Rs
2. Variable resistor 100 k ohm 1 10 Rs
20k ohm 1 10 Rs
3. Transistors BD139 2 10 Rs
BD140 2 10 Rs
4. Diode 1N4004 4 24 Rs
5. Battery 12V 1 20 Rs
6. IC LM358 1 20 Rs
7. LDR 10 K 2 20 Rs
8. Motor 12V, 100rpm 1 180 Rs

Table 3.4 Datasheet of components




21

CHAPTER-4
TESTING AND TROUBLSHOOTING

4.1 Testing
At the construction or circuit build-up stage various testing were carried out for transistor,
diode, resistor, light dependant resistor, motor & battery .Will like to explain some of them here.
4.1.1 Testing of Bipolar Transistor:
Transistor can be damaged by heat when soldering or by misuse in a circuit. It you
suspect that a transistor may be damaged there are two easy ways to test it. Testing with
a multieeter or testing in a simple switching circuit. For this project the first was used. In testing
with a multimeter. Use a multimeter or a simple tester (battery, Resistor and LED) to check each
pair of leads for conduction. Set a digital multimeter to diode test and an analogue multimeter to
a low resistance range. Test each pair of leads both ways (six tests in total).




Figure 4.1.1 Transistor Testing

The base-emitter (BE) junction should behave like a diode and conduct one way only.
The base-collector (BC) junction should behave like a diode and conduct one way only.
The collector-emitter (CE) should not conduct either way.
22

4.1.2 Testing of Light dependant resistor
A very good test can do is to check a ldr with multimeter set to the ohmmeter setting.
This is a simple test we can do to check whether it is good, open, or shorted and proper ratting.
So we take the ohmmeter and place it across the leg of the ldr.



Figure 4.1.2 Testing of LDR

4.1.3 Testing of diode:
A very good test you can do is to check a diode with multimeter set to the ohmmeter
setting. This is a simple test we can do to check whether it is good, open, or shorted. So we take
the ohmmeter and place it across the leads of the diode. The orientation is very important.
(a) Anode-Cathode Diode Resistance Test
We first take the ohmmeter and place the positive probe on the anode of the diode (the
black part of the diode_ and the negative probe on the cathode of the diode (the black strip), as
shown above. In this setup, the diode should read a moderately low resistance, maybe a few
hundred thousands of ohms.
23



Figure 4.1.1 (a) Anode-Cathode Testing of Diode

(b) Cathode-Anode Diode Resistance Test
Now take the ohmmeter and switch the probes around so that the positive probe of the
multimeter is now on the cathode of the diode and the negative lead on the anode. In this setup
now, the diode should read a much higher resistance, well over 1M. A typical reading may, for
example, be 2.3M. The multimeter may even indicate 'OL' for an open circuit, since the
resistance is so high.


Figure 2.1.3(b) Cathode-Anode Testing of Diode

4.1.4. Testing of Resistor
A very good test can do is to check a diode with multimeter set to the ohmmeter setting.
24

This is a simple test we can do to check whether it is good and proper ratting. So we take the
ohmmeter and place it across the leg of the resistor.


Figure 4.1.4 Testing of Resistor
4.1.5. Testing of Motor
We connected motor with the dc battery and than motor is rotating in proper direction, so
motor is good and ok.



Figure 4.1.5 Testing of Motor

25

4.1.6. Testing of Battery
We connected battery with the digital multimeter. If multimeter is showing desired
voltage, so battery is good and ok.



Figure 4.1.6 Testing of Battery










26

CHAPTER-5
ADVANTAGES, DISADVANTAGES AND APPLICATIONS

5.1 Advantages
Solar tracking systems continually orient photovoltaic panels towards the sun and can help
maximize your investment in your PV system.
One time investment, which provides higher efficiency & flexibility on dependency.
Tracking systems can help reducing emissions and can contribute some help against global
warming.
Bulk implementations of tracking systems help reduced consumption of power by other
sources.
It enhances the clean and emission free power production.
5.2 Disadvantages
Initial investment is high.
Its a bit of difficult for servicing, as the systems are not quite popular regionally.
Moving parts and gears which will require regular maintenance.
May require repair or replacement of broken parts over a long run.
It has to be built reliably, against damages caused by heavy rains.
5.3 Applications
Solar trackers are devices used to orient photovoltaic panels, reflectors, lenses or other
optical devices toward the sun. Since the suns position in the sky changes with the seasons and
the time of day, trackers are used to align the collection system to maximize energy production.
Several factors must be considered when determining the use of trackers.
27

Example: Single Axis Tracker used for Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Panel Applications.
Example: Single Axis Tracker used for Solar Thermal Parabolic Trough Applications.
It can be used for small & medium scale power generations.
For power generation at remote places where power lines are not accessible.
For domestic backup power systems.
















28

CHAPTER-6
CONCLUSION

By using this circuit the solar array can be rotated in required direction following the sun
path to get maximum energy from the sun. With the help of this Labview program International
Journal of Computer and Electrical Engineering, Vol.4, No.1, February 2012 45the efficiency of
the solar panel would be increased. Again use of this technique can capture large amount of solar
energy. For this reason the use of the non conventional energy will increase which is very fruitful
incident of our future power sector. It is the main contribution that once the simplicity of solar
energy system design is understood, engineers and manufactures will provide new system
designs that will expand the solar market worldwide.
Upon completion of the solar tracker prototype it was tested to ensure it meet design
requirements and specifications. It functioned properly in accordance to design specifications.
Test showed that power used by tracker system is less than the power gain by tracking the sun
accurately. The most important conclusion of this research, is the total cost of construction of the
tracker system is very low. This means the system can be mass produced at lower cost and at
affordable rate by many communities in the developing countries.








29

REFERENCES
[1] J. A. Beltran, J. L. S. Gonzalez Rubio, C.D. Garcia-Beltran: Design, Manufacturing and
Performance Test of a Solar Tracker Made by an Embedded Control, CERMA 2007, Mexico.
[2] O. Stalter, B. Burger, S. Bacha, D. Roye: Integrated Solar Tracker Positioning Unit in
Distributed Grid-Feeding Inverters for CPV Power Plants, ICIT 2009, Australia.
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