DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF AN AUTOMATIC SOLAR TRACKER SYSTEM · 2018-09-29 · dual axis solar...

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OFAN AUTOMATIC SOLAR TRACKER

SYSTEM

Dr. J.L. Febin Daya1 , V.Ananthakrishnan2,P.Balamurugan3, Dr.O.V.Gnana Swathika4,

VIT University [email protected]

June 25, 2018

Abstract

Renewable energy resources becoming a priority in thewhole world in order to provide a sustainable powerproduction and safe world to the future generation. Solarenergy is rapidly gaining the focus as an important meansof expanding renewable energy applications. Solar trackersare the most appropriate and proven technology toincrease the efficiency of solar panels through keeping thepanels aligned with suns position. A microcontroller baseddesign methodology of an automatic solar tracker unitcontrols the movement of solar panel always alignedtowards the direction of the sun, due to this maximumthermal energy would be culminated from solar panel.This prototype is designed for single axis as well as fordouble axis to solve solstice problem. From hardwaretesting, I come to know that solar tracking system tracksthe sun precisely and provides more power at the outputas compared to that static solar panel.

1

International Journal of Pure and Applied MathematicsVolume 120 No. 6 2018, 1167-1179ISSN: 1314-3395 (on-line version)url: http://www.acadpubl.eu/hub/Special Issue http://www.acadpubl.eu/hub/

1167

1 INTRODUCTION

Renewable energy is the energy that comes from resources whichare continually replenished such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides,wave sand geothermal heat. About 16% of global final energyconsumption comes from renewable resources, with 10% of allenergy from traditional biomass, mainly used for heating, and3.4% from hydroelectricity. New renewable sources (small hydro,modern biomass, wind, solar, geothermal, and bio-fuels)accounted for another 3% and are growing very rapidly [1-3]. Theshare of renewable sources in electricity generation is around 19%,with 16% of electricity coming from hydroelectricity and 3% fromnew renewable.

The use of wind power is increasing at an annual rate of 20%,with a worldwide installed capacity of 238,000 megawatts (MW)at the end of 2011, and is widely used in Europe, Asia, and theUnited States, Since 2004, Photovoltaic’s passed wind as thefastest growing energy source, and since 2007 has more thandoubled every two years. At the end of 2011 the photovoltaic(PV) capacity worldwide was 67000 MW, and PV power stationsare popular in Germany and Italy [4]. Solar thermal powerstations operate in the USA and Spain, and the largest of these isthe 354 MW SEGS power plant in the Mojave Desert. Theworld’s largest geothermal power installation is the Geysers inCalifornia, with a rated capacity of 750 MW [5-6]. Brazil has oneof the largest renewable energy programs in the world, involvingproduction of ethanol fuel from sugarcane, and ethanol nowprovides 18% of the country’s automotive fuel. Ethanol fuel is alsowidely available in the USA [7].

In this paper a Dual Axis Sun Tracking System is proposed andrealized as a hardware prototype. The model is tested for twocondition namely with and without tracking. The performance iscompared and analyzed.

2

International Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics Special Issue

1168

2 PROPOSED DUAL AXIS SUN

TRACKING SYSTEM

2.1 Need for Tracking

The sun’s position in the sky varies both with the seasons andtime of the day as the sun moves across the sky. Solar poweredequipment works best when pointed at or near the sun, so a solartracker can increase the effectiveness of such equipment over anyfixed position, at the cost of additional system complexity.

The main reason to use a solar tracker is to reduce the cost of theenergy you want to capture. A tracker produces more power overa longer time than a stationary array with the same number ofmodules. This additional output or gain can be quantified as apercentage of the output of the stationary array. Gain variessignificantly with latitude, climate, and the type of tracker youchoose as well as the orientation of a stationary installation in thesame location. (The energy required to move the tracker isinsignificant in these calculations.)

2.2 Dual Axis Tracking

Solar trackers have both a horizontal and a vertical axis and thusthey can track the sun’s apparent motion virtually anywhere inthe world. CSP applications using dual axis tracking include solarpower towers and dish (Stirling engine) systems. Dual axistracking is extremely important in solar tower applications due tothe angle errors resulting from longer distances between themirror and the central receiver located in the tower structure.

Dual axis trackers have two degrees of freedom that act as axis ofrotation. These axis are typically normal to one another. The axisthat is fixed with respect to the ground can be considered asprimary axis. The axis that is referenced to the primary axis canbe considered a secondary axis.

There are several common implementations of dual axis trackers.They are classified by the orientation of their primary axes with

3


1169

respect to the ground. Two common implementations are tip-tiltdual axis trackers (TTDAT) and azimuth-altitude dual axistrackers (AADAT). The orientation of the module with respect tothe tracker axis is important when modeling performance. Dualaxis trackers typically have modules oriented parallel to thesecondary axis of rotation. Dual axis trackers allow for optimumsolar energy levels due to their ability to follow the sun verticallyand horizontally. No matter where the sun is in the sky, dual axistrackers are able to angle themselves to be in direct contact withthe sun.

2.3 Block Diagram of Dual Axis Sun TrackingSystem

The block Diagram of Dual Axis Solar Tracker is shown in Figure1 and the designed tracking system consists of five light sensors(LDRs) of which four on four sides of the solar panel i.e., on east-west and north-south directions, and the remaining one in centreof the panel. These sensors are made to form a potential dividercircuit and the outputs are given to ADC0804, to convert them fromAnalog to Digital signals. Two Servo motors are used to move thesystem panel, keeping the suns beam at the centre of the sensor.The digital signals are given to Microcontrollers for comparing thesignals and for the control operation of Servo Motors.

4


1170

Figure 1. Block Diagram of Solar Tracker

2.4 Construction of Dual Axis Solar Tracker

2.4.1 Block Diagram

Block Diagram of a Dual Axis Solar Tracker Construction is shownin Figure 2. Five LDR Sensors are mounted on the solar panelplate, to sense the intensity of light. The sensors output is givento ADC0804 to convert it from analog to digital, and then the 8bit digital signals are given to the Microcontroller AT89C51 for thecomparison of light intensity. Microcontroller AT89C51 then givesa specific output, which is given to the Arduino Uno for rotation ofservo motor to a specific angle.

Figure 2. Block Diagram of Dual Axis Solar Tracker Construction

5


1171

2.4.2 Circuit Diagram of Light Dependent Resistor(LDR)

LDR is a resistor whose value changes with the intensity of lightfalling on it. So a potential divider circuit is made by connectingit to a 10K ohm resistor as shown in Figure 3, and supply is givento it. Output is taken between 10K ohm resistors.

Figure 3. LDR

2.4.3 Circuit Diagram of ADC0804

The output from LDR circuit is given to ADC0804 for theconversion. ADC0804 has an inbuilt clock which can be used witha RC Circuit connected to the clock. So there is no need of anexternal clock or interfacing ADC with any other microcontroller.Output is taken from the pins 11-18, as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4. Connection Diagram of ADC0804

6


1172

2.4.4 Circuit Diagram of AT89C51 Microcontroller

Circuit Connections of microcontroller are shown in Figure 5. Port1, Port 2 and Port 3 of microcontroller are configured as inputsand Port 0 as output. Inputs are the Digital bits of LDR outputs,2 from either sides of the panel and the remaining from the centreof the panel. Two sets of the same circuits are made for the dualaxis operation.

Figure 5. Connection Diagram of AT89C51

2.4.5 Circuit Diagram of Arduino Uno

Servo Motor Connections to Arduino Uno are shown in FIG, 4.15and the Arduino Uno Board takes input from the Microcontroller.Arduino Uno is used for the control of Servo Motors. Servo motorcontains three wires. Two for power source and the remaining forthe input pulses to the motor for control. Two servo motors areconnected as shown below, to the Arduino. Depending upon theinput signals it receives from the Microcontrollers (AT89C51’s), itcontrols the servo motors till it reaches the desired position.

7


1173

Figure 6. Connection Diagram of ArduinoUNO

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

3.1 Working Model of Dual Axis Solar Tracker

The hardware model was realized as shown in Figure 7. Theworking model is kept under test without any tracking for 9 hoursi.e. between 08:00 to 17:00. 10 Readings are taken and initialreading of the multimeter is been noted as 5.34. After every hourreadings are noted and are tabulated as shown in Table 1.Further, the working model is kept under test with dual axistracking for 9 hours i.e. between 08:00 to 17:00. 10 Readings aretaken and initial reading of the multimeter is been noted as 5.41.After every hour readings are noted and are tabulated as shown inTable 2. The values in Table 1 and Table 2 are mapped as shownin Figure 8. Figure 7.

8


1174

Figure 7. Working Model of Dual Axis Sun Tracking System

9


1175

Table 1. Without Tacking System

Table 2. Without Tacking System

10


1176

Figure 8. Time vs Voltage Comparison

4 CONCLUSION

The main contributions of the work are the development of thedual axis solar tracker that automatically controls solar trackingsystem to track solar PV panel according to the direction of beampropagation of solar radiation. The hardware model realized istested for two conditions namely: without tracking and withtracking. The performances are compared for the two workingconditions. The proposed solar tracking system is reliable andaccurate throughout the year and maximizes the solar trackingwhen compared to single axis tracking and without any axistracking. It will be a good and competitive solution for themarket place as it is expected to compete with more complex andexpensive systems.

References

[1] Das, A. and Swathika, O.V., 2016. Arduino Based DualAxis Sun Tracking System. Advanced Science Letters, 22(10),pp.2837-2840.

11


1177

[2] Saharia BJ, Manas M (2017) Viability analysis ofphotovoltaic/wind hybrid distributed generation in anisolated community of northeastern India. Distrib GenerAltern Energy J, Taylor and Francis Inc 32(1):4980.

[3] Dimarzio G, Angelini L, Price W, Chin C, Harris S (2015) Thestillwater triple hybrid power plant: integrating geothermal,solar photovoltaic and solar thermal power generation. In:Proc World Geotherm Congr 2015, Melbourne, pp 15

[4] Peterseim JH, Tadros A, White S, Hellwig U, LandlerJ, Galang K (2013) Solar tower-biomass hybrid plants-Maximizing plant performance. Energy Procedia49(0):11971206. doi:10.1016/j.egypro.2014.03.129.

[5] Gursoy G, Baysol M (2014) Improved optimal sizing of hybridPV/wind/battery energy systems. In: Proc. 3rd ICRERA-2014,Milwakule, pp 713716.

[6] Wang C, Nehrir MH (2008) Power management of a stand-alone wind/photovoltaic/fuel cell energy system. IEEE TransEnergy Convers 23(3):957967. doi:10.1109/TEC.2007.914200.

[7] Uzunoglu M, Onar OC, Alam MS (2009) Modeling, controland simulation of a PV/FC/UC based hybrid powergeneration system for stand-alone applications. Renew Energy34(3):509520.doi:10.1016/j.renene.2008.06.009

12


1178

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF AN AUTOMATIC SOLAR TRACKER SYSTEM · 2018-09-29 · dual axis solar...

Documents

Transcript of DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF AN AUTOMATIC SOLAR TRACKER SYSTEM · 2018-09-29 · dual axis solar...