ADVANCED MICROCONTROLLER BASED SOLAR TRACKER

SYSTEM
Yashaswi1, Punj Prakash Ojha2, Yadav Sashikant3 Prashant Ranjan Yadav4
1, 2, 3
Student, Department of ECE, UCEM Allahabad, U.P, India
4
Asst. Prof., Department of ECE, UCEM Allahabad, U.P, India

Abstract

The Sun travels through 360 degrees east to west per day, but from the context of any fixed location, the visible portion is 180
degrees amid an average of 1/2 day period (more in spring and summer; less, in fall of winter). Local horizon effects minimize
this somewhat, making an effective motion of about 150 degrees. A solar panel in a fixed orientation between the dawn and sunset
extremes will see a motion of 75 degrees on either sides, and thus, accordingly will lose 75% of the energy in the morning and
evening. Rotating the panels to the east and west can help rejuvenate those losses. A tracker rotating in the east–west direction is
known as a single-axis tracker.

The Sun also motions through 46 degrees north and south during a year. The same set of panels set at the midpoint between the
two local extremes will thus see the sun move 23 degrees on either side, causing losses of 8.3%. A tracker that accounts for both,
daily and seasonal motions is known as a dual-axis tracker. There is a loss when the angle is changed. These biases collect
towards the summer, so if the panels are tilted closer to the average summer angles, the total yearly losses are reduced as
compared to a system tilted at the spring/fall solstice angle.

There is an ample argument within the industry whether the small difference in yearly collection between single and dual-axis
trackers composes the added complexity of a two-axis tracker worthwhile. A recent attributes of actual production statistics from
Southern Ontario suggests that the difference was about 4% in total, which was far less than the added costs of the dual-axis
systems. This comparison is unfavorable with 24%-32% improvement between a fixed-array and single-axis tracker.

Key Words: Panel, Stepper Motor, Microcontroller, LDR, Motor Driver IC.
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1. INTRODUCTION 2. VARIATION

The axis of rotation for single-axis tracker is horizontal with There is a considerable argument within the project whether
respect to the ground. The posts at either end of the axis of the small difference in collection of light between trackers
rotation of a horizontal single axis tracker can be shared makes the added complexity of a single-axis tracker
between trackers to lower the installation cost. Field layouts worthwhile. Actual production statistics from southern
with horizontal single-axis trackers are very flexible. The region suggested that the difference was about 4% in total,
simple geometry means that axes of rotation is parallel to which was far less than the added costs of the dual-axis
one another which is all that is required for appropriate systems.
positioning of the trackers with respect to one another. Back
tracking is one means of computing the disposition of
panels. Horizontal trackers have the face of the module 3. CIRCUIT
oriented parallel to the axis of rotation. As the module A circuit in which full wave rectifier is being used for the
tracks, it sweeps a cylinder that is rotates symmetrically energy controlling purpose, many components are being
around the axis of rotation. In single-axis horizontal used for the energy controls in this motor driver integrated
trackers, a long horizontal tube is supported by bearings circuit and atmega8 integrated chip is used by motor in the
mounted on pylons or frames. The axis of the tube is in the controlled programming so that it can rotate in direction of
north direction. The energy is being used to control the the receiving light.
motor driver integrated circuit and Atmega8 integrated chip The axis of rotation for vertical single-axis trackers is
is used to control the motor with the help of the vertical with respect to the ground. These trackers rotate
programming so that it can rotate in the direction of the from east to west during the course of the day. Such trackers
emitted light. Panels are mounted on the tube, and the tube are more effective at higher latitudes than horizontal axis
will rotate on its axis to track the apparent motion of the sun trackers at higher latitudes.
throughout the day.
4. INTRODUCTION CIRCUIT resistance. LDR will produce an analog value which should
be converted to digital. This can be done using an analog to
Vertical single axis trackers typically have the face of the digital converter. ATmega8 already has an analog to digital
module oriented at an angle with respect to the axis of converter inside. It has six ADC channels from ADC0 to
rotation. As the module tracks, it sweeps a cone that is ADC5.The two LDRs are connected to ADC pins i.e. PC0
rotationally symmetric around the axis of rotation. and PC1. ADC conversion is done using successive
approximation method.

Stepper motor rotates the panel in stepwise angle. To drive

this motor a driver IC is used. Driver IC amplifies the input
voltage and protects the microcontroller from back EMF.
Motors generate back EMF. This may cause damage to the
controller. The driver IC used is L293D. This IC has 16
pins. Output pins are connected to the stepper motor pins.
Input pins are connected to the controller pins as shown in
circuit diagram.

By connecting a battery to the solar panel, one can store the

Fig -1: Solar tracker circuit energy generated by the solar cells and this energy can be
In the project, there are some sort of logical stuff is being used whenever required.
used in today’s advanced technology. Energy is the main
attribute for economic development. But due to incremental 5. POWER SUPPLY
rate of environmental concern, renewable energy is now of a
significant interest in India. This alternative source is For the working of any component, the basic requirement is
continuously achieving greater popularity since the the power supply. In this section there is a requirement of
realization of fossil fuels shortcomings. one voltage level i.e. 5V DC power supply.
Now the aim is to design the power supply section which
Renewable energy in the form of electricity has been in use converts 230V AC in to 5V DC. Since 230V AC is too high,
to some extent since 75 to 100 years ago. It is the energy to reduce it to directly 5V DC, we need a step-down
which comes from sun, wind, rain etc. Among the transformer that reduces the line voltage to a certain voltage
renewable energy sources, solar energy affords great that will help us to convert it in to a 5V DC. Considering the
potential for conversation into electric power which is able efficiency factor of the bridge rectifier, we came to a
to ensure an important part of the electrical energy needs of conclusion of choosing a transformer whose secondary
the planet today. Renewable power generators are spread voltage is 3V to 4 V higher than the required voltage i.e. 5V.
across many countries. The main forms of renewable energy For this application 0-9V transformer is used, since it is
are- wind energy, hydro energy, biomass, geothermal easily available in the market
energy, solar energy. Here in project we are using ATmega8
which is an AVR family micro controller. It is based on 6. POWER LOST DUE TO THE
advanced RISC architecture. It is an 8 bit controller having MISALIGNMENT WITH EXPLANATION
4KB flash memory, 512 bytes of EEPROM and 1Kb of
SRAM. It has 23 programmable pins and supports power lost (%) due to misalignment Direct (angle i )
peripheral features like two 8-bit timers, one 16- bit timer, 6
channel ADC with 10-bit resolution, programmable Lost = 1
USART, serial peripheral interface, 2 wire serial interface, i i hours
cos(i)
etc. 0° 0% 15° 1
1° 0.015% 30° 2
Solar panel is connected to the stepper motor. It consists of 3° 0.14% 45° 3
photovoltaic cells arranged in an order. Photovoltaic cell is 8° 1% 60° 4
nothing but a solar cell. Photo resembles light and voltaic is 23.4° 8.3% 75° 5
electricity. Solar cell is made up of semiconductor material-
silicon. When a light ray from the sun is incident on the
Sunlight has two components, a "direct beam" that carries
solar cell, some amount of energy is absorbed by the
about 90% of the solar energy and a "diffuse sunlight" that
material. The absorbed energy is enough for the electrons to carries the remaining the diffuse portion. As the majority of
jump from one orbit to another inside the atom. A cell the energy is in the direct beam, maximizing the beam
having one or more electric field directs the electrons which
collection requires the sun to be visible to the panels as long
induces current. By placing a metal contact energy can be
as possible.
obtained from these cells.
The energy contributed by the direct beam drops off with
Light Dependent Resistors (LDR) is the resistor whose the cosine angle between the incoming light and the panel.
resistance values depend on the intensity of light. As the
In addition, the reflectance (averaged across all
intensity of light falling on the LDR increases, resistance
polarizations) is approximately constant for angle of
value decreases. In the dark, LDR will have maximum
incidence up to 50° beyond which reflectance degrades
rapidly. For example, trackers that have accuracy of ± 5° The physics behind CPV optics is the requirement that
can deliver greater than 99.6% of the energy delivered by tracking accuracy should increase as the system
the direct beam than that of the diffused light. As a result, concentration ratio increases. However, for a given
high accuracy tracking is not typically used in non- concentration, nominating-optics provides the widest
concentrating PV applications. The sun travels 360 degrees possible acceptance angles which may be used to reduce
east to west everyday but from the perspective of any fixed tracking accuracy. In typical high concentration systems
location, the visible portion is 180 degrees during an tracking accuracy must be in the ± 0.1° range to deliver
average 1/2 day period (more in spring and summer; less, in approximately 90% of the rated power output. In low
fall and winter). Local horizon effects reduce this somewhat concentration systems, tracking accuracy must be in the ±
making the effective motion about 150 degrees. A solar 2.0° range to deliver 90% of the rated power output. As a
panel in a fixed orientation between the dawn and the sunset result, high accuracy tracking systems are of typical
extremes will see a motion of 75 degrees on either side and rotation. In single axis horizontal trackers, a long horizontal
thus, according to the table above, will lose 75% of the tube is supported on bearings mounted upon pylons or
energy in the morning and the evening. Rotating the panels frames. The axis of the tube is on the north–south line.
from east to west can help recapture the losses. A tracker Panels are mounted upon the tube and the tube will rotate on
rotating in the east–west direction is known as a single-axis its axis to track the apparent motion of the sun throughout
tracker. the day.

The Sun also moves through 46 degrees north and south 8. TRACKER TYPE SELECTION
during a year. The same set of panels set at the midpoint
between the two local extremes will thus see the sun move
23 degrees on either side, causing loss of 8.3%. A tracker The selection of tracker type is dependent on many factors
that accounts for both, the daily and seasonal motions, is including installation size, electric rates, government
known as a dual-axis tracker. The losses occurring due to incentives, land constraints, latitude, and local weather.
the seasonal angle changes are complemented by changes in
the length of the day, increasing the beam collection in the Horizontal single-axis trackers are typically used for large
summers in northern and southern latitudes. This biases the distributive generation projects and utility scale projects.
beam collection towards the summer. So if the panels are The combination of energy improvement and low product
tilted closer to the average summer angles, the total yearly cost as well as low installation complexity results in
losses are reduced as compared to a system tilted at the compelling economics in large deployments. In addition, the
spring/fall solstice angle (which is the same as the site's strong afternoon performance is particularly desirable for
latitude). large grid-tied photovoltaic systems so that production
matches the peak demand time. Horizontal single-axis
There is a considerable argument within the industry trackers also add a substantial amount of productivity during
whether the small difference in yearly collection between the spring and summer seasons when the sun is high in the
single and dual-axis trackers makes the added complexity of sky. The inherent robustness of their supporting structure
a two-axis tracker worthwhile. and the simplicity of the mechanism also results in high
reliability which keeps maintenance costs low. Since the
panels are horizontal, they can be compactly placed on the
7. TYPES OF MOUNTS AND COLLECTOR axle tube without danger of self-shading and are also readily
accessible for cleaning.
7.1 Fixed mount
A vertical-axis tracker move only about a vertical axle, with
Residential and small-capacity commercial or industrial the panels either at a vertical, fixed, adjustable angle or
rooftop solar project (kW) and solar water heater panels are tracked elevation angle. Such trackers with fixed or
usually fixed, often flush-mounted on an appropriate facing (seasonally) adjustable angles are suitable for higher
pitched roof. latitudes where the apparent solar path is not especially high
but leads to long days in summer with the sun traveling
7.2 Moving collector through a long arc.

Trackers can be grouped into classes by the number and Dual axis trackers are typically used in smaller residential
orientation of the tracker's axes. Compared to a fixed mount, installations and locations with very high government feed
a single axis tracker increases annual output by in tariffs.
approximately 30% and a dual axis tracker an additional
6%.

Photovoltaic trackers can be classified into two types:

standard photovoltaic (PV) trackers and concentrated 9. CONCLUSIONS
photovoltaic (CPV) trackers. Each of these tracker types can
be further categorized by the number and orientation of their In this project, the sun tracking system is developed using
axes, their actuation architecture and drive type, their atmega8 based microcontroller. The microcontroller
intended applications, their vertical supports and foundation. atmega8 based circuit is used in this system with a minimum
number of components and the use of stepper motors PUNJ PRAKASH OJHA
enables for the accurate tracking of the sun. After examining
the information obtained, it has been shown that the sun Second Author-Punj Prakash Ojha,
tracking systems can collect maximum energy than a fixed B.Tech, United College of Engineering &
panel system can collect. High efficiency is achieved Management, Allahabad.
through this tracker. It can be said that the proposed sun
punjprakash001@gmail.com
tracking system is a feasible method of maximizing the light
energy received from the sun. This is an efficient tracking
Worked on the circuit as an analyzer for the
system for solar energy collection. So if we use this system
it can absorb the maximum solar energy by tracking the circuit and configuration of the circuit.
sun’s position.
YADAV SHASIKANT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We are highly obliged for the indispensable effort made by Third Author -Yadav shasikant, B.Tech,
our Head of the Department Prof. (Dr.) Nandita Pradhan and United College of Engineering &
guide Mr. Prashant Ranjan Yadav to make this work Management, Allahabad.
possible.
Worked on the soldering and providing
REFERENCES tactic and also rechecking of the whole
process.
[1]. T. Tudorache and L. Kreindler, Ed, “Design of a Solar Trackers
system 1
[2]. C. Nobert. CHEUNG, S. W. ZHAO, W. Chuen, G. KWOK Z. G. shashi004.94@gmail.com
Sun “Solar Tracking System designed based on linear switched
Reluctance motor 2 PRASHANT RANJAN YADAV
[3]. Y. J. Huang, T. C. Kuo, C. Y. Chen, C. H. Chang, and P. C. Wu
,“The Design and Implementation of a Solar Tracking Generating Fourth Author- Prashant Ranjan Yadav,
Power System3
Asst. Prof. United College of Engineering
[4]. O. Gouda, G. Amer, T. Elkhodary, and M. Awaad, “Optimum
Design and Implementation of Tracking Photovoltaic Power System & Management in ECE Department
based on Plc and Micro Controller 4 Allahabad.
prashantranjan04@gmail.com
Overall project is done under his guidance
having experience in optical
communication.

CORRESPONDANCE AUTHER –Prashant

Ranjan Yadav, Prashantranjan04@gmail.com,
9450249892