Cost-Effective Dual-Axis Solar Tracker with Enhanced Performance

This paper presents a solar tracker which operates in altazimuth and polar mounts. Online calculation of the system’s optimal position better utilizes the tracker in different regions and climates. The system is designed to be easily assembled or disassembled, and each piece of equipment is accessible. The tacker has the best performance in various environments and locations, and the optimal position is determined online by a pair of light-dependent resistors (LDRs) on its appropriate structure. Restricting the path in which the system traces the sun by installing two micro keys reduces actuators’ power considerably. The rotation period is not the same for each climate and location to improve the net efficiency. To improve the net efficiency, the rotation period is not the same for each climate and location. There are three methods to calibrate the structure and sensors: balance weight, LDRs’ base, and adjusting LDRs’ resistance. This tracker’s performance was tested against a fixed system in various weather conditions. On a cloudy and rainy day, the two systems’ output energy was equal. The net generated electricity increased to 24.6% on a sunny autumn day by defining the right hysteresis, while the global tilted irradiation increased by 34.7%. However, in the solar tracker’s continuous working case, the net generated electricity could be 18.0% lower than utilizing the fixed structure.