Solar Tracker Robot using microcontroller

Shortage of non-renewable fuel in the future is an upcoming global issue; therefore renewable energy such as solar energy has gradually replaced non-renewable energy. However, the output power provided via the photovoltaic conversion process depends on solar irradiation. The objective of this project is to design and develop an automatic Solar Tracker Robot (STR) which is capable to track maximum light intensity. The efficiency of the solar energy conversion can be optimized by receiving maximum light on the solar panel. The main components of the robot consist of microcontroller namely PIC16F877A, sensors, servo motors and digital compass. This robot is programmed to detect sunlight by using two Light Dependent Resistors (LDR). Servo motor aligns the solar panel to receive maximum light. Digital compass is used to detect the position of the robot. Two modified DC servo motors will move the robot back to the original position once the robot is out of position. The robot is programmed using MPLAB IDE v8.30. Analysis on the power conversion of solar panel is being carried out by using Fluke 1750 power quality recorder.