An Intelligent Solar Tracker for Photovoltaic Panels

In recent years, solar energy has established itself as one of the chief non-conventional energy sources, promising to be the energy source of the future. Owing to the impending energy crisis due to exhaustion of fossil fuels, it has become necessary to develop techniques that will help exploit solar energy in a better, more efficient way. This paper presents a photovoltaic system incorporating one such technique: Solar Position Tracking. The goal was to design an efficient and cost-effective solar tracking system for small photovoltaic panels, such as those used in domestic applications like water heating. We have developed a micro controller-based single axis tracking system. Experimental results have demonstrated a marked increase in the average output power for a photovoltaic panel having the tracking system, as compared with an identical fixed-tilted photo voltaic panel.