84 • Proceedings for DJ STRIKE 2019

Automated Solar Tracker

Khushali Jhaveri1, Priyal Dani1, Jay Vora1, Jill Parekh1, T.D Biradar2
1
U. G. Student, Department of Electronics and Telecommunication, D. J. Sanghvi College of Engineering
2
Associate Professor, Department of Electronics and Telecommunication, D. J. Sanghvi College of Engineering

Abstract— With the staggering increase in the development within a day is nothing but a solar tracker. After locating
of industries and civilization, and immense increase in the sunlight, the tracker will be directed towards the path where
population of a country like India, there is a constant need of the maximum sunlight is collected and received. There are
resources. This has resulted in the sharp decline of natural different ways of tracking, namely
resources. The need for renewable resources of energy such as
tidal energy, wind energy, solar energy is increasing day by day. • Passive Tracking system – In this system, differential
Solar energy is the largest renewable resource, but efficiency is heating of two interconnected tubes which are filled with the
the main concern. In India, Stationary arrays are limited by the gaseous refrigerants is used, meaning in this type of tracking
amount of sunlight they can absorb in India. Their static system there are no use of controllers, motors and gears.
position means the angle of the sun also affects their
productivity. This project aims to make solar panels more • Active Tracking System –This type of system uses
efficient by converting maximum amount of solar energy into motors and gear which is controlled by the controller to
electrical energy. The concept is to build an automatic single respond the solar direction. It is classified as one axis tracking
axis solar tracker using Arduino which tracks the position of the and two axis tracking system.
sun and rotates the panel accordingly, so that the sun rays are
– Single axis solar trackers: It tracks the sun’s motion in
perpendicular to the solar panel generating maximum energy.
Up to 40% more energy can be generated than a static solar
vertical direction or horizontal direction.
panel. – Dual axis solar trackers: It tracks the sun’s motion in
both the directions.
Keywords— Arduino UNO, L293D driver, Micro controller,
Photovoltaic cell, solar tracking device II. LITERATURE REVIEW
I. INTRODUCTION Due to the wide spread use of solar panels across the
world, the usage and utilization of solar panels in fields,
Energy requirement also increases with the increase in housing and various other sectors have been increased. With
population. People use coal, oil and gas to fulfill their basic the increasing demand for the use of solar panels, the idea
requirements. But as mentioned earlier, due to increase in behind this project was to build a low cost, less complicated,
population there has been scarcity of these resources and at robust and highly efficient experimental plant including a
the same time they are becoming expensive as well and solar panel. A solar tracker is a mechanical device that
causing pollution to the environment. So, the use of renewable supports one or more solar panels and rotates the solar panels,
sources of energy like wind, solar, tidal, geothermal energy so they are more perpendicular to the Sun's rays. The structure
comes into picture. One of the largest sources of renewable that supports the solar panels can move on one or two axes.
energy available is the solar energy. The only concern is the The control implementation is a technical innovation that is a
ability to turn solar energy into electrical energy in efficient simple and effective design. In this closed-loop tracking
and cost-effective way. Earth receives 16x1018 units of solar scheme, the important components used were light dependent
energy per year which is 20,000 times larger than the resistors (LDR’s) to measure the intensity of the light and
requirement of human beings on the planet Earth. Due to feedback error signal was generated to control the system to
rotation and revolution of Earth, the Sun’s solar energy generate continuous maximum radiation from the sun.
available is not constant on the surface of the Earth. One of Arduino UNO to control the motors and the control of the
the promising sources of future energy is solar energy. There system was programmed by Simulink. In this existing
are two ways to increase the energy from solar energy-based research, two dc motors were used to perform the dual axis
system. First way is in manufacturing photovoltaic cell using tracking. They were mounted on perpendicular axis and
different efficient materials and second way is to follow the aligned in a specific direction. In this work, attempt was made
sun. So, to track maximum energy a device should be made to develop a simple and efficient control scheme and tracking
which helps to track the Sun’s movement and radiations. Solar strategies. The two axes of the tracker were allowed to move
panels work on the concept that the photovoltaic cells in the simultaneously according to the signals given by the Arduino.
panels are used for converting sunlight into DC. The only Experiment results have demonstrated the good behaviour of
disadvantage is that they are stationary and cannot move the system and fine tuning of the controller settings.[7]
according to the Sun’s position. Solar tracker is a device
which can move its photovoltaic modules according to the Solar energy is one of the most renewable and inexhaustible
position of the Sun so that the arrays are perpendicular to the sources of energy. To increase the efficiency of solar panels,
rays of the Sun. This maximizes the output. These trackers are solar trackers are built which are little complicated and
around 40% more efficient than the stationary arrays. expensive than the normal solar panels, but the efficiency is
much higher than them. Dual axis trackers can track the sun’s
A device on which a dish or solar panels are fixed position more precisely than the single axis as it has two axes
which helps to track the solar energy by tracking the Sun’s of freedom. Automated solar trackers don’t require manpower
motion and helps in obtaining maximum sunlight on the panel hence is explicit, advanced and productive.

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 Automated Solar Tracker • 85

A prototype of dual axis solar tracker system with a new Fig. 3.1.1 Arduino UNO
design was made with a unique sun position tracker
mechanism and a wireless control support. The hardware The Arduino UNO is an Atmega328 based
components used in this project are DC motors, gear box, microcontroller board. It is an open source widely used
Arduino UNO, LDR sensor module, timing circuit, angle microcontroller. It can be easily programmed, erased and
sensor, Bluetooth module and motor driving circuit. Software reprogrammed at any instant of time. The board has sets of
digital and analog input/output (I/O) pins. The board has 14
part represents the effects of environmental conditions on the
Digital pins and 6 Analog pins. It is programmable with the
prototype and its behaviour.
Arduino IDE. The Uno is different from other boards because
The Arduino UNO sends commands to DC motors to it uses the Atmega8U2 programmed as a USB-to-serial
specify the angle and position of solar panel to maintain the converter instead of a USB-to-serial FTDI driver. The
panels normal to sunlight. Four LDR’s are used to reduce the Arduino Uno can be supplied power externally or with the
errors of altitude and angles. The tracking system parameters help of a USB connection generally from a laptop but from
are controlled through Bluetooth module. This results in other devices as well. The power source is selected
increase of power generation by the proposed tracking system. automatically. It is used to upload (burn) a program to the
Standalone working and wireless communication can be microcontroller using a USB cable. It consists of both physical
achieved with the use of computer which makes the system programmable circuit board and it also uses software, IDE
observable and reliable. The use of LDR sensors and high (Integrated Development Environment). It runs on your
precision angle sensors guarantees a more accurate and computer where you are able to write and upload computer
efficient tracking system.[8] code to the physical board. It takes 5V as input power supply
which can be given from a laptop via a USB cable or external
III. PROPOSED METHODOLOGY power supply.
When the light rays fall on the solar panel, the LDRs on the
edge of the panel, detect the light. The difference in the
resistance of the LDRs is measured. The LDR with the highest 3.1.2 Adafruit L293D Motor Shield
resistance is selected and signal is sent to the motor shield
through Arduino which in turn rotates the motor in clockwise
or anticlockwise direction by a specific angle. The motor then
rotates the solar panel so that the panel receives maximum
intensity of the sun.

Fig. 3.1.2 L293D Motor Shield

Printed circuit expansion boards called shields, which
are compatible with Arduino can be plugged into the normal
Arduino pin headers. Adafruit L293D Motor Shield has
Fig. 3.1 Block Diagram of Solar Tracker connections for 5V servos connected to the Arduino’s high-
resolution dedicated timer, 4 bi-directional DC motors with
3.1 Hardware individual 8-bit speed selection and 2 stepper motors with
Following are the list of all the hardware components used micro-stepping, double coil or single coil. Unipolar or
in the project: bipolar motors can be used. L293D chipset provides thermal
shutdown protection between 4.5V to 25V and has a current
3.1.1 Arduino UNO of 0.6A per bridge (1.2A peak).

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86 • Proceedings for DJ STRIKE 2019

3.1.3 Solar Panel 3.1.5 DC Motor

Fig. 3.1.3 Solar Panel Fig. 3.1.5 10 rpm DC Motor

Absorption of sunlight from the Sun and then using it for DC motors are continuous actuators which convert
the generation of electricity is done by the photovoltaic solar electrical energy into mechanical. The brush is used to rotate
panels. The panel consists of a PV module which is the object in clockwise or anticlockwise directions with a
systematically packed and connected by assembly of specific rpm. There are different types of DC motors like
typically 6*10 photovoltaic solar cells. The most common series, shunt, compound, permanent magnetic DC motor, etc.
application is in solar water heating system. 20% of the
efficiency of the solar panel is reduced by dust, grime pollen
and other particulates that get accumulated on the solar 3.2 Software and Implementation
panels.
Arduino IDE
The Arduino project provides the Arduino integrated
3.1.4 Light Dependent Resistor (LDR) development environment (IDE), which is a cross-platform
application written in the programming language Java. The
Arduino IDE supports the languages C and C++ using special
rules to organize the code. Arduino IDE employs the program
to convert the executable code into a text file in hexadecimal
coding that is loaded into the Arduino board by a loader
program in the board’s firmware. After loading, the
Microcontroller is ready to be used for its specific function.
IV. WORKING

This Automated Solar Tracker is built using 2 LDR

Sensors fitted on the two opposite ends of the Solar Panel.
These LDR Sensors play an extremely important role in the
functioning of the Solar Tracker. The values taken from the
LDR are passed to the Arduino UNO microcontroller. This
Fig. 3.1.4 Light Dependent Resistor (LDR) microcontroller is pre-programmed using the Arduino IDE
Software such that for a typical range of values, recorded by
LDR is a variable resistance component that changes as
light fall upon it. So, they are mainly used in light sensing the LDR, the Solar Panel will rotate accordingly in that
circuits. With the intensity of light falling upon the device the particular direction keeping the sun rays perpendicular to the
LDR has that much amount of resistance. The typical values Solar Panel. The rotation of the Solar Panel takes place with
of LDR resistance are: the help of a 10rpm DC Motor. This motor is also connected
to the Arduino UNO microcontroller. Now, the
Day light - 5000Ω microcontroller acts as a brain and controls the entire
Dark - 20000000Ω movement. As the value recorded by the LDR sensor
increases as compared to the other LDR sensor which is
Automatic turning on and off light, controlling shutter placed at the opposite end, a signal is sent from the
speed of camera and detecting the angle of Sun rays are some microcontroller triggering the movement of the DC Motor
applications of LDR. thus resulting in the movement of the Solar Panel in the
direction of the LDR sensor having the greater value.
This process continues in an infinite loop such that at any
given point of time, maximum intensity of light rays are
falling perpendicular to the Solar Panel hence, creating scope
for maximum energy absorption and generation. A 9 watt

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 Automated Solar Tracker • 87

battery is used to power the Arduino UNO microcontroller building, rotating independently, allowing control of the
which gives the movement of the motor. On an average, this natural heating from the Sun. A closed frontage can turn itself
solar tracker generates approximately 40% more solar energy towards the Sun in summer to prevent the interior space from
than compared to the conventional solar panel system. direct heat gains. In winter, the glass frontage can turn its face
towards the Sun to get direct sunlight in the house.
VI. FUTURE SCOPE
Solar Tracker is used in many applications such as
agriculture, housing, street lights and many more. Automatic
Solar Tracker provides a prototype for large arrays of solar
panel system. It can be deployed on the existing solar panels
or we can refer to it as the Conventional Solar Panels by
adding Microcontroller, LDR Sensors and Servo Motors. We
can make these panels as Automated Panels as well. In future
this machine can be used with more efficiency and less space
requirement. Efficiency could be increased by using
monocrystalline PV panels instead of polycrystalline panels.
Energy production can be increased by connecting more solar
panels in an array. This is a single-axis solar panel project. It
Fig. 4.1 Prototype of Solar Tracker can be modified into a dual axis by adding one more dc motor
for horizontal rotation. Dual-axis are more precise than
V. APPLICATIONS single-axis. In our design, the panel is mounted on a rod
which is supported by two block pieces at both the ends. The
solar panel can be placed on the tip of a single triangular
The main applications of Automatic Solar Tracker are structure so that it can rotate freely in both the axis. Also, this
discussed below: modification in the design ensures that the wires do not get
tangled during rotations. The gear ratio can be adjusted to
5.1 Automatic Street Lamps reduce the energy loss. The load carrying capacity can be
These automated solar tracking panels can be placed on improved. A mechanism can be made to stop the motors
the street lamps and the energy generated by the solar panels when there is no need of movement.
can be used by the street lamps. Also, these panels generate
40% more energy than the regular panels, so the excess VII. CONCLUSIONS
energy generated can be used in multipurpose ways or can be The goal of this project was to design and implement a
stored for future use. small-scale prototype of single axis solar tracker. Designing
and execution have been completed for the work of the
5.2 Housing Terraces project. This project was a successful attempt of researching
The Automated solar panels can be installed on the and applying knowledge of current technology to create
terraces of houses, just the way the conventional solar panels laboratory prototype which can further be modified into a
are installed but in addition to that, there will be a Controller commercial product. This prototype has been successfully
system installed along with the LDR Sensors which assists in built and tested to verify the effectiveness of the control
the automatic tracking of the sun rays. This will result in more implementation. The proposed single motor design was
household electricity usage from the Solar Panel thus being accurate and self-contained and required minimal
beneficial economically and environmentally. programming. Although setting up this type of solar tracker
5.3 Agricultural Fields in real-time would be expensive during establishment but it
Supplying electricity to remote villages where farming is will save energy which will help in sustainability of
the primary occupation is always been a challenge. Using environment. In long term, it will reduce cost as well as these
these Panels in the fields will make the farmers self-sufficient panels are durable, and the set-up is robust.
of energy and hence will result in a good yield of crops. With
the excess energy generated, it can be deployed in the ACKNOWLEDGMENT
operation of Tube wells and water pumps.
Firstly, we would like to extend our sincere thanks to Prof.
5.4 Solar field SCADA monitoring: T.D. Biradar, our guide for his guidance and constant
The concept of solar tracker can be used in SCADA supervision as well as our BE mentor Viraj Savaliya for
monitoring. It is used for accessing the performance of providing necessary information regarding the project and
parameter such as voltage, current, humidity on real time motivating us to complete this project successfully. We would
basis. like to express our gratitude towards Dr. Hari Vasudevan, our
Principal, for granting us the use of college library for the
5.5 Rotating buildings: reference of this project, as well as our Head of Department
Rotating residential buildings can produce four and other faculty members and support staff for allowing us
times the energy the building requires to consume by rotating the use of college laboratories and internet facilities.
the building with the Sun and adding an additional dual axis
photovoltaic sail on the roof. It can rotate its entirety to track
the Sun, with vertical solar panels mounted on one side of the

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 88 • Proceedings for DJ STRIKE 2019

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