A Project Stage- I Report on

Dual Axis Solar Tracker

By

Mr. Sushant Shetty Mr. Nithin George

Mr. Aman Saini

Guide
Prof. Kawade

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Dr. D. Y. Patil Institute of Technology, Pimpri,
Pune -411018
[2020 - 2021]
 Dr. D. Y. Patil Institute of Technology, Pimpri,
Pune -411018.
Department of Mechanical Engineering

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the Mr. (Name of the student/s) has successfully completed the Project
stage-1 entitled“(Dual Axis Solar Tracker)”under my supervision, in the partial fulfilment of
Bachelor of Engineering - Mechanical Engineering of Savitribai Phule Pune University during
the academic year 2020-2021.

Date:
Place: Pune

Prof. Kawade________________
Guide External Examiner

Dr.K. K. DhandeDr. Pramod D. Patil

Head of Department Principal
Dr. D.Y. Patil Institute of Tech. Dr. D.Y. Patil Institute of Tech.
Pimpri, Pune Pimpri, Pune

Seal
 Acknowledgement

We express our sincere thanks to our guide Prof. Kawade for his constant encouragement and
support throughout our B.E project, especially for the useful suggestion given during the course
of the project period and having laid down the foundation for the success of this work. We
would like to thank our project coordinator for his assistance, genuine support and guidance
from early stages of the project. We would like to thank Dr. K. K. Dhande, Head of Mechanical
Engineering Department for his unwavering support during the entire course of this project
work. We are very grateful to our principal Dr. Pramod D. Patil for providing us with a positive
environment. We also thank to our staff members of our college and technicians for their help
in making this project a success. Finally, we take this opportunity to extend our deep
appreciation to our family and friends, for all they meet to us during the crucial times of the
completion of our project.

Mr. Sushant Shetty

Mr. Nithin George
Mr. Aman Saini
 Contents

Topic
Introduction
I Introduction
Problem Statement
Objectives
Scope
Methodology
Organization of Dissertation
Literature Review
Design Work
CAD Model/ Drawing and their description
Construction
Working of System
Experimental Setup
Possible Outcome
Concluding Remarks and Scope for the Future
Work
Concluding Remarks
Scope for the Future Work
References

List of Figures (Samples)

Figure No. Figure Name Page No.

1 Methodology Chart

2 Constructional CAD Diagram

6
 7

List of Tables (Sample)

Sr.No Name of Table Page no

Standard component cost

Non Standard component cost
 Nomenclature (Sample)

Symbols Description Page no

 Abstract

With the ever-increasing demand of electrical energy

for several commercial and domestic purposes, the renewable
sources continue to deplete. This leaves us with no other
choice but to rely on renewable sources to fulfil our demands
of electrical energy. The common sources are wind, solar and
hydro, the most efficient being solar energy. Solar energy is
the most abundant and reliable renewable sources. But that
still fails to replace the renewable sources. Traditionally the
solar panels are locked at one position and thus fail to
completely convert the total solar energy received in that area
to electrical energy. Our project attempts at increasing the
efficiency of a regular solar panel, by constantly keeping it
perpendicular to the sun rays. This project presents the outline
and execution of simple, easy and cheaper automatic dual axis
solar tracking system using Arduino UNO as the control
element and light detecting sensors (LDRS) as the sensing
element. This project involves advanced level of technology
to capture maximum amount of energy using sun’s radiations.
The main purpose is to increase the efficiency of tracking
system which can rotate in all four directions continuously
according to intensity of radiations and for energy conversion.
 Chapter - 1

Introduction

Depletion of Energy resources is currently a huge problem

that is being faced by the world at this time. As available
energy sources are coming to a shortage and measures are be
taken in order to conserve the irreplaceable energy resources
that leads to sustainability and fair use of energy sources for
future generations. Alternative energy sources are being
sought; however no other energy source is able to provide
same energy output as that of fossil fuels. So, government is
trying to improve the usage of renewable energy sources there
by curtailing the usage of conventional source of energy.
There are a number of renewable energy sources in the world
such as solar, wind, hydro-electric, geo-thermal energy etc.
But Sun is the most valued source of renewable energy and
solar energy is a clean, easily accessible and abundantly
available alternative energy source in nature. Getting solar
energy from nature is very beneficial for power generation.
Thus solar energy is rapidly gaining the focus as an important
means of expanding renewable energy uses. From the past
million years man has needed and used Energy at an
increasing rate for his existence and well-being. Solar energy
promises of becoming reliable energy source without any
polluting effects. Hence obtaining of maximum energy with
this method is more efficient and beneficial.

By using photovoltaic cell we can harness solar

energy and later photovoltaic effect can be used to convert
solar energy into electrical energy and this energy can be used
in wide applications like solar thermal energy, solar heating,
photovoltaic, solar architecture etc. The output of photovoltaic
cell directly depends on the intensity of light and sun’s
positions changes continuously in a day. As sun is a major
source of this renewable energy, a dual axis solar tracker
which can track the radiations from the sun in all the
directions with maximum intensity is found. [5]This dual axis
solar tracker takes the sun radiations as the input and converts
to electrical energy this electrical energy which is obtained
fulfill majority of the country needs.[3] Energy absorption is
maximum when the panel is perpendicular to the sun. Hence
we are using a solar tracker to maximize the energy
generation and improve the efficiency by atleast 40% more
than the fixed panel. In general, during the day the single axis
tracker moves from east to west with one degree of freedom.
While the modern tracker tracks east west and north south
movement of the sun. Light detecting resistors (LDRs) which
can sense the maximum intensity of light and the arduino
which guides the rotation of servomotors towards the
maximum intensity of light is used. Servomotors are used to
rotate the solar panel.

So to sum up, due to following reasons there is a growing

need of rotating solar panels :
 Constantly growing need of energy in the modern world.
 Dependent on fossil fuels/coal i.e., non-renewable
sources for energy generation. Gives rise to global
warming causing climate change.
 Alternatives are renewable sources like wind, solar,
hydro, geothermal. Solar being the most efficient one.
 Traditional solar panels are not as effective.
 Hence the need of rotating solar panels to maximize the
energy generated by a solar panel per day.
1.1 Problem Statement

Traditionally, the solar panels always remain stationary,

inclined at an angle to the ground, while sun continuously
changes its position with respect to solar panel or rather
earth. But the system can be fully utilized only when the sun
rays are perpendicular to the panels. When sun rays aren’t
perpendicular due to changed position of the sun, the energy
produced is very less, hence traditional solar systems are
poor at fully utilizing the sun rays received in that area.
These solar panel system don’t have enough efficiency to
satisfy the growing need of energy in the world hence, we it
is necessary to improve the efficiency of the solar panel
system to maximize electric energy produced.
1.2. Objectives

1. To improve the efficiency of traditional solar panels

2. To maximize the energy generated by a solar panel in a
day or the same duration as traditional solar panel
3. To increase the time for which the solar panels can
function and generate electricity
4. To adjust the solar panels according to the position of the
Sun during the whole year.
5. To increase the belief of people on solar panels system
and make it more reliable for household and industrial
purposes.
1.3. Scope

 By implementing this prototype on a larger scale, we will

be able to collectively increase the efficiency of PV
panels that are already installed by making few changes
in their support frames and adding the components
needed and also in new solar power plants.

 It will increase the efficiency of traditional set-up.

 This in turn will help collect more solar radiation and

generate more electricity.

 The system can be built for a very low cost and most
importantly this system would be within the financial
reach of many developing country communities.
 1.4 Methodology

Flow Chart

Fig. BLOCK DIAGRAM

Light Detecting Unit

Monitoring Unit

Movement Controlling
Unit

Result
1.5. Organization of Dissertation
 Chapter - 2

Literature Review
 Summary of all related papers

1. Solar Tracking System-A review

Suneetha Racharla1*, K Rajan2

The generation of power from the reduction of fossil fuels is the

biggest challenge for the next half century. The idea of converting
solar energy into electrical energy using photovoltaic panels holds its
place in the front row compared to other renewable sources. But the
continuous change in the relative angle of the sun with reference to
the earth reduces the watts delivered by solar panel. In this context
solar tracking system is the best alternative to increase the efficiency
of the photovoltaic panel. Solar trackers move the payload towards
the sun throughout the day. In this paper different types of tracking
systems are reviewed and their pros and cons are discussed in detail.
The results presented in this review confirm that the azimuth and
altitude dual axis tracking system is more efficient compared to other
tracking systems. However in cost and flexibility point of view single
axis tracking system is more feasible the dual axis tracking system.

2. Design Of Single-Axis And Dual-Axis Solar Tracking Systems

Protected Against High Wind Speeds
Mai SalaheldinElsherbiny, Dr. WagdyR.Anis,Dr. Ismail M. Hafez,Dr. AdelR. Mikhail

Solar energy is rapidly gaining ground as an important mean of

expanding renewable energy use. Solar tracking is employed in order
to maximize collected solar radiation by a photovoltaic panel. In this
paper we present a prototype for Automatic solar tracker that is
designed using Arduino UNO with Wind sensor to Cease Wind effect
on panels if wind speed exceeds certain threshold. The Proposed solar
tracker tracks the location of the sun anywhere in any time by
calculating the position of the sun. For producing the maximum
amount of solar energy, a solar panel must always be perpendicular to
the source of light. Because the sun motion plane varies daily and
during the day it moves from east to west; one needs two axis
trackingto follow the sun's position. Maximum possible power is
collected when two axis tracking is done. However, two axis tracking
is relatively costly and complex. A compromise between maximum
power collection and system simplicity is obtained by single axis
tracking where the plane(North south axis) is fixed while the east west
motion is accomplished. This work deals with the design of both
single and two axis tracking systems. Automatic trackers are also
compared to Fixed one in terms of Energy generated, Efficiency, Cost
and System reliability.

3. Dual Axis Solar Tracker with Weather Sensor

T.M. Thamizh Thentral, Meghna Kannan, V Sai Mounika, Mahima Nair

This paper presents the outline and execution of simple, easy and
cheaper automatic dual axis solar tracking system using Arduino
UNO as the control element and light detecting sensors (LDRS) as the
sensing element. This project involves advanced level of technology
to capture maximum amount of energy using sun’s radiations. The
main purpose is to increase the efficiency of tracking system which
can rotate in all four directions continuously according to intensity of
radiations and for energy conversion. In this, the voltage from panel is
calculated from time to time in an interval of 1hr and this voltage is
used to sense the weather conditions and display the climatic
tempatures.

4. Dual Axis Solar Tracking System-A Comprehensive Study:

Bangladesh Context
Amit Chakraborty Chhoton , Narayan Ranjan Chakraborty

Energy crisis is one of the prime issues in the third world developing
country like Bangladesh. There is an enormous gap between
generation and demand of electrical energy. Nearly 50% population of
the country is extremely isolated from this blessing. Renewable
energy is the only answer to solve this issue. Solar energy is one of
the most effective resources of the renewable energy which could play
a significant role to solve this crisis. This research presents a
performance analysis of the dual axis solar tracking system using
Arduino. The main objective of this research is whether a static solar
panel is better than solar tracker or not. This work is divided into two
parts hardware and software system. In hardware part, four light
dependent resistors (LDR) is used to detect the utmost light source
from the sun. Two servo motors conjointly used to move the solar
panel to maximum light source location perceived by the LDRs. In
software part, the code is written by using C programming language
and has targeted to the Arduino UNO controller. The outcome of the
solar tracker system has analyzed and compared with the fixed or
static solar panel found better performance in terms of voltage,
current and power. Therefore, the solar tracker is proved more
practical for capturing the maximum sunlight supply for star
harvesting applications. The result showed dualaxis solar tracking
system produced extra 10.53-watt power compared with fixed and
single axis solar tracking system.

5. Analysis of Single Axis Sun Tracker System to Increase Solar

Photovoltaic Energy Production in the Tropics
Iswadi Hasyim Rosma, Ichsan Maulana Putra Dian Yayan Sukma et. al.

The utilization of Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) generation system is

generally installed at some certain tilted angles, therefore it does not
obtain the optimum solar radiation from the sun. In order to overcome
this weakness, the SPV generation system that is equipped with a
single axis sun tracker was designed and analyzed in this paper. The
sun tracker system has two LDR sensors to estimate the position of
the sun. Arduino Uno 3 was implemented as a controller system. The
Arduino Uno 3 instructs a servo motor to drive SPV panel from the
east to the west to track the movement of the sun in a similar
direction. In order to understand the energy gain of single axis sun
tracker, it has been compared with SPV generation system installed at
the certain number of tilted angles. It can be noted from the results
that the SPV generation system with single axis sun tracker has a
significant increase in energy production than without tracker where
its energy gain is up to 22%. Therefore, it can be concluded that there
is a promising potential increase in energy when the SPV panel is
equipped with the single axis sun tracker generally in tropical regions.
 6. Implementation of an Automatic Solar Tracking System
Akhil Raj K R, Sreejith Suresh, 3Amal Razic K A, Vidhu Narayan K B, Sanju B

Energy crisis is the most important issue in today’s world.

Conventional energy resources are not only limited but also the prime
culprit for environmental pollution. Renewable energy resources are
getting priorities in the whole world to lessen the dependency on
conventional resources. Solar energy is rapidly gaining the focus as an
important means of expanding renewable energy uses. Solar cells those
convert sun’s energy into electrical energy are costly and inefficient.
Different mechanisms are applied to increase the efficiency of the solar
cell to reduce the cost. Solar tracking system is the most appropriate
technology to enhance the efficiency of the solar cells by tracking the
sun. A microcontroller based design methodology of an automatic solar
tracker is presented in this paper. Light dependent resistors are used as
the sensors of the solar tracker. The designed tracker has precise
control mechanism which will provide three ways of controlling
system. A small prototype of solar tracking system is also constructed
to implement the design methodology presented here.

7. DUAL-AXIS SOLAR TRACKER

Praveen Kumar B*1., Sasanka Jonnalagadda2., Srihari M3 and Haji Bonothu4

Non renewable energy sources like fossil fuels are soon being
depleted and in near future we will be faced with its extinction.
Alternative energy sources which are renewable and are available in
abundant quantity are required. Sun's insulation fits both the criteria.
Hence there are emerging technologies focused on harvesting solar
energy. Be it photovoltaic panels or concentrating panels, they aren’t
most efficient if they are installed in a fixed position. Due to earth's
spin we see sun in different positions throughout the day, hence light
tracker is used along with mechanisms which orient a solar panel or a
concentrating panel throughout the day. Designing and fabricating a
Dualaxis solar tracker one needs to have a proper grasp of Basic
electronics, control systems andmechanical mechanisms.
 Chapter - 3

Design Work

Fig .1 :Base

Fig .2 : Solar Panel

Fig .3 : Rotor
Fig .4 : CAD Diagram
3.1. Construction

The project is a double Axis rotating solar panel. The system consists
of two sections hardware and software system. In hardware part, four
light dependent resistors (LDR) are used to detect the utmost light
source from the sun. Two servo motors conjointly used to move the
solar panel to maximum light source location perceived by the LDRs.

In software part, the code is written by using C programming

language and is targeted to the Arduino UNO controller. The
outcome of the rotating solar panel system has been analyzed and
compared with the fixed or static solar panel found better performance
in terms of voltage, current and power. Therefore, the solar tracker is
proved more practical for capturing the maximum sunlight supply for
star harvesting applications.

Components used are as follows :

• Arduino UNO ATMEGA328P

• Solar Panel

• 2 Servo Motors (SG90)

• 4 Light Dependent Resistors (LDR)

• 4 Resistors (10 k-ohm)

• 2 Potentiometer (10k)

• Jumper wires
 • Breadboard

Arduino UNO ATMEGA328P :

i. Arduino is an open-sourceplatform, it does not require separate

piece of hardware for programming.

ii. ATMEGA328P is a high-performance high performance, low

power controller. It is an 8-bit microcontroller based on AVR
RISC architecture and is the most popular of all AVR
controllers.

Servo Motors (SG90)

i.  Servo motors are electronic devices and rotary or linear
actuators that rotate and push parts of a machine with precision.
ii. This type of motor consists of a control circuit that provides
feedback on the current position of the motor shaft, this
feedback allows the servo motors to rotate with great precision.

Light Dependent Resistors (LDR)

i. It is also known as a photoresistor. They are often used in
electronic circuit designs where it is necessary to detect the
presence or the level of light.
ii. They provide large change in resistance for changes in light
level.
iii. In this project, we are using 4 LDRs to detect the sunlight.
iv. After detecting the sunlight when they send signal to the
Arduino, it will guide the two servo motors to better place the
solar panel to maximize its efficiency.
Resistors
 i. It is a passive electrical component which creates resistance in
the flow of electric current.
Jumper wires
i. Jumper wires are simply wires that have connector pins at each
end, allowing them to be used to connect two points to each
other without soldering.
ii. Jumper wires are typically used with breadboards and other
prototyping tools in order to make it easy to change a circuit as
needed
Breadboard
i. A breadboard is used to make up temporary circuits for testing.
No soldering is required so it is easy to change connections and
replace components.

3.2. Working of System

The entire set up is divided into 3 parts the light detecting unit,
monitoring unit and the movement controlling unit.

1. LIGHT DETECTING UNIT:

It consists of four light detecting resistors each forming a pair of two.
It measures the light intensity and converts it into analog voltage and
gives the input to the controller. One pair of LDR trace the location
of sun in east- west direction and the other pair senses in the north-
south direction. Resistance is inversely proportional to intensity of
light and hence it decreases with increase in light intensity. The
relationship between light intensity and resistance is given in the
equation
RL = 500/LUX
2. MONITORING UNIT:
Arduino is the main monitoring unit of the entire apparatus. LDR is
connected to the first four pins of Arduino. Arduino takes the input
fromthe LDR and based on that it gives instructions to servomotors to
rotate either in horizontal or vertical directions.

3. MOVEMENT CONTROLLING UNIT:

The movement controlling unit comprises of two servo motors. The
Arduino gives an output of which is used to drive the servo motor
which can be driven by an input of about 4.5 volts. One of the motors
controls the horizontal rotation while the other controls the vertical
rotation. Only one motor functions at a time so as to reduce the
power consumption.

4. RESULT:
The result of all this passing of information right from LDR to the
motor results into synchronized motion of the motors to turn the solar
panels in the proper position so as to maximize the production of
electricity as compared to traditional solar panel setup.
3.3. Experimental Setup

Fig. 5 : Experimental Setup

 Chapter - 4

Possible Outcome

 Proper rotation of solar panels according to the position

of the Sun could help to utilise the solar panels to its full
extent.

 Rotating solar panels produce more energy than the

traditional stationary ones.

 The system compensates for a temporary cloud cover

during the day.

 The system reduces the dependency on traditional

sources of electricity.
 Chapter - 5

Concluding Remarks and Scope for the Future Work

5.1. Concluding Remarks

This project is intended to make a comparison of single axis solar

tracker with dual axis solar tracker where it is clearly shown that dual
axis is more efficient and produces more energy when compared to
fixed and single axis solar tracking system. Dual axis solar tracker is
placed in order to track the suns radiations in all the directions with
maximum intensity to produce electricity. It is the most efficient
method for the energy conversion and less economical when
compared to other systems. The project presents a means of tracking
the sun’s position with the help of microcontroller. Specially, it
demonstrates a working software solution for maximizing solar cell
output by positioning a solar panel at the point of maximum light
intensity. The prototype represents a method for tracking the sun
both throughout the sun. Moreover, the tracker can initialize the
starting position itself which reduce the need of any more photo
resistors. The important feature of the designed solar tracker is its
simple mechanism to control the system. The solar tracker also
provides lucrative solution for third world countries to integrate it
into their solar system with a comparatively low cost through
software based solution. Though the prototype has limitations in
hardware areas as an initial set up, still it provides an opportunity for
improvement of the design methodology in future.
5.2. Scope for the Future Work
References

Papers from Journal or Transactions :

Gonçalves, P.; Orestes, M. Photovoltaic solar energy: Conceptual framework.

Renew.

Sustain. Energy 2017, 74, 590–601.

Papers from Conference Proceedings :

1. B.A. Mork, W.W. Weaver, ‘’Smart Grids and Micro Grids, where are they
really.’’ Minnesota Power Systems Conference, 3 -5 November 2009, Brooklyn
Center, MN, USA

2. M.T.A. Khan, S.M.S. Tanzil, R. Rahman, S.M.S. Alam.‘’Design and

Construction of an Automatic Solar TrackingSystem.’’ 6th International

Conference on Electrical andComputerEngineering ICECE 2010, 18 – 20

December, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Internet :

InternationalEnergyAgency.[Online].

Available http://www.iea.org/Textbase/nppdf/free/2009/key_stats_2009.pdf