Cost-Effective Dual-Axis Solar Tracker with Enhanced Performance

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 School of Mechanical Engineering, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

2 Department of Renewable Energies and Environment, Faculty of New Sciences and Technologies, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

3 Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment, Islamic Azad University Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran

4 Department of Energy Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

5 Department of Mining Engineering, Isafahan University of Technology, Isafahan, Iran

Abstract

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 tracker 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 with installing two micro keys reduces actuators’ power considerably. To improve the net efficiency, the rotation period is not the same for each climate and location. A mathematical model calculates the period, and this matter is added to the control system’s design. There are three methods to calibrate the structure and sensors: balance weight, LDRs’ base, and adjusting LDRs’ resistance. This tracker’s performance was experimentally assessed against a fixed system in various weather conditions. 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.

Keywords

References

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Environmental Energy and Economic Research
Volume 6, Issue 3
August 2022
Pages 1-13

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