SOLAR TRACKING SYSTEM PRESENTED BY YUKENDRAN.P AKASH.S Agenda INTRODUCTION WHAT IS SOLAR TRACKERS NEED OF SOLAR TRACKERS TYPES OF SOLAR TRACKERS INTERNAL BLOCK DIAGRAM WORKING PRINCIPLE HARDWARE COMPONENTS OF SOLAR TRACKER COMPARISON OF STATIONARY VS TRACKED SOLAR ENERGY ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES CONCLUTION REFERENCE INTRODUCTION Renewable energy solutions are becoming popular. Maximizing output from solar system increases efficiency. Presently solar panels are of fixed type which lower the efficiency. Maintaining vertical direction between light and panel maximizes efficiency. Solar tracking system has 35% higher generating power than fixed. Solar tracking system based on PLC can adjust automatically orientation of panel WHAT IS A Solar tracker is a device used for orienting a solar photovoltaic panel or lens towards the sun by using the solar or light sensors connected with the machine (ex: stepper motor, servo motor, gas filled piston). NEED SOLAR TRACKER ? OF SOLAR TRACKER Increase Solar Panel Output Max. efficiency of the panel Maximize Power per unit Area Able to grab the energy through out the day. Working of a Solar Tracker The solar tracking system is an auto-tracking control system. It includes components like PV Cells, PLC, signal processing units, sensors, electromagnetic & mechanical motion control modules, and power supply systems. The panel gets activated due to the higher strength of sunlight and conveys it to the sensors. The sensor output is conveyed to the PLC. Then, the PLC compares it and generates a corresponding output to rotate the motor. The motor rotates the panel to orient it toward the sun. A solar panel that is precisely perpendicular to the sun generates higher power than the one that is not perpendicular TYPES OF SOLAR TRACKERS Single axis trackers : Single axis solar trackers can either have a horizontal or a vertical axis. Dual Axis Trackers : Double axis solar trackers have both a horizontal and vertical axis It can track the Sun's apparent motion exactly anywhere in the world. OVERVIEW OF PRESENT TRACKER DRIVE TYPES Passive trackers . Active trackers . Open loop trackers . HARDWARES COMPONENTS Stepper motor Solar pannel Relay Ldr sensor PLC Uses of Solar Tracking System 1.Sensors: 1. Light sensors (photodetectors) or sun position sensors are used to detect the sun's location in the sky. 2. Infrared or GPS-based sensors may also be used for accurate sun tracking. 2.Controller: 1. The controller processes data from the sensors and calculates the optimal position for the solar panels. 2. It sends commands to the actuation system to adjust the panel's orientation. 3.Actuation System: 1. An actuation system includes motors, gears, and other mechanical components that physically adjust the position of the solar panels. 2. These components can tilt the panels along one or two axes to follow the sun's movement. 4.Tracking Algorithms: 1. Software algorithms are used to calculate the sun's position based on the sensor data and the geographical location. 2. These algorithms determine how the solar panels should move to align with the sun. ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES Simple. Low cost. Eco-Friendly. We can monitor directly using PC. Tracking accuracy is more. Reduce the usage from power grid. Solar electricity is not available at night and is less available in cloudy weather conditions. Therefore, a storage or complimentary power system is required. of power Limited power density. Solar cells produce DC which must be converted to AC when used in currently existing distribution grids Conclusion: The invention of Solar Tracking System helps us improve the performance of PV solar system in a simple way. Used relative method of sunlight strength. Established a model of automatic tracking system to keep vertical contact between solar panels and sunlight. Improved the utilization rate of solar energy and efficiency of photovoltaic power generation system.