Design and Analysis of Automatic Dual Axis Solar Tracker using Linear Actuator and Arduino based Light Sensor
Denny Haryanto Sinaga, Arwadi Sinurya, Muhammad Aulia Rahman Sembiring , Jongga Manullang , Olnes Yosefa Hutajulu, T. Afrian, Dito Yudisthira Nugroho

Universitas Negeri Medan

Abstract

The sun is an abundant energy source and can be utilized effectively using solar photovoltaic (PV) cells to become electrical energy. However, the conversion efficiency of conventional PV cells is still low. One of the main causes is the output of PV cells which is very dependent on light intensity and the position of the sun in the sky which always changes from time to time. This causes the absorption efficiency of stationary solar panels to be lower at certain times of the day and throughout the year. The solar photovoltaic position is most efficient when perpendicular to the sun and less efficient in other positions. Therefore, a sun tracking system is needed to increase efficiency and energy production. A sun tracking system is a method used to collect more solar energy by following the sun^s movement throughout the day from east to west, both daily and seasonally. This method is superior to static solar photovoltaic systems. This research introduces the design and construction of an economical two-axis active solar tracking system to track the movement of the sun to obtain maximum power from solar panels when following the sun. This system uses a light-dependent resistor to detect the position of the sun, which is then communicated to the Arduino Uno microcontroller which controls two linear actuators to adjust the panel orientation to keep it perpendicular to the sunrays.

Keywords: Solar energy, renewable energy, Photovoltaic, Dual-axis solar tracker, Light Dependent Resistor (LDR), Arduino

Topic: Science and Vocational Education