INTRODUCTION

Harnessing of solar photovoltaic energy is a future promising green energy technology.

For the highest efficiency of energy collection, there is a need for developing an automatic
sun/solar tracking system to continuously align the collector or photovoltaic surface
normal with the instantaneous solar vector (the direction from the PV towards the sun).
The main focus of this project is twofold:

Mechanical design and prototyping

Electronic and software design and implementation

For consistency within the scientific standards and established industry the system will
track the sun using the Azimuth angle through use of two light sensors (LDRs). The
project expectations are design documents and an actual scale model prototype which
faithfully represents the required design for a full sized system.
BACKGROUND
As the application of solar energy is increasing, this is resulting in a need for more
improved methods and materials to be used in harnessing this power source. There
are a number of factors which affect the efficiency of the collection process. Major
influences on the overall efficiency include intensity of source radiation, solar cell
efficiency and storage techniques. Most materials used in the manufacture of solar
cells limit the overall efficiency of the solar cell, and hence affecting the overall
efficiency of collecting process. Therefore, this led to the development of methods
for improving the performance and efficiency of solar power collection. This led to
the development of a solar panel which will increase the average intensity of
radiation received from the sun by orienting the solar panel towards the sun.
Therefore, why the solar panel should face the most illuminating source of light?
 To increase the output and maximise the efficiency of the solar panel
Maximize the Power per unit Area
Able to absorb energy throughout the day

Examples
Solar Powered Homes
International Space Station
Hubble telescope
Mars Rovers

Aim
To design a solar tracking system for optimum power generation

Project Objectives
To design a project that can detect and compare the intensity of light using two LDR.
To design a project that able to move a stepper motor based on the intensity of light
and show the corresponding voltages of each sensor on LCD.
Position the Solar Panels so that they will absorb maximum solar energy from a light
source.
Store the acquired energy into batteries, and use these batteries to control the rest of
the system when the solar energy is absent.
Project Scope
This project is focused to design and build the prototype of solar tracking system
that would be a starting point to build the realistic solar tracking system.
Therefore, this prototype will cover the scope as followed.
Move 45 each and total movement that this system can do is 180
Using microcontroller (ARDUINO UNO REV3).
Using stepper motor (Unipolar 5 pin).
Using Light Dependent Resistor (LDR) or Photo resistor as a sensor.
Using LCD to display the corresponding voltages on each sensor..
Problem Statement
The solar panel should not be facing only in one direction because:
The generated output power is low.
This way of tracking solar energy is also very expensive for families and
companies that use more power because they need to install more than one
photovoltaic panel to produce enough power.
These solar trackers also has a problem of dust accumulation on the panel
which will reduce amount of solar radiation absorbed by the system.
This project will aim to fix these problems by designing a solar tacking system which
will optimise power generation by rotating the solar panel while tracking the sun
through 180 degrees of rotation as the earth rotates from east to west. So, no more
need to use more than one solar panel to generate enough power one panel can be
enough to generate a lot of power. This tracker must have an additional hardware
feature of self-cleaning to avoid dust accumulation on the solar panel.
Methodology
The work flow for the project which will be involving system development from
hardware and software to the integration of both elements. Then, the system will be
tested to produce certain results that will be analyzed to produce the results which
are compatible with the system.
Project Design Methodology
This section discusses the methodology involved in the design of this solar tracker. The
project is divided into parts so that the design process is modular. This project will
consists of a series of light sensor reading values, comparing them, and then finally
positioning a motor so that it will align with the greatest value which will corresponds to
the suns position. Follow-on sections discuss hardware and software design
considerations.
Project summary
Achieved: prototype building and assembling
Pending: still working on the code
Challenges : internet access, unavailability of components on national markets