Author : Manju S and Surjit S Katoch

The work discusses about the detailed design and construction of a prototype of solar tracking system which detects the sun’s intensity using the light dependent resistors. The control circuit for the tracker is microchip make peripheral interface controller 16F877A. The controller is programmed to detect the sunlight with the aid of photo sensors and then actuate the motor to align the solar panel where it achieves the maximum solar intensity. The panel’s voltage and the current reading were transmitted to the personal computer using universal synchronous and asynchronous receiver/transmitter protocol. The proposed tracking system is hybrid hardware and software prototype which provides best alignment of solar panel with the sun. It uses three photo resistors which are mounted on the sides of the solar photo voltaic panel. By using photo resistors, solar tracking system becomes more sensitive and allows it to determine a more accurate location of the panel to align to the sun. A comparative analysis was performed between the fixed and the single axis tracking system.

Keywords: Solar Tracker, Peripheral Interface Controller, Efficiency, Photovoltaic Panel, Analog to digital converter

Article published in International Journal of Current  Engineering  and Technology, Vol.4,No.3 (June- 2014)