This document is a project report on the development of a sun tracking solar panel system with an automatic dust cleaning mechanism. It includes sections on the introduction, objectives, methodology, components, working, efficiency analysis and conclusions of the system. The system aims to increase the efficiency of solar panels by enabling them to constantly track the sun's movement and removing dust to maximize energy collection. It uses light sensors and motors to adjust the panel orientation and a cleaning arm activated by a motor and controller to remove dust periodically.

1. A
PROJECT REPORT
ON
“SUN TRACKING SOLAR PANEL WITH AUTO DUST
CLEANING SYSTEM”
Submitted in
Partial Fulfillment of
The Requirement for the Award of the Degree of
BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
In
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
To
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
SHRI SIDDHI VINAYAK INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, BAREILLY
DR. A.P.J. ABDUL KALAM TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY, LUCKNOW (U.P)
2014-18
SUBMITTED BY:-
SACHIN KUMAR (1447440104)
ANUJ KUMAR (1447440020)
UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF:-
DR. SUDHAKAR JAIN
DEAN ACADEMIC

2. CANDIDATE’S DECLARATION
I hereby declare that the work which is being presented in the project entitled “sun
tracking solar panel with auto dust cleaning system”, submitted to the Mechanical
Engineering Department, Shri Siddhi Vinayak Institute of Technology, Bareilly , for the
award of the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering . It is an
authentic record of my own work carried out during my final year in academic session of
2017-18 under the supervision of DR. SUDHAKAR JAIN .
I have not submitted the matter presented in the project report for the award of any other
degree of this or any other university.
Date: 08 /06/2018
Student 's Name
SACHIN KUMAR (1447440104)
ANUJ KUMAR (1447440020)
( i )

3. CERTIFICATECERTIFICATECERTIFICATECERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the project work entitled “Sun tracking solar
panel with auto dust cleaning system” submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirement for the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical
Engineering, is a bonafide work carried out by Mr Anuj Kumar, Mr Sachin
Kumar , Mr Chandrabhan, Mr Keshav Chauhan ,under my supervision and
guidance. The matter embodied in this thesis has not been submitted
elsewhere for the award of any other degree.
DR. SUDHAKAR JAIN
DEAN ACADEMIC
Mechanical Engineering Department
Shri Siddhi Vinayak Institute of
Technology, Bareilly
( ii )

4. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTACKNOWLEDGEMENTACKNOWLEDGEMENTACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I wish to express my deep sense of gratitude and indebtness to my guide DrDrDrDr.Sudhakar.Sudhakar.Sudhakar.Sudhakar
JJJJainainainain,,,, Dean( academic) of Engineering Department, Shri Siddhi Vinayak Institute Of
Technology, Bareilly for guiding me during my entire thesis programme and giving valuable
suggestions, unfailing inspiration and whole hearted cooperation in carrying out this thesis
work. His continuous encouragement at each step of work and effort to push the work through
are gratefully acknowledged.
I also extend my gratitude to EEEERRRR. Amit SharmaAmit SharmaAmit SharmaAmit Sharma HOD of Mechanical Engineering
Department, Shri Siddhi Vinayak Institute Of Technology, Bareilly for continuous
encouragement and extending all the help during the course of work.
At last, I want to express my sincere gratitude to my parents and all family members for
their individual care and everlasting moral support. This work which is the significant work of
my career could not have been attempted without the understanding patience and assistance of
my parents.
I am also thankful to my friends for their corporation and help otherwise it would have
been a dream only.
Finally, my head bows with reverence before the Almighty God, who has given me
strength, wisdom and will to complete the work.
Student NameStudent NameStudent NameStudent Name
Sachin kumar (1447440104)
Anuj kumar (1447440020)

5. ABSTRACT
Sun is a low cost source of electricity and instead of using the generators; solar panel can
convert direct sun rays to electricity. Conventional solar panel, fixed with a certain angle,
limits there area of exposure from sun due to rotation of Earth. In pursuing to get the
maximum energy converted from the sun, an automatic system is required which should be
capable to constantly rotate the solar panel. The automatic solar tracking system solves
this problem. There are single axis trackers and dual axis trackers. In this paper we will
discuss LDR based The system tracks by comparing the intensity of light falling on the
sensors. Based on the sensors output the motor can rotate the solar panel to meet the sun’s
maximum position. Thus, solar panel can be driven by the motor which in turn gets the
input signals from the control unit. Precise control of the stepper motors is possible by
using the relay. By giving a suitable delay between each step, the time for rotation of the
solar panel to a particular position can also be controlled. This system also connected with
cleaning arm, which cleans the panel in suitable rotation with the help of the DC motor.
The control of this cleaning system is depends on the controller with is timer mode of
function. This cleaning feature which helps to increase the efficiency of the solar power.
( iv )

6. CONTENTS
CHAPTER:-1 OVERVIEW 01-07
1.1INTRODUCTION
1.2BACKGROUND
1.3SOLARCELLSTRUCTURE
1.4MATERIALOFSOLARCELL
CHAPTER:-2 LITERATURE REVIEW 08-10
3.INTRODUCTION
DECLARATION
CERTIFICATE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
ABSTRACT
CHAPTER:-3 METHODOLGYOFSUNTRACKINGSYSTEM 11-32
3.1PROBLEMDEFFINITION
3.2PROJECTJUSTIFICATION
3.3OBJECTIVE
3.4METHODOLOGYOFSUNTRACKINGOFSOLARPANEL
3.5COMPONENTOFSOLARTRACKER
3.6WORKINGOFMODEL
3.7EFFICIENCYOFSOLARPANEL
3.8POWEROUTPUTOFSOLARPANEL
3.9PERFORMANCEANALYSIS
2.LITERATURERESEARCH
2.1TECHNOLOGYOFSOLARPANEL
2.3EVOLUTIONOFSOLARTRACKER
i
ii
01
02
04
05
08
08
09
11
18
27
29
30
13
14
14
15
32
iii
iv

7. CHAPTER:4 AUTOSOLARPLATEDUSTCLEANINGSYSTEM 33-41
CHAPTER:5CONCLUSIONS& FUTUREWORK 42-43
4.1INTRODUCTION
4.2METHODOLOGYOFAUTODUSTCLEANINGSYSTEM
4.3COMPONENTOFAUTODUSTCLEANINGSYSTEM
4.4EFFECTOFDUSTONTHEPERFORMANCEOFSOLARPANEL
4.5ADVANTAGES
4.6DISADVANTAGES
4.7APPLICATION
5.1CONCLUSION
5.2FUTUREWORK
34
35
38
41
41
41
42
APPENDIXES 44
43
33
REFERENCES
COSTESTIMATION
44
44

8. LISTOFFIGURES
Fig.1.1: Structureofsolar
cell …………………………………………………………… 04
Fig.2.1: Sunapparent
motion …………………………………………………………… 09
Fig.3.1: Fixedpositionofsolar
panel ……………………………………………………………. 13
Fig.3.2: Fixedv/strackingsolar
panel ……………………………………………………………… 15
Fig.3.3: Singleaxis
tracker ……………………………………………………………….17
Fig.3.4: Dualaxis
tracker ……………………………………………………………… 17
Fig.3.5: Solar
panel …………………………………………………………….. 18
Fig.3.6: LDRs
sensor ……………………………………………………………..19
Fig.6.6.1:PositionofLDR
sensor ……………………………………………………………… 20
Fig.3.7:
Relay ……………………………………………………………
… 22
Fig.3.8: Differenttypeof
photodiode ……………………………………………………………… 23
Fig.3.9: Stepper
motor ……………………………………………………………..24
Fig.3.10: Voltageregulator

9. PV Photovoltaic
CdTe Cadmiumtelluride
M-Si Multicrystallinesilicon
Cd Cadmium
PE Plasmaenhance
a-Si Amorphoussilicon
nc-Si Nanocrystallinesilicon
Ga Galliumarsenide
LDR Lightdependentresistor
ADC Analogtodigitalconverter
VSAT Verticalsingleaxistracker
TSAT Tiltedsingleaxistracker
HSAT Horizontalsingleaxistracker
PMax Maximumpower
VOC Opencircuit
ISC Shortcircuit
FF Fillfactor
A,I Areaofsolarpanel
Η Efficiency
LISTOFNOTATIONS

10. 1.1INTRODUCTION
Oneofthemostpromisingrenewableenergysourcescharacterizedbyahugepotentialof
conversionintoelectricalpoweristhesolarenergy.Theconversionofsolarradiationinto
electricalenergybyPhoto-Voltaic(PV)effectisaverypromisingtechnology,beingclean,
silentandreliable,withverysmallmaintenancecostsandsmallecologicalimpact.The
interestinthePhotoVoltaicconversionsystemsisvisiblyreflectedbytheexponential
increaseofsalesinthismarketsegmentwithastronggrowthprojectionforthenextdecades.
AccordingtorecentmarketresearchreportscarriedoutbyEuropeanPhotovoltaicIndustry
Association(EPIA),thetotalinstalledpowerofPVconversionequipmentincreasedfrom
about1GW in2001uptonearly23GW in2009.
Thecontinuousevolutionofthetechnologydeterminedasustainedincreaseofthe
conversionefficiencyofPVpanels,butnonethelessthemostpartofthecommercialpanels
haveefficienciesnomorethan20%.A constantresearchpreoccupationofthetechnical
communityinvolvedinthesolarenergyharnessingtechnologyreferstovarioussolutionsto
increasethePVpanel’sconversionefficiency.AmongPVefficiencyimprovingsolutionswe
canmention:solartracking,optimizationofsolarcellsgeometry,enhancementoflight
trappingcapability,useofnewmaterials,etc.TheoutputpowerproducedbythePVpanels
dependsstronglyontheincidentlightradiation.
Thecontinuousmodificationofthesun-earthrelativepositiondeterminesacontinuously
changingofincidentradiationonafixedPVpanel.Thepointofmaximumreceivedenergyis
reachedwhenthedirectionofsolarradiationisperpendicularonthepanelsurface.Thusan
increaseoftheoutputenergyofagivenPVpanelcanbeobtainedbymountingthepanelona
solartrackingdevicethatfollowsthesuntrajectory.Atrackingsystemmustbeabletofollow
thesunwithacertaindegreeofaccuracy,returnthecollectortoitsoriginalpositionatthe
endofthedayandalsotrackduringperiodsofcloudover.
CHAPTER:-1 OVERVIEW
1

11. 1.2BACKGROUND
ASolarTrackerisadeviceontowhichsolarpanelsarefittedwhichtracksthemotionofthe
sunacrosstheskyensuringthatthemaximum amountofsunlightstrikesthepanels
throughouttheday.TheSolarTrackerwillattempttonavigatetothebestangleofexposure
oflightfromthesun.ThisreportaimstoletthereaderunderstandtheprojectworkwhichI
havedone.AbriefintroductiontoSolarPanelandSolarTrackerisexplainedintheLiterature
Researchsection.BasicallytheSolarTrackerisdividedintotwomaincategories,hardware
andsoftware.Itisfurthersubdividedintosixmainfunctionalities:MethodofTrackerMount,
Drives,Sensors,RTC,Motors,andPowerSupplyoftheSolarTrackerisalsoexplainedand
explored.Thereaderwouldthenbebriefwithsomeanalysisandperceptionsofthe
information.
Byusingsolararrays,aseriesofsolarcellselectricallyconnected,aDCvoltageisgenerated
whichcanbephysicallyusedonaload.Solararraysorpanelsarebeingusedincreasinglyas
efficienciesreachhigherlevels,andareespeciallypopularinremoteareaswhereplacement
ofelectricitylinesisnoteconomicallyviable.Thisalternativepowersourceiscontinuously
achievinggreaterpopularityespeciallysincetherealisationoffossilfuelsshortcomings.
Renewableenergyintheformofelectricityhasbeeninusetosomedegreeaslongas75or
100yearsago.SourcessuchasSolar,Wind,HydroandGeothermalhaveallbeenutilised
withvaryinglevelsofsuccess.Themostwidelyusedarehydroandwindpower,withsolar
powerbeingmoderatelyusedworldwide.Thiscanbeattributedtotherelativelyhighcostof
solarcellsandtheirlowconversionefficiency.Solarpowerisbeingheavilyresearched,and
solarenergycostshavenowreachedwithinafewcentsperkW/hofotherformsofelectricity
generation,andwilldropfurtherwithnewtechnologiessuchastitaniumoxidecells.Witha
peaklaboratoryefficiencyof32% andaverageefficiencyof15-20%,itisnecessaryto
recoverasmuchenergyaspossiblefrom asolarpowersystem.Thisincludesreducing
inverterlosses,storagelosses,andlightgatheringlosses.Lightgatheringisdependentonthe
angleofincidenceofthelightsourceprovidingpower(i.e.thesun)tothesolarcell’ssurface,
andtheclosertoperpendicular,thegreaterthepower.

12. 2

13. Ifaflatsolarpanelismountedonlevelground,itisobviousthatoverthecourseoftheday
thesunlightwillhaveanangleofincidencecloseto90°inthemorningandtheevening.At
suchanangle,thelightgatheringabilityofthecellisessentiallyzero,resultinginnooutput.
Asthedayprogressestomidday,theangleofincidenceapproaches0°,causingasteady
increaseinpoweruntilatthepointwherethelightincidentonthepaneliscompletely
perpendicular,andmaximum powerisachieved.Asthedaycontinuestowarddusk,the
reversehappens,andtheincreasinganglecausesthepowertodecreaseagaintoward
minimum again.From thisbackground,weseetheneedtomaintainthemaximum power
outputfrom thepanelbymaintaininganangleofincidenceascloseto0°aspossible.By
tiltingthesolarpaneltocontinuouslyfacethesun,thiscanbeachieved.Thisprocessof
sensingandfollowingthepositionofthesunisknownasSolarTracking.Itwasresolvedthat
real-timetrackingwouldbenecessarytofollowthesuneffectively,sothatnoexternaldata
wouldberequiredinoperation.
3

14. 1.3SOLARCELLSTRUCTURE
Asolarcellisanelectronicdevicewhichdirectlyconvertssunlightintoelectricity.Light
shiningonthesolarcellproducesbothacurrentandavoltagetogenerateelectricpower.
Thisprocessrequiresfirstly,amaterialinwhichtheabsorptionoflightraisesanelectrontoa
higherenergystate,andsecondly,themovementofthishigherenergyelectronfromthesolar
cellintoanexternalcircuit.Theelectronthendissipatesitsenergyintheexternalcircuitand
returnstothesolarcell.A varietyofmaterialsandprocessescanpotentiallysatisfythe
requirementsforphotovoltaicenergyconversion,butinpracticenearlyallphotovoltaic
energyconversionusessemiconductormaterialsintheformofa p-n junction.
Thebasicstepsintheoperationofasolarcellare:
 thegenerationoflight-generatedcarriers;
 thecollectionofthelight-generatedcarriestogenerateacurrent;
 thegenerationofalargevoltageacrossthesolarcell;and
 thedissipationofpowerintheloadandinparasiticresistances
Fig1.1structureofsolarcell
4

15. 1.4MATERIALOFSOLAR CELL
Solarcellsaretypically named afterthe semiconducting material they aremadeof.
These materials musthavecertaincharacteristicsinordertoabsorb sunlight.Somecellsare
designedtohandlesunlightthatreachestheEarth'ssurface,whileothersareoptimized
for useinspace.Solarcellscanbemadeofonlyonesinglelayeroflight-absorbingmaterial
(single-junction)orusemultiplephysicalconfigurations(multi-junctions)totakeadvantage
ofvariousabsorptionandchargeseparationmechanisms.
Solarcellscanbeclassifiedintofirst,secondandthirdgenerationcells.Thefirstgeneration
cellsalsocalledconventional,traditionalor wafer-basedcellsaremadeof crystallinesilicon,
the commercially predominant PV technology, that includes materials such
as polysilicon and monocrystallinesilicon.Secondgenerationcellsare thinfilm solarcells,
thatinclude amorphoussilicon, CdTe and cellsandarecommerciallysignificantinutility-
scale photovoltaicpowerstations, buildingintegratedphotovoltaic orinsmall stand-alone
powersystem.Thethirdgenerationofsolarcellsincludesanumberofthin-filmtechnologies
oftendescribedasemergingphotovoltaic’smostofthem havenotyetbeencommercially
appliedandarestillintheresearchordevelopmentphase.Manyuseorganicmaterials,
often organometallic compoundsaswellasinorganicsubstances.Despitethefactthattheir
efficiencieshadbeenlowandthestabilityoftheabsorbermaterialwasoftentooshortfor
commercialapplications,thereisalotofresearchinvestedintothesetechnologiesasthey
promisetoachievethegoalofproducinglow-cost,high-efficiencysolarcells.
1.4.1Monocrystallinesilicon
Monocrystallinesilicon (mono-Si)solarcellsaremoreefficientandmoreexpensivethan
mostothertypesofcells.Thecornersofthecellslookclipped,likeanoctagon,becausethe
wafermaterialiscutfrom cylindricalingots,thataretypicallygrownbythe Czochralski
process.Solarpanelsusingmono-Sicellsdisplayadistinctivepatternofsmallwhite
diamonds
5

16. 1.4.2Polycrystallinesilicon
Polycrystallinesilicon,ormulticrystallinesilicon(multi-Si)cellsaremadefromcastsquare
ingotslargeblocksofmoltensiliconcarefullycooledandsolidified.Theyconsistofsmall
crystalsgivingthematerialitstypical metalflakeeffect.Polysiliconcellsarethemost
commontypeusedinphotovoltaicandarelessexpensive,butalsolessefficient,thanthose
madefrommonocrystallinesilicon.
1.4.3Ribbonsilicon
Ribbonsilicon isatypeofpolycrystallinesiliconitisformedbydrawingflatthinfilms
from molten siliconandresultsinapolycrystallinestructure.Thesecellsarecheapertomake
thanmulti-Si,duetoagreatreductioninsiliconwaste,asthisapproachdoesnot
require sawing from ingots.However,theyarealsolessefficient.
1.4.4Mono-like-multisilicon(MLM)
Thisformwasdevelopedinthe2000sandintroducedcommerciallyaround2009.Alsocalled
cast-mono,thisdesignusespolycrystallinecastingchamberswithsmall"seeds"ofmono
material.Theresultisabulkmono-likematerialthatispolycrystallinearoundtheoutsides.
Whenslicedforprocessing,theinnersectionsarehigh-efficiencymono-likecells(butsquare
insteadof"clipped"),whiletheouteredgesaresoldasconventionalpoly.
1.4.5Cadmiumtelluride
Cadmiumtellurideistheonlythinfilmmaterialsofartorivalcrystallinesiliconincost/watt.
Howevercadmium ishighlytoxicand tellurium (anion:"telluride")suppliesarelimited.
The cadmium presentinthecellswouldbetoxicifreleased.However,releaseisimpossible
duringnormaloperationofthecellsandisunlikelyduringfiresinresidentialroofs. Asquare
meterofCdTecontainsapproximatelythesameamountofCdasasingleCcell nickel-
cadmiumbattery,inamorestableandlesssolubleform.
6

17. 1.4.6Siliconthinfilm
Siliconthin-filmcells aremainlydepositedby chemicalvapordeposition (typicallyplasma-
enhanced,PE-CVD)from silane gas and hydrogen gas.Depending on the deposition
parameters,thiscanyield amorphoussilicon (a-Si), protocrystalline siliconor nanocrystalline
silicon (nc-Si)alsocalledmicrocrystallinesilicon.
1.4.7Galliumarsenidethinfilm
Thesemiconductormaterial Galliumarsenide (GaAs)isalsousedforsingle-crystallinethin
film solarcells.AlthoughGaAscellsareveryexpensive,theyholdtheworld'srecordin
efficiency fora single-junction solarcellat28.8%. GaAs is more commonly used
in multijunctionphotovoltaiccells for concentratedphotovoltaic (CPV,HCPV)andfor solar
panelsonspacecrafts,astheindustryfavoursefficiencyovercostfor space-basedsolar
power.
7

18. 2.LITERATURERESEARCH
ThischapteraimstoprovideabriefknowledgeofSolarPanel,SolarTrackerandthe
componentswhichmadeupSolarTrackerwithautocleaningsystem.
2.1TechnologyofSolarPanel
Solarpanelsaredevicesthatconvertlightintoelectricity.Theyarecalledsolarafterthesun
becausethesunisthemostpowerfulsourceofthelightavailableforuse.Theyare
sometimescalledphotovoltaicwhichmeans"light-electricity".SolarcellsorPVcellsrelyon
thephotovoltaiceffecttoabsorbtheenergyofthesunandcausecurrenttoflowbetweentwo
oppositelychargelayers.Asolarpanelisacollectionofsolarcells.Althougheachsolarcell
providesarelativelysmallamountofpower,manysolarcellsspreadoveralargeareacan
provideenoughpowertobeuseful.Togetthemostpower,solarpanelshavetobepointed
directlyattheSun.Thedevelopmentofsolarcelltechnologybeginswith1839researchof
FrenchphysicistAntoine-CesarBecquerel.Heobservedthephotovoltaiceffectwhile
experimentingwithasolidelectrodeinanelectrolytesolution.Afterthathesawavoltage
developedwhenlightfellupontheelectrode.
Thefirstgenuineforsolarpanelwasbuiltaround1883byCharlesFritts.Heusedjunctions
formedbycoatingselenium (asemiconductor)withanextremelythinlayerofgold.
Crystallinesiliconandgallium arsenidearetypicalchoicesofmaterialsforsolarpanels.
Galliumarsenidecrystalsaregrownespeciallyforphotovoltaicuse,butsiliconcrystalsare
availableinless-expensivestandardingots,whichareproducedmainlyforconsumptionin
themicroelectronicsindustry.Norwa’sRenewableEnergyCorporationhasconfirmedthatit
willbuildasolarmanufacturingplantinSingaporeby2010-thelargestintheworld.This
plantwillbeabletoproduceproductsthatcangenerateupto1.5Gigawattsofenergyevery
year.Thatisenoughtopowerseveralmillionhouseholdsatanyonetime.Lastyeartheworld
asawholeproducedproductsthatcouldgeneratejust2GW intotal.
CHAPTER:-2 LITERATURE REVIEW
8

19. 2.2EvolutionofSolarTracker
Sincethesunmovesacrosstheskythroughouttheday,inordertoreceivethebestangleof
exposuretosunlightforcollectionenergy.Atrackingmechanismisoftenincorporatedintothe
solararraystokeepthearraypointedtowardsthesun.Asolartrackerisadeviceontowhichsolar
panelsarefittedwhichtracksthemotionofthesunacrosstheskyensuringthatthemaximum
amountofsunlightstrikesthepanelsthroughouttheday.WhencomparetothepriceofthePV
solarpanels,thecostofasolartrackerisrelativelylow.Mostphotovoltaicsolarpanelsarefitted
inafixedlocation-forexampleontheslopingroofofahouse,oronframeworkfixedtothe
ground.Sincethesunmovesacrosstheskythoughtheday,thisisfarfromanidealsolution.
SolarpanelsareusuallysetuptobeinfulldirectsunshineatthemiddleofthedayfacingSouth
intheNorthernHemisphere,orNorthintheSouthernHemisphere.Thereforemorningand
eveningsunlighthitsthepanelsatanacuteanglereducingthetotalamountofelectricity
whichcanbegeneratedeachday.
Fig2.1Sun’sapparentmotion
9

20. Duringthedaythesunappearstomoveacrosstheskyfromlefttorightandupanddown
abovethehorizonfromsunrisetonoontosunset.Figure2.1showstheschematicabove
oftheSun'sapparentmotionasseenfrom theNorthernHemisphere.Tokeepupwith
othergreenenergies,thesolarcellmarkethastobeasefficientaspossibleinordernotto
losemarketsharesontheglobalenergymarketplace.Theend-userwillpreferthe
trackingsolutionratherthanafixedgroundsystemtoincreasetheirearningsbecause:
 Theefficiencyincreasesby30-40%.
 Thespacerequirementforasolarparkisreduced,andtheykeepthesame
output.
 Thereturnoftheinvestmenttimelineisreduced.
 Thetrackingsystemamortizesitselfwithin4years.
 IntermsofcostperWattofthecompletedsolarsystem,itisusuallycheaper
touseasolartrackerandlesssolarpanelswherespaceandplanningpermit.
2.3REVIEW OFACCUMULATIONOFDUSTONPV-PANEL
Thestudiesthatwereexaminedallanalyzeddifferentaspectsofsoiling.Onestudy,
sponsoredbythePowerLightCorporationinBerkeleyCalifornia,foundadailylossof0.2%
inpoweroutput.Thereportalsonoteda7.5%to12%efficiencyincreaseduetorain.
Thestudyalsofoundthatwhilerainistheprimarycleaningagentforpanels,itisnot
sufficient.TheBostonUniversityStudyalsoreportedthecostsandbenefitsofthreecurrent
methodsofcleaningsolarpanels.Thesemethodsincludenaturalcleaningthroughrainand
snowfall,manualcleaning,andcleaningbyanelectrodynamicssystem .Ingeneral,itwas
concludedthatinordertomaximizethecleaningeffectofrain,thepanelsneededtohavea
glassshieldandbeorientedinthenearverticalposition.Manualcleaningbywaterand
detergentwaseffective;however,itrequiredcostssetasideforlabor(45.7%ofthetotalcost)
andfuel(20.5% ofthetotalcost).Anemergingtechnology,calledanEDS,consistsof
interdigitatedelectrodes(madeofindiumoxide)intransparentdielectricfilm.
A standard‘dirt’layerwaschosenandwastestedonthreetypesofphotovoltaiccells,
monocrystalline,polycrystalline,and amorphous.Themaximum reduction in electric
productionwas6% formonocrystallineandpolycrystallineand12% foramorphous.A
researchgroupattheUniversityofColoradostudiedtheeffectofdustonthetransmissionof
lightthroughglasspanels.
10

21. 3.INTRODUCTION
Solarenergyiscleanandavailableinabundance.Solartechnologiesusethesunforprovision
ofheat,lightandelectricity.Theseareforindustrialanddomesticapplications.Withthe
alarmingrateofdepletionofdepletionofmajorconventionalenergysourceslikepetroleum,
coalandnaturalgas,coupledwithenvironmentalcausedbytheprocessofharnessingthese
energysources,ithasbecomeanurgentnecessitytoinvestinrenewableenergysourcesthat
canpowerthefuturesufficiently.Theenergypotentialofthesunisimmense.Despitethe
unlimitedresourcehowever,harvestingitpresentsachallengebecauseofthelimited
efficiencyofthearraycells.Thebestefficiencyofthemajorityofcommerciallyavailable
solarcellsrangesbetween10and20percent.Thisshowsthatthereisstillroom for
improvement.Thisprojectseekstoidentifyawayofimprovingefficiencyofsolarpanels.
Solartrackingisused.Thetrackingmechanismmovesandpositionsthesolararraysuchthat
itispositionedformaximumpoweroutput.Otherwaysincludeidentifyingsourcesoflosses
andfindingwaystomitigatethem.
Whenitcomestothedevelopmentofanynation,energyisthemaindrivingfactor.Thereis
anenormousquantityofenergythatgetsextracted,distributed,convertedandconsumed
everysingledayintheglobalsociety.Fossilfuelsaccountforaround85percentofenergy
thatisproduced.Fossilfuelresourcesarelimitedandusingthemisknowntocauseglobal
warmingbecauseofemissionofgreenhousegases.Thereisagrowingneedforenergyfrom
suchsourcesassolar,wind,oceantidalwavesandgeothermalfortheprovisionofsustainable
andpower.
Solarpanelsdirectlyconvertradiationfrom thesunintoelectricalenergy.Thepanelsare
mainlymanufacturedfrom semiconductormaterials,notablysilicon.Theirefficiencyis
24.5% onthehigherside.Threewaysofincreasingtheefficiencyofthesolarpanelsare
throughincreaseofcellefficiency,maximizingthepoweroutputandtheuseofatracking
system.
Maximumpowerpointtracking(MPPT)istheprocessofmaximizingthepoweroutputfrom
thesolarpanelbykeepingitsoperationonthekneepointofP-Vcharacteristics.
CHAPTER:-3 METHODOLOGYOFSUNTRACKINGSYSTEM

22. Solartrackingisasystemthatismechanizedtotrackthepositionofthesuntoincrease
poweroutputbybetween30% and60% thansystemsthatarestationary.Itisamorecost
effectivesolutionthanthepurchaseofsolarpanels.
Therearevarioustypesoftrackersthatcanbeusedforincreaseintheamountofenergy
thatcanbeobtainedbysolarpanels.Dualaxistrackersareamongthemostefficient,
thoughthiscomeswithincreasedcomplexity.Dualtrackerstracksunlightfromboxaxes.
Theyarethebestoptionforplaceswherethepositionofthesunkeepschangingduringthe
yearatdifferentseasons.Singleaxistrackersareabetteroptionforplacesaroundthe
equatorwherethereisnosignificantchangeintheapparentpositionofthesun.
Theleveltowhichtheefficiencyisimprovedwilldependontheefficiencyofthetracking
systemandtheweather.Veryefficienttrackerswilloffermoreefficiencybecausetheyare
abletotrackthesunwithmoreprecision.Therewillbebiggerincreaseinefficiencyin
caseswheretheweatherissunnyandthusfavorableforthetrackingsystem
12

23. 3.1PROBLEMDEFFINITION
ASolarpanel(alsosolarmodule,photovoltaicmoduleorphotovoltaicpanel)isapackaged,
connectedassemblyofphotovoltaiccells.Thesolarpanelcanbeusedasacomponentofa
largerphotovoltaicsystemtogenerateandsupplyelectricityincommercialandresidential
applicationstherebyeffectivelyproducingrenewableenergy.EachpanelisratedbyitsDC
outputpowerunderstandardtestconditions,andtypicallyrangesfrom100to320watts.
Generally,solarpanelsarestationaryanddonotfollowthemovementofthesunandhence
cannotobtainmaximumsunlightthroughouttheday.Thereisanothermajorproblemto
checkwhetherthestoragebatteryofasolarpowerunitisbeingchargedornot.
Fig3.1fixedpositionofsolarpanel
13

24. 3.2 PROJECTJUSTIFICATION
Theprojectwasundertakentoensuretheraysofthesunarefallingperpendicularlyonthe
solarpaneltogiveitmaximum solarenergy.Thisisharnessedintoelectricalpower.
Maximumenergyisobtainedbetween12pmto2pm,withthepeakbeingaroundmidday.
Atthistime,thesunisdirectlyoverhead.Atthesametime,theleastenergywillbe
requiredtomovethepanel,somethingthatwillfurtherincreaseefficiencyofthesystem.
Theprojectwasdesignedtoaddressthechallengeoflowpower,accurateandeconomical
microcontrollerbasedtrackingsystemwhichisimplementedwithintheallocatedtimeand
withtheavailableresources.Itissupposedtotrackthesun’smovementinthesky.Inorder
tosavepower,itissupposedtosleepduringthenightbygettingbackintoanhorizontal
position.
3.3OBJECTIVES
Theprojectwascarriedouttosatisfytwomainobjectives:
 DesignasystemthattracksthesolarUVlightforsolarpanels.
 Provethatthetrackingindeedincreasestheefficiencyconsiderably.Therange
ofincreaseinefficiencyisexpectedtobebetween30and40percent.
14

25. 3.4 METHODOLOGYOFSUNTRACKINGSOLARPANEL
Thisprojectisdesignedwithsolarpanels,LDR,ADC,Microcontroller,StepperMotorand
itsdrivingcircuit.InthisprojecttwoLDRsarefixedonthesolarpanelattwodistinct
points.LDR(LightDependantResistor)variestheresistancedependinguponthelightfall.
Thevariedresistanceisconvertedintoananalogvoltagesignal.Theanalogvoltagesignal
isthenfedtoanADC.ADCisnothingbutanalogtodigitalConverterwhichreceivesthe
twoLDR voltagesignalsandconvertsthem tocorrespondingdigitalsignal.Thenthe
converteddigitalsignalisgivenastheinputofthemicrocontroller.Microcontroller
receivesthetwodigitalsignalsfromtheADCandcomparesthem.TheLDRsignalsarenot
equalexceptfornormalincidenceofsunlight.WhenthereisadifferencebetweenLDR
voltagelevelsthemicrocontrollerprogrammerdrivesthesteppermotortowardsnormal
incidenceofsunlight.
Fig3.2fixedv/strackingsolarpanel
15

26. Therearefollowingmethodologyfortrackingthesun-
3.4.1Activetracker
Activetrackersmakeuseofmotorsandgeartrainsfordirectionofthetrackeras
commandedbythecontrollerrespondingtothesolardirection.Thepositionofthesunis
monitoredthroughouttheday.Whenthetrackerissubjectedtodarkness,iteithersleepsor
stopsdependingonthedesign.Thisisdoneusingsensorsthataresensitivetolightsuchas
LDRs.Theirvoltageoutputisputintoamicrocontrollerthatthendrivesactuatorstoadjust
thepositionofthesolarpanel.
3.4.2Passivesolartracking
Passivetrackersusealowboilingpointcompressedgasfluiddriventoonesideortheother
tocausethetrackertomoveinresponsetoanimbalance.Becauseitisanonprecision
orientationitisnotsuitableforsometypesofconcentratingphotovoltaiccollectorsbut
worksjustfineforcommonPV paneltypes.Thesehaveviscousdampersthatprevent
excessivemotioninresponsetogustsofwind.
3.4.3Chronologicalsolartracking
Achronologicaltrackercounteractstherotationoftheearthbyturningatthesamespeedas
theearthrelativetothesunaroundanaxisthatisparalleltotheearth’s.Toachievethis,a
simplerotationmechanism isdevisedwhichenablesthesystem torotatethroughoutthe
dayinapredefinedmannerwithoutconsideringwhetherthesunisthereornot.Thesystem
turnsataconstantspeedofonerevolutionperdayor15degreesperhour.Chronological
trackersareverysimplebutpotentiallyveryaccurate.
16

27. 3.4.4Singleaxistrackers
Singleaxistrackershaveonedegreeoffreedomthatactastheaxisofrotation.Theaxisof
rotationofsingleaxistrackersisalignedalongthemeridianofthetrueNorth.With
advancedtrackingalgorithms,itispossibletoalignthem inanycardinaldirection.
Commonimplementationsofsingleaxistrackersincludehorizontalsingleaxistrackers
(HSAT),horizontalsingleaxistrackerwithtiltedmodules(HTSAT),verticalsingleaxis
trackers(VSAT),tiltedsingleaxistrackers(TSAT)andpolaralignedsingleaxistrackers
(PSAT).
3.4.5Dualaxistrackers
Dualaxistrackershavetwodegreesoffreedomthatactasaxesofrotation.Theseaxesare
typicallynormaltoeachother.Theprimaryaxisistheonethatisfixedwithrespecttothe
ground.Thesecondaryaxisistheonereferencedtotheprimaryaxis.Therearevarious
commonimplementationsofdualtrackers.Theirclassificationisbasedonorientationof
theirprimaryaxeswithrespecttotheground.
Fig3.3Singleaxistrackers
Fig3.4dualaxistrackers
17

28. 3.5 COMPONENTOFSUNTRACKINGSOLARPANEL
Therearefollowingcomponentofsuntrackingsolarpanel-
 Solarpanel
 LightDependentResistor
 Relay
 Printedcircuitboard
 Photodiode
 StepperMotor
 RegulatorIC
 Resistor
3.5.1SOLARPANEL
A solartrackerisadeviceusedfororientingaphotovoltaicarraysolarpanelorfor
concentratingsolarreflectororlenstowardthesun.Thepositionofthesunintheskyis
variedbothwithseasonsandtimeofdayasthesunmovesacrossthesky.Solarpowered
equipmentworkbestwhentheyarepointedatthesun.Therefore,asolartrackerincreases
how efficientsuchequipmentareoveranyfixedpositionatthecostofadditional
complexitytothesystem.Therearedifferenttypesoftrackers.
Extractionofusableelectricityfrom thesunbecamepossiblewiththediscoveryofthe
photoelectricmechanismandsubsequentdevelopmentofthesolarcell.Thesolarcellisa
semiconductormaterialwhichconvertsvisiblelightintodirectcurrent.Throughtheuseof
solararrays,aseriesofsolarcellselectricallyconnected;thereisgenerationofaDC
voltagethatcanbeusedonaload.Thereisanincreaseduseofsolararraysastheir
efficienciesbecomehigher.

29. Theyareespeciallypopularinremoteareaswherethereisnoconnectiontothegrid.
Photovoltaicenergyisthatwhichisobtainedfromthesun.Aphotovoltaiccell,commonly
knownasasolarcell,isthetechnologyusedforconversionofsolardirectlyintoelectrical
power.Thephotovoltaiccellisanonmechanicaldevicemadeofsiliconalloy.
3.5.2LIGHTDEPENDENTRESISTOR
Thesimplestopticalsensorisaphotonresistororphotocellwhichisalightsensitive
resistorthesearemadeoftwotypes,cadmiumsulfide(CdS)andgalliumarsenide(GaAs).
Thesuntrackersystem designedhereusestwocadmium sulfide(CdS)photocellsfor
sensingthelight.Thephotocellisapassivecomponentwhoseresistanceisinversely
proportionaltotheamountoflightintensitydirectedtowardsit.Itisconnectedinseries
withcapacitor.Thephotocelltobeusedforthetrackerisbasedonitsdarkresistanceand
lightsaturationresistance.Thetermlightsaturationmeansthatfurtherincreasingthelight
intensitytotheCdScellswillnotdecreaseitsresistanceanyfurther.Lightintensityis
measuredinLux,theilluminationofsunlightisapproximately30,000lux.
NormallytheresistanceofanLDRisveryhigh,sometimesashighas1000000ohms,but
whentheyareilluminatedwithlightresistancedropsdramatically.Whenthelightlevelis
Fig3.5solarpanel
Fig3.6LDRsensor
18

30. lowtheresistanceoftheLDRishigh.Thispreventscurrentfromflowingtothebaseofthe
transistors.ConsequentlytheLED doesnotlight.However,whenlightshinesontothe
LDRitsresistancefalls.
TheconceptofusingtwoLDRs
ConceptofusingtwoLDRsforsensingisexplainedinthefigureabove.Thestableposition
iswhenthetwoLDRshavingthesamelightintensity.Whenthelightsourcemoves,i.e.the
sunmovesfromwesttoeast,thelevelofintensityfallingonboththeLDRschangesand
thischangeiscalibratedintovoltageusingvoltagedividers.Thechangesinvoltageare
comparedusingbuilt-incomparatorofmicrocontrollerandmotorisusedtorotatethesolar
panelinawaysoastotrackthelightsource.
Fig3.6.1positionofLDRsensor

31. Lightsensordesign
ThesolartrackermakesuseofaCdsphotocellfordetectinglight.Therewasuseofa
complementaryresistorwithavalueof10k.Withtheresultingconfiguration,theoutput
voltagewillincreasewithincreaseinlightintensity.Thevalueofthecomplementary
resistorischosensuchthatthewidestoutputrangeisachieved.Thephotocellresistanceis
measuredunderbrightlight,averagelightanddarklightconditions.Theresultsarelistedin
thetablebelow.
MeasuredResistance Comment
50KΩ
Darklightconditions(blackvinyltape
placed
overcell)
43KΩ
Averagelightconditions(normalroom
lighting
level)
200Ω
Brightlightconditions(flashlight
directlyin
frontofcell)
Table3.1PhotocellResistanceTestingData
20

32. 3.5.3RELAYUNIT
Relaysareswitchesthatopenandclosecircuitselectromechanicallyorelectronically.Relays
controloneelectricalcircuitbyopeningandclosingcontactsinanothercircuit.Asrelay
diagramsshow,whenarelaycontactisnormallyopen(NO),thereisanopencontact
whentherelayisnotenergized.WhenarelaycontactisNormallyClosed(NC),thereisa
closedcontactwhentherelayisnotenergized.
Ineithercase,applyingelectricalcurrenttothecontactswillchangetheirstate.Relays
aregenerallyusedtoswitchsmallercurrentsinacontrolcircuitanddonotusually
controlpowerconsumingdevicesexceptforsmallmotorsandSolenoidsthatdrawlow
amps.Nonetheless,relayscan"control"largervoltagesandamperesbyhavingan
amplifyingeectbecauseasmallvoltageappliedtoarelayscoilcanresultinalarge
voltagebeingswitchedbythecontacts.Protectiverelayscanpreventequipmentdamage
bydetectingelectricalabnormalities,includingovercurrent,undercurrent,overloadsand
reversecurrents.Inaddition,relaysarealsowidelyusedtoswitchstartingcoils,heating
element.
Fig3.7Relay
22

33. 3.5.4PHOTODIODE
PhotodiodeisalightsensorwhichhasahighspeedandhighsensitivesiliconPIN
photodiodeinaminiatureflatplasticpackage.Aphotodiodeisdesignedtoberesponsiveto
opticalinput.Duetoitswaterclearepoxythedeviceissensitivetovisibleandinfrared
radiation.Thelargeactiveareacombinedwithaflatcasegivesahighsensitivityatawide
viewingangle.Photodiodescanbeusedineitherzerobiasorreversebias.Inzerobias,
lightfallingonthediodecausesavoltagetodevelopacrossthedevice,leadingtoacurrent
intheforwardbiasdirection.Thisiscalledthephotovoltaiceffect,andisthebasisforsolar
cells-infactasolarcellisjustalargenumberofbig,cheapphotodiodes.Diodesusually
haveextremelyhighresistancewhenreversebiased.Thisresistanceisreducedwhenlight
ofanappropriatefrequencyshinesonthejunction.Hence,areversebiaseddiodecanbe
usedasadetectorbymonitoringthecurrentrunningthroughit.Circuitsbasedonthiseffect
aremoresensitivetolightthanonesbasedonthephotovoltaiceffect.
Fig3.8Differenttypeofphotodiodes
23

34. 3.5.5 STEPPERMOTOR
Thisapplicationnotedescribeshow toimplementanexactlinearspeedcontrollerfor
steppermotors.Thesteppermotorisanelectromagneticdevicethatconvertsdigitalpulses
intomechanicalshaftrotation.Manyadvantagesareachievedusingthiskindofmotors,
suchashighersimplicity,sincenobrushesorcontactsarepresent,lowcost,highreliability,
hightorqueatlowspeeds,andhighaccuracyofmotion.Manysystemswithsteppermotors
needtocontroltheacceleration/decelerationwhenchangingthespeed.Thisapplication
notepresentsadriverwithademoapplication,capableofcontrollingaccelerationaswell
aspositionandspeed.Thesteppermotorisanelectromagneticdevicethatconvertsdigital
pulsesintomechanicalshaftrotation.
Theshaftorspindleofasteppermotorrotatesindiscretestepincrementswhenelectrical
commandpulsesareappliedtoitinthepropersequence.Thesequenceoftheapplied
pulsesisdirectlyrelatedtothedirectionofmotorshaftsrotation.Thespeedofthemotor
shaftsrotationisdirectlyrelatedtothefrequencyoftheinputpulsesandthelengthof
rotationisdirectlyrelatedtothenumberofinputpulsesapplied.Manyadvantagesare
achievedusingthiskindofmotors,suchashighersimplicity,sincenobrushesorcontacts
arepresent,low cost,highreliability,hightorqueatlow speeds,andhighaccuracyof
motion.Manysystemswithsteppermotorsneedtocontroltheacceleration/deceleration
whenchangingthespeed.
Fig3.9Steppermotor
24

35. 3.5.6VOLTAGEREGULATORIC
Asimplevoltageregulatorcanbemadefromaresistorinserieswithadiode(orseriesof
diodes).DuetothelogarithmicshapeofdiodeV-Icurves,thevoltageacrossthediode
changesonlyslightlyduetochangesincurrentdrawnorchangesintheinput.When
precisevoltagecontrolandefficiencyarenotimportant,thisdesignmayworkfine.
Feedbackvoltageregulatorsoperatebycomparingtheactualoutputvoltagetosomefixed
referencevoltage.Anydifferenceisamplifiedandusedtocontroltheregulationelementin
suchawayastoreducethevoltageerror.Thisformsanegativefeedbackcontrolloop;
increasingtheopen-loopgaintendstoincreaseregulationaccuracybutreducestability
(stabilityisavoidanceofoscillation,orringing,duringstepchanges).
Therewillalsobeatrade-offbetweenstabilityandthespeedoftheresponsetochanges.If
theoutputvoltageistoolow (perhapsduetoinputvoltagereducingorloadcurrent
increasing),theregulationelementiscommanded,uptoapoint,toproduceahigheroutput
voltage–bydroppinglessoftheinputvoltage(forlinearseriesregulatorsandbuck
switchingregulators),ortodraw inputcurrentforlongerperiods(boost-typeswitching
regulators);iftheoutputvoltageistoohigh,theregulationelementwillnormallybe
commandedtoproducealowervoltage.However,manyregulatorshaveover-current
protection,sothattheywillentirelystopsourcingcurrent(orlimitthecurrentinsomeway)
iftheoutputcurrentistoohigh,andsomeregulatorsmayalsoshutdowniftheinput
voltageisoutsideagivenrange(seealso:crowbarcircuits).
Fig3.10voltageregulatorIC
25

36. 3.5.7RESISTOR
Aresistorisacomponentofacircuitthatresiststheflowofelectricalcurrent.Ithastwo
terminalsacrosswhichelectricitymustpass,anditisdesignedtodropthevoltageofthe
currentasitflowsfromoneterminaltotheother.Resistorsareprimarilyusedtocreateand
maintainknownsafecurrentswithinelectricalcomponents.Resistanceismeasuredinohms,
afterOhm'slaw.Thislawstatesthatelectricalresistanceisequaltothedropinvoltage
acrosstheterminalsoftheresistordividedbythecurrentbeingapplied.Ahighohmrating
indicatesahighresistancetocurrent.Thisratingcanbewritteninanumberofdifferent
ways-forexample,81Rrepresents81ohms,while81Krepresents81,000ohms.Materials
ingeneralhaveacharacteristicbehaviorofopposingtheflow ofelectriccharge.This
oppositionisduetothecollisionsbetweenelectronsthatmakeupthematerials.This
physicalproperty,orabilitytoresistcurrent,isknownasresistanceandisrepresentedby
thesymbolR.ResistanceisexpressedinohmswhichissymbolizedbythecapitalGreek
letteromega.
Theresistanceofanymaterialisdecidedbyfourfactors:
 Materialproperty-eachmaterialwillopposetheflowofcurrentdifferently.
 Length-thelongerthelength,themoreistheprobabilityofcollisionsand,
hence,thelargertheresistance.
 Cross-sectionalarea-thelargertheareaA,theeasieritbecomesforelectrons
toflowand,hence,thelowertheresistance.
 Temperature-typically,formetals,astemperatureincreases,theresistance
increases.
Fig3.11Resistor
26

37. 3.6WORKINGOFSUNTRACKINGSOLARPANEL
Thesystemfocusesonthecontrollerdesignwherethesystemisabletotrackthemaximum
intensity ofSunlight.When the intensity ofSunlightisdecreasing,thissystem
automaticallychangesitsdirectiontogetmaximum intensityofSunlight.LDR light
detectoractsasasensorisusedtotracethecoordinateoftheSunlightbydetecting
brightnesslevelofSunlight.Whiletorotatetheappropriatepositionofthepanel,aDC
motorisused.hesystemiscontrolledbyamicro-controllerasamainprocessor.
Fig3.12Workingsuntracker
27

38. Fig.3.13workingofmodel
28

39. 3.7 EFFICIENCYOFSOLARPANELS
Theefficiencyistheparametermostcommonlyusedtocompareperformanceofonesolar
cellstoanother.Itistheratioofenergyoutputfromthesolarpaneltoinputenergyfromthe
sun.inadditiontoreflectingontheperformanceofsolarcells,itwilldependonthe
spectrumandintensityoftheincidentsunlightandthetemperatureofthesolarcell.Asa
result,conditionsunderwhichefficiencyistobemeasuredmustbecontrolledcarefullyto
compareperformanceofthevariousdevices.
Theefficiencyofsolarcellsisdeterminedasthefractionofincidentpowerthatis
convertedtoelectricity.Itisdefinedas:
Where;
Voc-istheopen-circuitvoltage;
Isc-istheshort-circuitcurrent
FF-isthefillfactor
η- istheefficiency.
29

40. 3.8 POWEROUTPUTOFSOLARPANEL
Thiswasthemainresultforwhichweconductedthisexperimenttofindouthowmuch
morepowerwecangetbymanuallyadjustingthepanelandhowmuchmorepowerour
automaticsuntrackingsystemcanactuallygive.Thispartoftheexperimentscanprove
thatmoveablearraysofsolarpanelcansignificantlyimprovetheefficiencyofsolarpanel.
Nowusingthefixedsolarpanelasthebaseconditionandusedittofindhowmuchmore
powerwearegettingbyautomaticadjustment.
Thecalculationsareasfollow:
Totalpowerofthefixedpanel =0.8watt
Totalpowerobtainedbyfixedpanel =0.4551watt
Totalpoweroftheautomaticallyadjustedpanel =0.6381watt
Powerreductionbyfixedpanel:
Powerreductionbyautomaticallyadjustingthepanel:
Thispartoftheexperimentscanprovethatmoveablearraysofsolarpanelcansignificantly
improvetheefficiencyofsolarpanel.Nowusingthefixedsolarpanelasthebasecondition
andusedittofindhowmuchmorepowerwearegettingbyautomaticadjustment.
0.8-0.4551
0.8
X100 = 44%(approx.)
0.8–0.6381
10.321
X100 = 21%(approx.)
30

41. So,fromtheabovecalculation,wefoundoutthatoursystemisapproximately40% more
efficientthanafixedarrayofsolarpanelsbelowisthelinegraph(figure3.13)ofthethree
phenomenon(fixed,manualadjustmentandautoadjustment)ofthesolarpanel.
Fig.3.13Powervs.timecurveforsolarpanel
31

42. 3.9PERFORMANCEANALYSIS
Trackingsystems,thatcontinuallyorientphotovoltaic(PV)panelstowardstheSun,are
expectedtoincreasethepoweroutputfromthePVpanels.Tremendousamountofresearch
isbeingdoneandfundsarebeingspentinordertoincreasetheefficiencyofPVcellsto
generatemorepower.WereporttheperformanceoftwoalmostidenticalPVsystems;one
atafixedlatitudetiltandtheotheronatwo-axistracker.Weobservedthatthetracked
panelsgenerated21.2%moreelectricitythantheoptimumtiltanglefixed-axispanels.
Fig.3.14Powerthroughday
32

43. 4.1INTRODUCTION
Therobotsarealternativemethodtotheconvenientmethodandtheydesignsotoavoid
thewastageofwaterandtoreducethehumanefforttocleansolarpanels.Methodtogo
thehumanworkerstowashandwipepanelsmanuallyoruseadifferentmethodtowash
panels.Dirtypanelsproducelesselectricity,sotoincreasetheproductionofelectricity
cleaningofpanelsshouldbemaintainproperly,buttheneedtousewaterforcleaningthis
panels,especiallyindirtyregions,itmakesacleanpowerplantprojecti.e.lessecofriendly
.
Incertainpanelareas,thewaternotwipeproperly,alsoitcontainsthecorrodedelements;
itisnotworkproperly,duetothisitisincreaseinproductioncostofasolarpowerplant.
IndustyareassuchastheEastsideofIndia,solarpanelsloseelectricityproductionby15
%to30%ifTheyarenotwashedonregular.Robotassemblycleanseachpanelandmove
from thetoptobottom ofrow ofpanels.Thereisincreasein5-6% moreelectricity
production.Thechallengestokeepingthesolarpanelsaredustfreeitwillgrowasmore
solarpowerprojectsarebuiltoverthecountry.Thelaborandinsufficientofwatersupply
willabletodoformakingmanualwashingthelow-costforsolarpowerplant.
Thenaturalwaytocleanisair;airflowremovesabulkofthedustwhilethebrushesget
ridofrest.Sotoavoidthewastageofwater,toreducethehumaneffortandtimerenquire
cleaningthepanels.Arobotisdevelopedwhichwillhelptocleanthepanelsonregular
intervaloftime,anditwillovercomealltheproblemsarise.Therobotitselfisasolar
powerchargedbutitwillrunsonbatteryatnight.Solarelectricityrechargesthebatteries
duringthedaytime.Theassemblywillcleanthepanelstoonregularintervaloftime.
Aftercompletingitstasktherobotassemblyreturnsbacktostartingplace.
CHAPTER:4 AUTOSOLARPLATEDUSTCLEANINGSYSTEMSYSTEM
33

44. 4.2 METHODOLOGY
Inthisproject,theeffectsofaccumulateddustontheperformanceofthesolarpanelsare
investigatedbyreferringtheresultsobtainedbyexperimentationindustyatmosphereof
differentlevels.Also,anautocleaningsystem isemployedtoworkastheautocleaner
whichisequippedonthetiltedsolarpanelisproposed.Thedesignoftheautocleaning
systemwillhaveflexibilityinorderfixondifferentsizesofflatsolarpanels.Inaccordance
withthedimensionsofthetiltedplatepanel,thesystemconsistsofbrushesdrivenbyDC-
motorsthroughathreadedrodsystem.Themovementofthebrushesiscontrolledbysignal
generatedbyamicrocontrollerinaccordancewiththedustsensorwhichproducesa
rotationalmotionwhichisconvertedintolinearmotionthroughrod.Theelectricalpower
whichisneededtodrivetheDCmotorissuppliedfromthebattery.Followingstepsare
involvedinthemethodology-
a) Collectingandstudyingmoreextradetailsregardingtheeffectsofaccumulateddust
ontheflatsolarpanels.
b) Designingthebasicprototypeoftheautocleaningsystem.
c) Choosingthepropermicrocontrollertocontroltheautocleaningrobotandsensorto
sensetheamountofdustonthesolarpanel.
d)Designingthemicrocontroller'salgorithmsuchthatthemicrocontrollercancontrolthe
systemintherightdirection.
34

45. 4.3COMPONENTOFAUTODUSTCLEANINGSYSTEM
Therearefollowingcomponentsofautodustcleaningsystem-
1.Motor
2.Controlunit
3.Wiper/Brush
4.Switch
4.3.1 MOTOR
Thesteppermotorisanelectromagneticdevicethatconvertsdigitalpulsesintomechanical
shaftrotation.Theshaftorspindleofasteppermotorrotatesindiscretestepincrements
whenelectricalcommandpulsesareappliedtoitinthepropersequence.Thesequenceof
theappliedpulsesisdirectlyrelatedtothedirectionofmotorshaftsrotation.Thespeedof
themotorshaftsrotationisdirectlyrelatedtothefrequencyoftheinputpulsesandthe
lengthofrotationisdirectlyrelatedtothenumberofinputpulsesapplied.Manyadvantages
areachievedusingthiskindofmotors,suchashighersimplicity,sincenobrushesor
contactsarepresent,lowcost,highreliability,hightorqueatlowspeeds,andhighaccuracy
ofmotion.Manysystemswithsteppermotorsneedtocontroltheacceleration/deceleration
whenchangingthespeed.
Fig.4.1Motor

46. 4.3.2 WIPER/BRUSH
Thecleaningsubsystemconsistsoftheelementsthatwillremovethedustanddebrisfrom
thesolarpanel.Therequirementsforthecleaningsystemarethatitcleansanarrayofsolar
panelsefficientlyandeffectivelywhileusinglittletonowater.Thesystemneedstobeable
toruntwotimesperweektokeepthesolarsystemoperatingatpeakefficiency.Themajor
decisiontobemadeforthedesignofthecleaningsubsystem wastheselectionofthe
cleaningmethod.Thedesignthatwasfinallychosenwasasetofbrushesbuiltintoa
spinningaxlethatwillbrushawayanydustordebrisonthepanel’ssurface.Thecriteriafor
choosingthismethodweretheeffectivenessofcleaning,thecostofmanufacturing(which
includesthecostofthematerialitself)andthereliabilityofthematerialoverthedevice’s
entirelifespan.
Fig.4.2Wiper
36

47. 4.3.4SWITCH
In electricalengineering,a switch isan electricalcomponent thatcan"make"or"break"
an electricalcircuit,interrupting the current ordiverting itfrom one conductorto
another. Themechanism ofaswitchremovesorrestorestheconductingpathinacircuit
whenitisoperated.Itmaybeoperatedmanually,forexample,alightswitchorakeyboard
button,maybeoperatedbyamovingobjectsuchasadoor,ormaybeoperatedbysome
sensingelementforpressure,temperatureorflow.Aswitchwillhaveoneormoresetsof
contacts,whichmayoperatesimultaneously,sequentially,oralternately.Switchesinhigh-
poweredcircuitsmustoperaterapidlytopreventdestructivearcing,andmayinclude
specialfeaturestoassistinrapidlyinterruptingaheavycurrent.Multipleformsofactuators
areusedforoperationbyhandortosenseposition,level,temperatureorflow.Special
typesareused,forexample,forcontrolofmachinery,toreverseelectricmotors,ortosense
liquidlevel.Manyspecializedformsexist.
Acommonuseiscontroloflighting,wheremultipleswitchesmaybewiredintoonecircuit
toallowconvenientcontroloflightfixtures.Byanalogywiththedevicesthatselectoneor
morepossiblepathsforelectriccurrents,devicesthatrouteinformationinacomputer
networkarealsocalled"switches"-theseareusuallymorecomplicatedthansimple
electromechanicaltogglesorpushbuttondevices,andoperatewithoutdirecthuman
interaction.
Fig.4.3Switch
37

48. 4.4EFFECTOFDUSTONTHEPERFORMANCEOF
SOLARPANEL
Inordertomaximizetheamountofradiationcollectedtheamountofradiationcollectedby
asolarcollector,thetrackermustfollow thesunthroughouttheday.But,ifthe
environmentalconditionsinwhichthesolarPVmodulesareinstalled,liketropicalclimate
aroundtheequator,significantamountofdustgetsdepositedonPVmodules,asshownin
Figure.TheregularcleaningofPVmodulesisrequiredintropicalclimatewhichaddsto
thecostofoperationandmaintenanceofthePVsystems.Thesettleddust,ifnotcleaned,
affectstheperformanceofthesolarPVmodulebyshadingthefrontsurface.Ithasbeen
observedthatthereductioninenergyoutputfromaPVpanelwithdustcouldbeasmuchas
50%,whenthemodulesarenotcleanedfor30days.
Soitisveryimportanttoremovedustfromthesolarcells.Withthehelpofwiperonthe
basesofobjectablesensorwecanremovedustfrom solarpanelsandincreasethe
efficiencyofsolarcells.Fewstudiesanalyzedthiseffectandtheconsequentefficiency
degradation.CurrentresearchonPVsystemperformanceandtheeffectsofthedeposition
ofdustislimitedduetothefactthatpowderisacomplexphenomenonthatisinfluencedby
differentenvironmentalandweatherconditions.Abriefschematicrepresentationofthe
factorsthatdeterminesthesettlingofdustonthePVpanelsisshowninsetupofexperiment.
AdetailedanalysisoftheinfluenceofdustonthePVmodulesperformanceisproposedin
thisreport.BasedonalltheseinformationtheeffectsofthedustonthePV panel’s
electricalperformanceshavebeenhighlighted.Duringthestudyoftheperformanceofsolar
PVpanelwithandwithout,thenthefollowingfactorsconsidered:
1.Panelefficiencyv/sTimeanalysiswithdust.
2.Panelefficiencyv/sTimeanalysiswithoutdust.
38

49. Fig.4.4Panelefficiencyv/sTimeCharacteristicsWithdust
Fig.4.5Panelefficiencyv/stimecharacteristicswithoutdust
39

50. CALCULATIONOFEFFICIENCY
Poweroutput(watt)Po=Voc*Isc*FF
Wecalculatethesolarpanelefficiency(%)bythefollowingformula
η = x100
Where,
Voc-Voltageofelectricityproduced(volts)
Isc–ElectricalcurrentproducedbythesolarPVpanel(Ampere)
FF-Fillfactor
A-Areaofsolarpanel(cross-sectionofpanel)
I-IntensityofSolarRadiation(W/m
2
)
%Reductioninpower= ×100
%reductioninefficiency= ×100
VOC*ISC*FF
A*I
Pwithoutdust–Pwithdust
Pwithoutdust
ηwithoutdust–ηwithdust
ηwithoutdust
40

51. 4.5ADVANTAGES
Maximumutilizationofsolarenergy.
Max.solarenergysaving
Itiscleanandemissionfreepowerproduction.
Externalpowersupplyisnotrequired.
Increase40%efficiencyofsolarpowerplant.
Onceasolarpanelisinstalled,theenergyisproducedatreducedcosts.
Whereasthereservesofoiloftheworldareestimatedtobedepletedinfuture,solar
energywilllastforever.
Itispollutionfree.
Solarcellsarefreeofanynoise.Ontheotherhand,variousmachinesusedforpumping
oilorforpowergenerationarenoisy.
4.6DEMERITS
Initialinvestmentishigh.
Movingpartwillrequireregularmaintenance.
UsesaLotofSpace
Solarpanelscanbecostlytoinstallresultinginatimelagofmanyyearsforsavingson
energybillstomatchinitialinvestments.
4.9APPLICATION

52.  Oneofthewideapplicationsforautomationintheareaofsolarenergyissun-
trackingsysteminwhichcontroltheoryisemployedtodrivethesolarcollectoror
concentratortowardsthesuninalltimes.
 Internationalspacestation
 Solarcars
 Streetlights
5.1CONCLUSION
FromthedesignofexperimentalsetupwithSolarTrackingSystemUsingStepperMotorIf
wecompareTrackingbytheuseofLDRwithFixedSolarPanelSystemwefoundthatthe
efficiencyofMicroControllerBasedSolarTrackingSystemisimprovedby30-45%andit
wasfoundthatallthepartsoftheexperimentalsetuparegivinggoodresults.Therequired
PowerisusedtorunthemotorbyusingStep-DownT/Fbyusing220VAC.Moreover,this
trackingsystem doestrackthesuninacontinuousmanner.Andthissystem ismore
efficientandcosteffectiveinlongrun.From theresultsitisfoundthat,byautomatic
trackingsystem,thereis30% gaininincreaseofefficiencywhencomparedwithnon-
trackingsystem.Thesolartrackercanbestillenhancedadditionalfeatureslikerain
protectionandwindprotectionwhichcanbedoneasfuturework.
5.2.FUTURE.WORK
Withtheavailabletimeandresources,theobjectiveoftheprojectwasmet.Theprojectis
abletobeimplementedonamuchlargerscale.Forfutureprojects,onemayconsiderthe
useofmoreefficientsensors,butwhicharecosteffectiveandconsumelittlepower.This
wouldfurtherenhanceefficiencywhilereducingcosts.Ifthereisthepossibilityoffurther
reducingthecostofthisproject,itwouldhelpagreatdeal.Thisisbecausewhetherornot
CHAPTER:5 CONCLUSIONS&FUTUREWORK
41

53. suchprojectsareembracedisdependentonhowcheaptheycanbe.
Shadinghasadverseeffectsontheoperationofsolarpanels.Shadingofasinglecellwill
haveaneffectontheentirepanelbecausethecellsareusuallyconnectedinseries.With
shadingtherefore,thetrackingsystemwillnotbeabletoimproveefficiencyasisrequired.
42

54. REFERENCES
 https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2013/04/how-does-a-solar-
tracker-work/
 https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/ugc/articles/.../what-is-a-solar
-tracker.html
 www.mahindrasusten.com/single-axis-solar-tracker.php
 https://dir.indiamart.com›Solar&RenewableEnergyProducts›Solar
PowerPlants
 www.solar-tracking.com/
 https://www.allearthrenewables.com/solar-tracker-applications
 https://www.nextracker.com/
 https/:www.Cial.aero
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_tracker
 www.greenworldinvestor.com/.../solar-trackers-guide-types-
passivesingle-axisdual/
 https://www.e-education.psu.edu/eme812/node/584
 https://www.researchgate.net/.../Basic-types-of-solar-tracking-
systems_fig1_235770378
CHAPTER.6 APPENDIXES

55.  www.solartracker.guide/types-of-solar-trackers/
S.No Component Component
details
Qua
ntity
Unit
cost(in
Rs.)
Total(in
Rs.)
1. LED Lightemitting
diode
2 5.00 10.00
2. Resistors 10k,470ohm 7 3.00 21.00
3. Diode 1n4007 6 3.00 18.00
4. Steppermotor 12v 2 120.00 240.00
5. Switch Twopin 1 10.00 10.00
6. Voltage
regulatorIC
7812 2 23.00 46.00
7. Transistor 7513 5 10.00 50.00
8. Relay 5 35.00 175.00
9. ACAdapter 12v 1 250.00 250.00
10. LDRs GL5528 2 90.00 180.00
11. Solarpanel 0.75w 1 85.00 85.00
12. Wires simple 3 15.00 45.00
13. PCB Printedcircuit
board
1 15 15
14. switches 3 4.00 12.00
43

56. COSTESTIMATION
TOTAL 1157.00
44