Solar System Design

Introduction:
Solar power is the use of the suns energy either directly as thermal energy (heat)
or through the use of photovoltaic cells in solar panels and transparent photovoltaic
glass to generate electricity.
Standard photovoltaic solar panels are the most efficient application of
photovoltaics. However, photovoltaic glass allows generation from surfaces like
building windows that were previously incapable of anything but passive solar
energy and also enables other options, like color choices. Other technologies
include low-tech solar heaters created from recycled cans that provide an
inexpensive source of heat. [1]

Mechanical design of a solar panel:

Solar Panel Design:

Solar photovoltaic system or Solar power system is one of

renewable energy system which uses PV modules to convert
sunlight into electricity. The electricity generated can be either stored
or used directly, fed back into grid line or combined with one or more
other electricity generators or more renewable energy source. Solar PV
system is very reliable and clean source of electricity that can suit a
wide range of applications such as residence, industry,
agriculture, livestock, etc.[2]

Bi-Axial Design
The best way to design a Bi-Axial solar panels is to use positive feedback
for accurate position tracking. Using position feedback improves the tracking
accuracy and helps ensure that the solar array is actually positioned where
the controls dictate it should be, based on time of day and time of year, and
especially after meteorological events involving strong winds, snow, and ice.
[3]

Components of a PV system:

Solar PV system includes different components that should

be selected according to your system type, site location and
applications. The major components for solar PV system are
solar charge controller, inverter, battery bank, auxiliary
energy sources and loads (appliances).
PV module converts sunlight into DC electricity.
Solar charge controller regulates the voltage and
current coming from the PV panels going to
battery and prevents battery overcharging and prolongs
the battery life.
Inverter converts DC output of PV panels or wind
turbine into a clean AC current for AC
appliances or fed back into grid line.
Battery stores energy for supplying to electrical appliances when there is a
demand.
Load is electrical appliances that connected to solar PV system such as lights,
radio, TV, computer,
refrigerator, etc.
Auxiliary energy sources - is diesel generator or other renewable energy
sources.
Arduino controller It is used to control the servo motors installed in the solar
panel.
Photo resistor It is s a light-controlled variable resistor. The resistance of a
photo resistor decreases with increasing incident light intensity; in other words, it
exhibits photoconductivity.

Sensors required for the project

Most of these sensors are basically used to give feedback for error
calculation. In this project, we will be using LDR but these sensors could be
implemented in order to get much more accurate results.
Inclination Sensors
Directly mounted to the PV array, they provide direct feedback on the tilt of
the array with respect to the horizon. Inclination sensors are great for singleaxis trackers. Absolute position is retentive through power loss --- the
inclination sensor will accurately report tilt angle upon restoration of power.
Proximity Sensors
These are used to count gear teeth on elevation jackscrews or rotary slew
rings. The position data (pulse count) must be maintained in the controller, as
the proximity sensor itself has no knowledge of angular or rotary position.
Thus, the sensor does not provide absolute position --- it only reports
incremental motion based on sensing the presence / absence of targets.
Despite these shortcomings, proximity sensors are one of the most costeffective solutions for many tracker applications.

Rotary Encoders
These sense and measure rotation of drive motors or motor-driven linear
actuators, and usually need to be closely integrated into the design of the
actuator itself. Absolute, multi-turn rotary encoders can provide retentive,
absolute position data even through power loss, and can be applied to either
the elevation or rotational axes of any of the tracker types shown above.
Ultrasonic Sensors
Capable of measuring relatively long distances, ultrasonic sensors can be
mounted on a tracker frame and provide distance feedback between the
sensor and a fixed target mounted on the ground or tracker base. The
inclination angle of the solar array can be easily determined using this
measured distance and geometry. The ultrasonic sensor approach also
provides accurate absolute position information upon restoration of power.

Solar panel schematic and circuit design:

A solar panel is made up discrete sections of individual photo voltaic cells.
Each of these cells are able to generate a tiny magnitude of electrical power,
normally around 1.5 to 3 volts. Many of these cells over the panel are wired in
series so that the total effective voltage generated by the entire unit mounts
up to a usable 12 volts or 24 volts outputs.

Four LDRs and Four 100K resistors are connected in a voltage divider
fashion and the output is given to 4 Analog input pins of Arduino.
The PWM inputs of two servos are given from digital pins 9 and 10 of Arduino.

Graph: