Analysis of an Arduino based solar tracking system

Abstract

The main purpose of this research is to develop and evaluate a solar tracking system which able to maximize the power output of the solar panel. The design of the solar tracking system consists of some electronic components such as an Arduino Uno R3 microcontroller, four light-dependent resistors (LDRs), two servo motors, and one solar panel. The Arduino microcontroller acts as the main controller of the whole system, light-dependent resistor is used as a light sensor to detect sunlight while the function of the servo motor is to rotate the solar panel to align with the sunlight. The prototype of the solar tracking system was build and tested. The data result obtained are tabulated and the comparison of performance between the static solar panel and solar tracking system is showed using the graphical method. As a result, solar panels with tracking mechanisms can generate more current, voltage, and power than static solar panels. The overall efficiency of the solar panel had increased after the implementation of the tracking system.