Real time clock based energy efficient automatic dual axis solar tracking system

Abstract

This paper describes the design, implementation and performance of a real time clock (RTC) based dual axis solar tracking system and asymmetric solar dish concentrator. Numerous algorithm and functional program methodologies are implemented in order to optimizing the energy efficiency of the RTC based simple electromechanical dual axis solar energy tracking system. In this presented work, a RTC (Real Time Clock) based dual axis solar tracking system and solar dish concentrator is designed, implemented and tested based on current time and photodiode sensor based daily tracking method. In daily morning, the photo diode sensor in solar tracking system is used to align the solar concentrator for the initial position. The developed solar tracking system can follow the sun at various days, months and seasons. So, the solar tracking system needs a RTC (Real Time Clock) in order to leading the solar tracking system in finding sun’s position for the daily, monthly and seasonal movement. So, the combination of both RTC and sensor based tracking system gives the designed solar tracking system as an efficient one. Time based algorithm is successfully performed to various months in order to track the sun. An entire asymmetric solar dish concentrator is covered by 1 x 1 inch glass mirrors. The solar dish concentrator has reached maximum solar concentration with the help of this continuous RTC tracking method. The experiment was conducted in the month of March, April and May 2017. The maximum temperature of 415°C was recorded at the time of experiment. It is found that thermal power gain of RTC based dual axis solar tracking system is 75% compared to the fixed solar concentrator system.