Solar panels produce optimal efficiency only when their location is perpendicular to the energy source (sun rays). To improve the performance of alternative sources of electricity, instructors create many different devices. One of them is a solar tracker. The purpose of this mechanism is to track the movement of the sun across the sky and move the surface of the photovoltaic module to a position where it is possible to absorb as much ultraviolet radiation as possible.

Installing a tracker provides the following benefits:

• increase in efficiency by 40-45%;
• increase in produced electricity;
• financial savings.

Efficiency increases when the sun's rays fall on the working surface at an angle of 90 0. Efficiency immediately increases many times over. As the performance of a particular solar panel increases, there is no need to install additional panels. Consequently, the cost of the entire solar power plant package is reduced, since there is no need to install additional photovoltaic modules. Solar tracker diagram:

As mentioned above, the solar tracker performs 2 functions - tracking the location of the Sun and rotating the working surface in the desired direction. The USB receiver is responsible for establishing the parameters of the trajectory of the luminary and identifying the point of maximum concentration of sunlight. The device receives a signal from a GPS navigator satellite. Depending on what data the receiver has received, a command is given to move the photovoltaic module. The module movement system is equipped with a servo motor. Its task is to change the direction of rotation of the shaft. Thanks to this, the panel moves on different sides.

Types of trackers

By design, solar panel orientation system trackers are divided into 2 main categories - with one and two axes of rotation.

Devices with one axis of rotation have one degree of freedom. Orientation - from north to south. Based on the location of the axis of rotation, this type is divided into the following types:

• horizontal axis - is in a horizontal position relative to the earth's surface;
• vertical axis - located vertically relative to the earth's surface;
• inclined axis - located in the interval between the vertical and horizontal trajectory;
• polar axis - its location depends on where the pole star is located.

In a dual-axis solar tracking tracker, both structures operate independently of each other. But they are connected in common system, which ensures the movement of the tracker. The number of degrees of freedom is two.

A separate subtype of trackers with two axes of rotation are those that are equipped with a support element. There are 2 options for such devices. The first is that the supporting pillar serves as a support. In the upper part there is a platform on which the rotating mechanism is installed. The second option is that a round platform or ring serves as the base. On such a plane it will be possible to place several panels at once.

To work you will need:

1. Six long processed boards and 4 short ones.
2. Two wheels from a bicycle.
3. Iron parts for fastening of small size with holes along the edges.
4. 12 volt linear actuator.
5. LED tracking sensor.
6. Nuts, bolts, screws, cable and wire.

First you need to prepare a wooden base. You need to measure the length and width of the boards, process them, and put together the 2 halves into a triangle. Then fasten them with cross boards. Then you need to select suitable iron parts (as in the picture) and make 6 holes in them at equal distances. Then the fastenings are screwed to the boards with screws.

The linear actuator is attached using a cable. The cable is secured with a metal bracket. It is necessary to use flexible material for fastening so that in the future the working surface can move and rotate in the desired direction.

An LED sensor is then attached to the top. To protect it from damage, you need to cover it with a transparent object (to let the sun's rays through). This could be, for example, an empty jar.

A homemade tracker for solar panels is ready. You can make it yourself, and even

There are some tricks that allow you to get more energy from the sun by slightly modifying the basic system. The first one is to monitor the sun, and the second one is to monitor the maximum power point of solar panels. Sun tracking carried out using a solar tracker, with which I will begin this article. The following video demonstrates the operating principle of a solar panel tracker.

After installing the solar tracker, energy production will increase by 1.6 times due to longer exposure to the sun on the panels, as well as optimization of the installation angle of the solar panels in relation to the sun. The cost of a finished solar tracker will be about 52,000 rubles. Since it can only hold a couple of panels with a total power of up to 600W, such a system will not pay for itself soon. But you can make such a device yourself, and homemade trackers are quite popular. When tracking the sun, there are the following main tasks: 1. Creating a strong platform that can withstand both the weight of the panels themselves and gusts of wind.2. Creation of mechanics for turning a heavy platform with high windage.3. Development of mechanics control logic for tracking the sun. So, point one. It is better to place battery arrays in multiples of the required voltage, and they should not obscure each other.

The tracker will require strong hardware and a strong foundation. Actuators are ideal for controlling a turntable. In the next picture you can see the control mechanics.

Such a tracker will allow you to control the position of solar panels in two planes at once. But if you wish, you can adjust the control only horizontally, and change the angle vertically a couple of times a year (in autumn and spring). When creating the logic of the entire system, you can choose one of several options: 1. Follow the brightest point.2. Set the tilt and rotation by timer (for each day the sunrise and sunset times are always known).3. A combined option that provides for a constant rotation angle and search for maximum brightness. For the first method, there are two solutions: build a tracker yourself or buy a ready-made Chinese one, costing about $100.

But since making such a device is quite easy for anyone who understands the principles of operation of controllers, many prefer to do everything themselves, while a homemade tracker will cost 10 times less.

Details of the manufacture of a solar tracker can be found on the specialized forum, where the optimal designs have already been calculated and the best equipment has been selected. MPPT tracking (solar maximum power point) There are two types of solar controllers for this purpose. The MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) controller monitors the sun from another position in the system. For clarification, here is the following graph.

As can be seen from the graph, the maximum removed power will be obtained at the point of maximum power, which will certainly be on the green line. This is not possible with a regular PWM controller. Using an MPPT controller, you can also connect series-connected solar panels. This method will significantly reduce energy losses during transportation from solar panels to batteries. It is economically feasible to install MPPT controllers when the power of the joint venture exceeds 300-400 W. It would be quite reasonable to buy a solar controller “with a reserve”, unless you are creating a powerful energy system that will exceed the needs of the house in excess. Consistently increasing the number of solar panels, I received a power of 800 W, which is quite enough for a country house in the summer. In my example, an average of 4 kWh of electrical energy per day is expected from the power system from April to August. This amount of energy is quite enough for the comfort of a family of 4 people, provided that they do not use an electric stove or microwave oven. A powerful consumer of energy is the boiler for heating water. For an 80-liter boiler in a private house, approximately 4.5 kWh of energy will be required. Thus, the created autonomous system will pay for itself at least when heating water. The previous article was devoted to a hybrid inverter, which allows you to take energy mainly from solar panels, receiving only the missing amount from the network. The MicroArt company has already launched the production of MPPT controllers, which can be connected to inverters of the same company via a common bus. Since I have already installed the MicroArt hybrid inverter, this option is especially convenient for me. The main advantage of this controller for me was the ability to pump up the required amount of electricity so as not to borrow energy from the battery, reducing its resource. The most popular and at the same time optimal in terms of voltage/current ratio is the ECO Energy MPPT Pro 200/100 Controller. It is capable of supporting input voltage up to 200V and output current up to 100A. My batteries are built at 24V (battery voltage 12/24/48/96V), so the maximum power from the controller will be 2400W, so I get a double headroom when expanding solar panels. The maximum power of the controller is 11 kW at 110 V on batteries (buffer voltage). Communication of the controller with the hybrid inverter MAC SIN Energy Pro HYBRID v.1 24V is supported via a 12C bus. In this case, it is possible to instantly add power in the event that the inverter provides information about increased energy consumption. Since both devices are from the same manufacturer, all I had to do was plug the cords into the required connectors of the devices and activate the necessary parameters. Continuing to explore the capabilities of the controller, I discovered three relays that can be programmed. For example, in sunny weather, if the house does not consume electricity, you can heat an additional boiler or swimming pool. Another option is that the weather is cloudy and the battery voltage is reduced to a critical level, the inverter may turn off altogether, and energy is consumed. In this case, it is possible to start a separate petrol/diesel generator, for which you just need to close the relay. In this case, the generator must have a dry start contact or a separate automatic start system - SAP (another name - ATS, Automatic Reserve Entry). My generator is a simple Chinese one, but I have a starter. Having inquired about the automation of its launch, and having found out that MicroArt has been producing its own automation for a long time, I was very pleased with this. Let's return to installing the controller. Everything is standard here: first you need to connect the battery terminals, then the solar panel terminals, after which the parameters are configured. By connecting an external current sensor, you can detect the power consumed by the inverter in real time. In the following photo you can see how the inverter works in hybrid mode(receiving part of the energy from the network, the main part from solar panels).

To demonstrate the operation of the solar controller with any other inverter from third party manufacturer, the controller is specifically connected using an external current sensor.

Results The actual characteristics of the controller fully correspond to the declared ones. It really pumps up energy, even when connected to a “foreign” inverter through a current sensor. The hybrid inverter, as planned, pumps solar energy into the network (the photo shows that 100 W, which is half of the 200 W consumed, comes from solar panels. That is, the minimum 100 W will be taken by the controller from the network, and the missing ones will come from sun. This is a feature of the device). Thus, the kit began to pay for itself from the moment it was connected. And starting from May, you can count on completely covering your energy needs with solar panels. The next article will be the final one, it will compare the three solar controllers that I already have.

Until now, when operating solar panels, we were content with the general dispersion of sunlight. True, some seasonal changes were taken into account, as well as the time of day (orientation in the east-west direction). However, the solar panels remained more or less fixed in their working position once found. In some cases, we didn’t even attach much importance to this, roughly pointing the battery in the direction of the sun.

However, it is known from experience that solar cells generate maximum energy only when they are positioned exactly perpendicular to the direction of the sun's rays, and this can only happen once a day. The rest of the time, the efficiency of solar cells is less than 10%.

Suppose you were able to track the position of the Sun in the sky? In other words, what would happen if you rotated the solar panel during the day so that it was always pointing directly at the sun? Just by changing this parameter, you would increase the total output from solar cells by approximately 40%, which is almost half of the energy produced. This means that 4 hours of useful solar intensity automatically turns into almost 6 hours. Monitoring the sun is not difficult at all.

Operating principle of the tracking device

The tracking device consists of two parts. One of them combines a mechanism that drives the solar radiation receiver, the other - an electronic circuit that controls this mechanism.

A number of solar tracking methods have been developed. One of them is based on mounting solar cells on a holder parallel to the polar axis. You may have heard of similar devices called equatorial tracking systems. This is a popular term used by astronomers.

Thanks to the rotation of the Earth, it seems to us that the Sun is moving across the sky. If we took into account this rotation of the Earth, the Sun, figuratively speaking, would “stop”.

The equatorial tracking system operates in a similar way. It has a rotating axis parallel to the Earth's polar axis.

If you attach solar cells to it and rotate them back and forth, you get an imitation of the rotation of the Earth (Fig. 1). An axis aligned with the Earth's rotation axis.

The axis tilt angle (polar angle) is determined by the geographic location and corresponds to the latitude of the place in which the device is mounted. Let's say you live in an area corresponding to 40°N latitude. Then the axis of the tracking device will be rotated at an angle of 40° to the horizon (at the North Pole it is perpendicular to the surface of the Earth (Fig. 2).

Fig.2

Rotating the solar cells east or west about this tilted axis will simulate the movement of the sun across the sky. If we rotate the solar cells with the angular velocity of the Earth's rotation, we can completely "stop" the Sun.

This rotation is carried out by a mechanical follower system. To rotate solar cells around an axis, a motor is needed. At any moment of the daily movement of the sun, the plane of the solar panels will now be perpendicular to the direction of the sun's rays.

The electronic part of the tracking device provides the driving mechanism with information about the position of the Sun. By electronic command, the panel is installed in the desired direction. As soon as the sun moves to the west, the electronic controller will start the electric motor until the desired direction of the panel towards the sun is restored again.

Characteristics of the tracking device

The novelty of our tracking device lies not only in the orientation of solar cells towards the sun, but also in the fact that they power the control electronic “brain”. This is achieved through a unique combination of design and electrical characteristics of the device.

Let us first consider the design features of the device, referring to Fig. 3.

Fig.3

The solar battery consists of two panels containing three elements each, connected in series and placed on the planes of a transparent plastic housing. The panels are connected in parallel.

These panels are mounted at right angles to each other. As a result, at least one of the modules will be constantly illuminated by the sun (subject to the limitations discussed below).

First, consider the case when the entire device is located so that the bisector of the angle formed by the panels is directed exactly towards the sun. In this case, each panel is tilted at an angle of 45° to the sun (Fig. 4) and generates electrical energy.

Fig.4

If you rotate the device 45° to the right, the right panel will take a parallel position, and the left one will be perpendicular to the sun's rays. Now only the left panel generates energy, the right one is inactive.

Let's rotate the device another 45°. Light continues to hit the left panel, but at an angle of 45°. As before, the right side is not illuminated and therefore does not generate any power.

You can repeat a similar rotation to the left side, while the right panel will generate energy, and the left one will be inactive. In any case, at least one battery generates electricity. Since the panels are connected in parallel, the device will always generate electricity. During our experiment, the module rotated 180°.

Thus, if specific device fixed so that the joint of the panels is directed towards the midday sun, the output of the solar battery will always produce electrical voltage regardless of the position of the sun in the sky. From dawn to dusk, some part of the device will be illuminated by the sun.

Great, but why all this? Now you'll find out.

Electronic sun tracking system

To follow the sun's movement across the sky, the electronic control circuit must perform two functions. First of all, she must decide whether there is a need for tracking at all. There is no point in wasting energy running an electric motor if there is not enough sunlight, such as fog or cloud cover. This is the purpose for which the device described above is primarily needed!

To understand the principle of its operation, let us turn to the electronic circuit shown in Fig. 3. First, let's focus our attention on relay RL1. To simplify further discussion, assume that transistor Q1 is in saturation (conducting current) and transistor Q2 is not present.

Relay RL1 is a circuit element that responds to current flowing through it. The relay contains a wire coil in which the energy electric current converted into magnetic field energy. The field strength is directly proportional to the current flowing through the coil.

As the current increases, a moment comes when the field strength increases so much that the relay armature is attracted to the winding core and the relay contacts close. This moment corresponds to the so-called relay response threshold.

Now it is clear why the relay is used in measuring the threshold intensity of solar radiation using solar cells. As you remember, the solar cell current depends on the light intensity. In our circuit, there are actually two solar panels connected to the relay, and until they generate a current exceeding the operating threshold, the relay does not turn on. Thus, it is the amount of incident light that determines the response threshold.

If the current is slightly less than the minimum value, then the circuit does not work. The relay and solar battery are selected so that the relay is activated when the light intensity reaches 60% of the maximum value.

This is how the first task of the tracking system is solved - determining the level of solar radiation intensity. The closed relay contacts turn on the electric motor, and the system begins to look for orientation to the sun.

Now we come to the next task, namely finding the exact orientation of the solar battery to the sun. To do this, let's return to transistors Q1 and Q2.

There is a relay in the collector circuit of transistor Q1. To turn on the relay, you need to short-circuit transistor Q1. Resistor /?1 sets the bias current that opens transistor Q1.

Transistor Q2 represents a phototransistor, its base region is illuminated with light (in conventional transistors, an electrical signal is applied to the base). The collector current of a phototransistor is directly proportional to the light intensity.

Resistor R1, in addition to setting the bias current of transistor Q1, is also used as a load for transistor Q2. When the base of transistor Q2 is not illuminated by light, there is no collector current and all the current through resistor R1 flows through the base, saturating transistor Q1.

As the illumination of the phototransistor increases, a collector current begins to flow, which flows only through resistor R1. According to Ohm's law, an increase in current through a fixed resistor R1 leads to an increase in the voltage drop across it. Thus, the voltage at the collector of Q2 also changes.

When this voltage drops below 0.7V, the predicted phenomenon will occur: Q1 will lose bias due to the fact that it requires at least 0.7V to flow base current. Transistor Q1 will stop conducting current, relay RL1 will turn off and its contacts will open.

This mode of operation will only occur when transistor Q2 is pointed directly at the sun. In this case, the search for an exact orientation to the sun stops due to the opening of the motor power supply circuit by the relay contacts. Now the solar panel is directly aimed at the sun.

When the sun leaves the field of view of transistor Q2, the transistor

Q1 turns on the relay and the mechanism starts moving again. And the sun finds itself again. The search is repeated many times as the sun moves across the sky during the day.

In the evening the light intensity decreases. The solar panel can no longer generate enough energy to power the electronic system, and the relay contacts open for the last time. Early the next morning, the sun illuminates the east-facing battery of the tracking system, and the operation of the circuit begins again.

In a similar way, the relay contacts open if the illumination decreases due to bad weather. Let's assume, for example, that the weather is fine in the morning and the tracking system starts working. However, at noon the sky began to become gloomy and the decrease in illumination caused the tracking system to cease operation until the sky cleared again in the afternoon, and perhaps the next day. Whenever this happens, the tracking system is always ready to resume operation.

Design

Making a tracking device is quite simple, since a significant part of the parts is made of organic glass.

However, a very important point is the coordination of the characteristics of solar panels and relays. It is necessary to select elements that generate a current of 80 mA at maximum solar radiation intensity. Selection can be done through testing. This tester is quite suitable for this purpose.

I found that the crescent cells produce an average current of about 80 mA. Therefore, of all the types of elements that go on sale, I used these elements for my device.

Both solar panels are similar in design. Each contains three elements, which are connected in series and attached to plexiglass plates measuring 10x10 cm2. The elements will be constantly exposed to the environment, so it is necessary to provide protection measures for them.

It would be nice to do the following. Place the completed battery on a plexiglass plate placed on a flat metal surface. Cover the top of the battery with a relatively thick (0.05-0.1 mm) layer of Mylar film. Heat the resulting structure thoroughly with a blowtorch so that the plastic parts melt and solder together.

Be careful when doing this. If you place the plexiglass plate on a surface that is not flat enough or overheat it, it may warp. Everything should be similar to preparing a grilled cheese sandwich.

Fig.5

When finished, check that the seal is secure, especially around the edges of the solar cells. You may need to lightly crimp the edges of the Dacron while it is still hot.

After the panels have cooled sufficiently, glue them together as shown in Fig. 5 and connect them in parallel. Don't forget to solder the leads to the batteries before assembling the device.

Electronic brain

Next important element design is a relay. In practice, a relay is a coil wound around a small reed contact.

The relay winding consists of 420 turns of No. 36 enameled copper wire wound around a frame small enough to fit the reed contact with interference. I used a cocktail straw as a frame. If you touch the ends of the straw with a hot knife blade, frame cheeks will form, protecting the winding from slipping over the edges. The winding impedance should be 20-30 ohms. Insert the reed switch into the frame and secure it with a drop of glue.

Then connect transistor Q1 and resistor R1 to the relay. Without connecting transistor Q2, apply power from the solar cells and check the operation of the circuit.

If everything is working correctly, the relay should activate when the sunlight intensity is around 60% of full intensity. To do this, you can simply cover 40% of the surface of the solar cells with an opaque material, such as cardboard.

Depending on the quality of the reed switch, there may be some deviations from the ideal value. It is acceptable to start the relay at a light intensity of 50-75% of the maximum possible value. On the other hand, if you do not meet these limits, you need to change either the number of turns of the relay winding or the solar panel current.

The number of turns of the relay winding should be changed in accordance with the following rule. If the relay operates earlier, the number of turns must be reduced; if later, it must be increased. If you want to experiment with changing the current of the solar panel, connect a shunt resistor to it.

Now connect phototransistor Q2 to the circuit. It must be placed in a light-proof housing, otherwise it will not work correctly. To do this, take a copper or aluminum pipe about 2.5 cm long and a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the transistor housing.

One end of the pipe should be flattened so that a gap 0.8 mm wide remains. Attach the pipe to the transistor.

The finished control circuit, containing elements Q1, Q2, R1 and RL1, is filled with liquid rubber for sealing purposes.

Four drives are output from the device: two from relay contacts, two from solar panels. To pour liquid rubber, use a form made of thick paper (such as a postcard). To make it, wrap a sheet of paper around a pencil and secure the paper so that it does not unfold. After the layer of polymer has dried around the diagram, remove the paper form.

Working with the device

The tracking device is quite simple to operate. First, assemble a simple tracking mechanism.

Mount your battery on a rotating axis. You can mount the battery on a suitable frame, then attach the frame to the pipe using friction or roller bearings. Then install a motor with a gearbox to rotate the frame around its axis. This can be done in many ways.

Since the relay only performs on and off functions in the electronic circuit, it is necessary to have elements that switch the rotation voltage of the electric motor. This requires limit switches located in the extreme positions of the frame. They are connected according to the diagram shown in Fig. 6. Limit switch No. 1 is included in Fig. 6 is incorrect. To ensure proper operation of the circuit, the limit switch terminals must be connected in parallel to the contacts of relay RL1, connected in series with the relay.

Fig.6

From the figure it is clear that this simple circuit polarity switch When power is applied, the electric motor begins to rotate. The direction of its rotation depends on the polarity of the power source.

At the moment of power supply, the polarity switching relay RL1 does not operate because the power supply circuit of its winding is broken by normally open contacts. The electric motor rotates the frame towards limit switch No. 1. This switch is located so that the frame rests against it only in the extreme position of its rotation. The author designates different relays in the same way in the diagrams in Figures 3 and 6. To avoid confusion in the future, relay RL1 in Figure 3 is called a reed relay of the tracking system, and its contacts in Figure 6 are called reed contacts. Relay RL1 in Fig. 6 is more powerful than a reed switch, with three groups of switching contacts.

When this switch is closed, relay RL1 is activated, which changes the polarity of the supply voltage to the electric motor, and the latter begins to rotate in the opposite direction. Although end contact #1 opens again, the relay remains on due to its contacts being closed.

When the frame presses limit switch No. 2, the power circuit of relay RL1 opens and the relay turns off. The direction of rotation of the motor changes again and sky tracking continues.

The cycle is interrupted only by the reed relay RL 1 from the solar radiation monitoring circuit, which controls the power supply circuit of the electric motor. However, relay RL 1 is a low-current device and cannot directly switch the motor current. Thus, the reed relay switches the auxiliary relay, which controls the electric motor, as shown in Fig. 6.

The solar panels of the tracking system must be located near the rotation mechanism. The angle of their inclination should coincide with the angle of inclination of the polar axis, and the joint of the batteries should be directed towards the midday sun.

The electronic module is connected directly to the rotation device. Orient the slit of the phototransistor cover parallel to the polar axis. This takes into account seasonal changes in the position of the sun above the horizon.

The “tyap-blunder” channel showed how to make a homemade solar tracker for panels. They will automatically turn after the sun, increasing the efficiency of the power plant.

You will need two solar panels with a power of 3.5 watts each. The output of one is more than 6 volts, which when connecting two batteries in series will give more than 12 volts. On the back there is a USB socket. Three outputs from three battery segments. Each of which generates 2 volts. That is, if necessary, you can connect accordingly and get 2, 4, 6 volts.

The next important component is two servos. One will rotate the solar battery along the horizontal axis, and the other along the vertical axis. These drives are not simple, they are not easy to make rotate. Some refinement needed. Each motor comes with plastic crosspieces, disks, and screws for fastening. Brackets purchased for the engine. Also included are mounting screws, bearings and discs. Charge controller. It will receive energy from solar panels and transfer it to the battery.

Let's start working with our own hands with the electronic filling. The tracker diagram for the solar panel is below.

Electrical diagram, board, program for editing the board: https://cloud.mail.ru/public/DbmZ/5NBCG4vsJ
The scheme is very simple and easy to repeat. It is the most successful of several proven options. But even the author had to change it a little. It was necessary to change the values ​​of the variable and constant resistors, and a printed circuit board circuit was designed.

First, let's print out the circuit board diagram of the tracker on special paper. This is laser ironing technology. The paper has a glossy appearance. On the reverse side it is a regular matte one. You need to print on a laser printer on the glossy side. After contact with the iron, you must allow it to cool and the paper can easily be torn off from the layer.

Before transferring the textolite must be degreased. It is best to use fine sandpaper. Apply the design to the board and iron it with a hot iron for 2 minutes.
Now you need to etch the tracker board. Ammonium persulfate can be used. Sold in radio stores. The same solution can be used several times. It is advisable to heat the liquid to 45 degrees before use. This will greatly speed up the etching process. After 20 minutes, the board was successfully completed. Now you need to remove the toner. Again we use sandpaper or acetone.

Now you can make a hole in the board. You can start soldering the parts.

The heart of the solar tracker is the lm324n operational amplifier. Two transistors type 41c, type 42c. One ceramic capacitor 104. The author of the development replaced many parts with the smd type. Instead of 5408 diodes, their SMD type analogues were used. The main thing is to use at least 3 amps. One resistor for 15 kilo-ohms, 1 for 47 kilo-ohms. Two photoresistors. 2 trimming resistors for 100 and 10 kilo-ohms. The latter is responsible for the sensitivity of the photo sensor.

Sun tracking device for solar panels - heliostat

A heliostat, or in other words, a tracker, is a device for tracking the sun, in our case for rotating solar panels so that they are always perpendicular to the sun. It’s no secret that it is in this case that the solar panel delivers maximum power. In the diagram above, the sun tracking device (heliostat) uses pulse control and, without any human assistance, is able to orient the solar panel to the best illumination.

The heliostat circuit consists of a clock generator (DD1.1, DD1.2), two integrating circuits (VD1R2C2, VD2R3C3), the same number of drivers (DD1.3, DD1.4), a digital comparator (DD2), two inverters (DD1. 5, DD1.6) and a transistor switch (VT1-VT6) for the direction of rotation of the electric motor M1, which controls the rotation of the platform on which the solar battery is installed. When power is supplied, the generator on elements DD1.1, DD1.2 generates clock pulses with a frequency of about 300 Hz. When the device is operating, the durations of the pulses generated by inverters DD1.3, DD1.4 and integrating circuits VD1R2C2, VD2R3C3 are compared. Their slope varies depending on the integration time constant, which, in turn, depends on the illumination of the photodiodes VD1 and VD2 (the charging current of capacitors C2 and SZ is proportional to their illumination). Signals from the outputs of the integrating circuits are supplied to level drivers DD1.3, DD1.4 and then to a digital comparator made on the elements of the DD2 microcircuit. Depending on the ratio of the pulse durations arriving at the inputs of the comparator, a low-level signal appears at the output of element DD2.3 (pin 11) or DD2.4 (pin 4). With equal illumination of the photodiodes, high-level signals are present at both outputs of the comparator. Inverters DD1.5 and DD1.6 are needed to control transistors VT1 and VT2. A high signal level at the output of the first inverter opens transistor VT1, at the output of the second - VT2. The loads of these transistors are switches on powerful transistors VT3, VT6 and VT4, VT5, which switch the supply voltage of the electric motor M1. Circuits R4C4R6 and R5C5R7 smooth out ripples at the bases of control transistors VT1 HVT2. The direction of rotation of the motor changes depending on the polarity of the connection to the power source. The digital comparator does not allow all key transistors to open simultaneously, and thus ensures high system reliability.

In the morning, with sunrise, the illumination of the photodiodes VD1 and VD2 will be different, and the electric motor will begin to turn the solar battery from west to east. As the difference in the pulse durations of the shapers decreases, the duration of the resulting pulse will decrease, and the speed of rotation of the solar battery will gradually slow down, which will ensure its precise positioning in the sun. Thus, with pulse control, the rotation of the electric motor shaft can be transferred directly to the platform with the solar battery, without the use of a gearbox. During the day, the platform with the solar panel will rotate according to the movement of the sun. With the onset of twilight, the pulse durations at the input of the digital comparator will be the same, and the system will go into standby mode. In this state, the current consumed by the device does not exceed 1.2 mA (in orientation mode it depends on the motor power).

If you supplement the design with a vertical deflection unit, assembled according to a similar scheme, you can fully automate the orientation of the battery in both planes. If suddenly there are no microcircuits indicated on the diagram, they can be replaced with microcircuits of the K564, K176 series (with a supply voltage of 5...12 V). Transistors KT315A are interchangeable with any of the KT201, KT315, KT342, KT3102 series, and KT814A with any of the KT814, KT816, KT818 series, as well as germanium P213-P215, P217. In the latter case, resistors with a resistance of 1...10 kOhm should be connected between the emitters and bases of transistors VT3-VT6 to prevent their accidental opening due to significant reverse current. Instead of FD256 photodiodes, you can put pieces from solar cells (connected with correct polarity), phototransistors without bias circuits, as well as photoresistors, for example, SF2, SFZ or FSK of any modification. You just need to select (by changing the resistance of resistor R1) the frequency of the clock generator based on the reliable operation of the digital comparator. A green light filter is used to protect the photodiodes from excess irradiation. An opaque curtain is placed between the photo sensors. It is fixed perpendicular to the board in such a way that when the lighting angle changes, it shades one of the photodiodes.

Nowadays, solar cells and solar panels are often used as power sources. But solar panels produce much more energy when they are pointed directly at the sun all the time than when they are in a fixed position. To do this, you need a solar tracker - a rotating mechanism that changes the position of the solar panel in accordance with the position of the sun.

This material is a free translation of Mike Davis's page about making a solar tracker with your own hands. Mike Davis narrates.

You can make a solar tracker with your own hands. You can do it too.

Here are my solar panels on a solar tracker, for the manufacture of which I used an old antenna rotator that I bought for $15.

Here is the box from under the antenna rotator. The box was shabby, but the rotator inside was still new and wrapped in original plastic. This is an old product based on technology from the 1960s. The man bought the unit new but never used it. It sat in a box in the garage for decades until the owner finally decided to get rid of it and gave it to a thrift store.

Basically I just threw out almost all the electronics in the unit, kept only what had to do with the motor drive, and attached my control system. This will be discussed in more detail below.

The first step was to come up with a way to mount the drive motor and solar panel. I decided to make a tracking system that was simple, inexpensive, and easy to disassemble for transport. This was made primarily from 2x4s of wood and standard fittings bolted together.

Solar tracker design

This device was designed to be portable: easy to disassemble and easy to put back together with just a few tools. The core of the block consists of just five main parts: a north side, a south side, a rotating assembly, and two brackets to hold everything together.

Before use in the wild, the tracker base unit will be aligned with the east-west axis and the north-south axis (using a compass).

Here is a photo of the north side of the solar tracker. It is 48 inches wide at the base and 43 1/2 inches tall. Keep in mind that these dimensions are correct for use at 34.6 degrees north latitude. If you are significantly further north or south, then you will need to resize this part. More on this below. The sidewall is made from 2x4s, cut and glued together. Notice that there are two small legs at the bottom. They help level the device when installing it. The space between the vertical 2x4s is equal to the thickness of the lumber (about 1 1/2 inches).

Here is a photo of the south side of the solar tracker. This side is 24" wide and 13 1/2" tall. It is also made from 2x4s glued and screwed. This part also has small feet to assist in leveling the entire unit when installed. This part is probably more or less universal and will work at different latitudes. Again, the gap between the vertical 2x4s is equal to the thickness of the 2x4 (about 1 1/2 inches).

The horizontal 2x4 bracket that connects the bottom of the north side of the solar tracker to the bottom of the south side is 48 inches long. It fits between the posts and is bolted through them. This will also need to be calculated at your specific latitude, as the distance between the north and south pillars will change as the angle of the north-south axis changes.

A brace (piece of 1x4) was added to take most of the load from the rotating assembly (mounted on the bolts holding the rotating assembly in place).

This is the heart of the solar tracker. This is the drive motor and rotating unit. The motor antenna and associated mounting structures are on the left. The one-inch, 4-foot-long steel pipe is driven by a rotator and will carry the solar panels. Bearings and fastenings of the structure are located on the right side. Details below.

A close-up of the engine is shown. This antenna rotator is designed to be mounted on a fixed mast and rotate a shorter mast with the antenna attached to it. So I created a pseudo fixed mast to attach it to. A short piece of 1" pipe at the top (under the wire) serves as the mounting point for the rotator. The short length of pipe is attached with a flange, which in turn is bolted to a 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch square piece of wood, screwed to a piece of 2x4 lumber 12 inches long. This 2x4 runs between the north side posts and is held in place by bolts.

Here's a close-up of the bearing at the bottom end of the 4-foot-long pipe that carries the solar panels. The transition is made using flanges.

The first time I assembled the device, I clamped all the parts with large clamps. Once I got the axle angle correct, the clamps were tightened. Then I drilled holes for long bolts to connect all the pieces together.

I should talk a little about how I determined the north-south axis (tracker rotation) angle. The device must be aligned with the latitude of the area where it will be used. I didn't make it adjustable. This will be the correct angle in the spring and fall when I am usually on my property. It will be a little too high in the summer, and a little low in the winter. However, solar panels will provide significantly more energy than when they are fixed.

The angle of the rotation axis relative to the ground is set according to the latitude of the place where the solar tracker will be used. Think about it this way. If it was used at the equator, where latitude is 0, the angle relative to the ground will be 0, so the axis will be horizontal. When used at one of the poles, 90 or -90 degrees latitude, the angle relative to the ground will be vertical. It follows that the correct angle always corresponds to the latitude of the place where the tracker will be used. My piece of land is about 34.6 degrees north latitude, so that's the angle I used.

So, your angle may vary, but so will the dimensions of your base structure. The dimensions of the base depend on the angle used. Both the height of your north and south sides and the distance between the south and north sides must be calculated.

Adjustable versions of the design can be easily created, allowing a lower angle in summer and a higher angle in winter. However, for now I'll leave this as an exercise for the reader, I'm happy with what it is for now.

Here's another photo of the rotator head installed.

This photo shows how the bottom end of the drive tube bearing fits into the south side frame and is held in place by bolts. The other end is attached to the north side. The bottom end of the diagonal bracket is also visible.

Here's a close-up of how the bearing is attached using fittings.

This photo shows one of the aluminum frames that hold the solar panels on the tracker. It is made from angle aluminum, contains a 100W panel, and has 47 1/8 by 21 1/2 inches internal dimensions. Basically it's a little more than external dimensions solar panels. The panel is held in place with screws that go through the frames and into the sides of the panel.

You can see the cuts in the frame for mounting on the tracker pipe.

This photo shows how the frame is joined at the corners (welding the corners is also possible).

Here is a close-up of the cuts in the frame for mounting the tracker on the pipe. The recesses are the same depth as the clamps used for installation.

Here's a close-up of how the clamps are used to attach the frame to the tracker tube. The clamp really secures the frame to the pipe quite tightly. I was surprised at how well it worked.

During the first indoor testing, I installed only one solar panel longitudinally along the entire drive pipe (in the final version I should have installed two batteries). If you only have or need one battery, this is the way to install it.

This photo shows two aluminum frames clamped onto a drive tube.

This photo shows two solar panels on the tracker. The screws hold the batteries in place so the wind can't blow them out of the frames.

The top panel is commercial, I bought this 100W unit because I got a really big discount on it. The bottom panel is one of my homemade 60 watt solar panels. Follow the link to see how I make them.

160 watts may not sound like much, but my power needs are minimal. The tracker and my homemade wind generator complement each other, my batteries stay charged and I have enough electricity.

This photo shows the counterweight pipe. This is a piece of one-inch steel pipe 30 inches long. It screws into the angle at the top end of the engine block. One pipe is more counterweight than is needed for one panel. For the two panels I added a steel T-fitting at the end of the pipe. The antenna rotator was designed to move in a balanced manner relative to the vertical mast. The counterweight reduces the amount of torque that the motor must provide to move panels suspended almost horizontally relative to the mast. Your panels likely weigh differently and require different counterweight placements. Experiment with different lengths of pipes and/or additional fittings to get the balance as close to ideal as possible and prevent overloading the engine or gears.

To continue, click on the button with the number 2

Solar tracker control unit

Here is the original schematic diagram antenna rotator. Everything is absolutely electromechanical. Very old school, almost primitive. On the bright side, it still works after decades of storage. One of the features of this old unit is that the motor that turns the heads runs on 24V alternating current. This made the design new system management is difficult for him. I was looking for ways to modify or automate the original control unit, but couldn't figure out how to make it work. Therefore, I abandoned the intention of using the old control, dismantled it into parts, and began designing a new one.

I wasn't able to reuse many of these parts. Actually the rotator head is used. But from the control unit I only kept the transformer from 120V to 24V (#110), and the motor capacitor (#107).

Here is the electronics controller circuit I came up with after several tests. Full size diagram here. The design is based on MBED, a rapid prototyping platform. The MBED module can be programmed in C using an online IDE. MBED is quite powerful and has a lot of IO capabilities. It's really overkill for this project, but I was familiar with MBEDs as I've used them on projects at work. You can easily replace it with an Arduino, Raspberry Pi, or other to do the same.

The heart of the scheme is the MBED. It reads the voltage value (using its two analog inputs) from two small solar panels mounted at right angles to each other. The antenna rotator motor moves so that it keeps the voltage from the two solar panels almost equal, keeping them pointed at the sun.

The motor is supplied with power by closing the relay and turning on the AC inverter. The direction of rotation of the motor is controlled by another relay. I used 40A automotive relays because they are cheap, available everywhere, and I already had a few on hand. The relay is driven by TIP120 Darlington power transistors controlled by output lines from the MBED. Two buttons have been added to manually move the motor during testing and for troubleshooting. Pressing PB1 moves the motor west. Pressing PB1 and PB2 together moves the motor east.

Two limit switches are connected to the MBED input lines. Movement only starts in the specified direction if the limit switch is closed. The movement is stopped through interruptions if the limit switches are open.

The LM7809 regulator with +9V provides stable power for the MBED from a 12V source. MBED is based on 3.3 logic, and has an on-board regulator and 3.3 output lines, resistors are used for matching.

Solar tracker control unit parts list

C3 – NPO (taken from the original control box)

D1-D2 – 1N4001 or similar diodes

ECell-WCell – thin film copper indium selenide (CIS) solar cells

F1 – 2A slow-blow fuse

IC1 – LM7809 + 9V voltage regulator

IC2 – NXP LPC1768 MBED

K1-K2 – 40A SPDT Bosch Automotive type relay

LS1-LS2 – fast contact NC switch (see below)

PB1-PB2 – fast contact NO button

Q1-Q2 – TIP120 NPN Darlington power transistor

R1-R6 – 1k 1/8 W resistors

R7-R8 – 10K Trimpots

T1 – 120VAC to 24VAC 2A step-down transformer

AC Inverter – 200-250W 12V DC to 120V AC Inverter

Code ( software) for this project can be found at http://mbed.org/users/omegageek64/code/suntracker/. This is enough simple program. As I said above, MBED is overkill for this project. However, its untapped potential could allow new features to be added in the future (a second motorized axis could be added, charge control and temperature compensation could be added).

The control box electronics are housed in an old ammo box I picked up at a thrift store for $5. It's the perfect enclosure, sturdy, weatherproof and spacious. It contains two 40 Amp automotive relays, an inverter, a 120V/24V step-down transformer, a breadboard containing drive logic, a fuse holder, and terminal blocks for wiring.

This photo was taken at a very early stage of the solar tracker project with an early version of the electronics on it. The small 100W inverter shown in the photo was later replaced by a more reliable one. The small inverter worked, but I thought it was weakness. So I bought a big one at 250W. The engine then moves faster and smoother, and strange sounds, as if from a dying animal, are not heard.

Here I started installing the electronics inside the ammo box. The relay, transformer, terminal block and one of the terminal strips were installed.

Although the solar tracker electronics seem to be the last thing to talk about on this web page, they were actually one of the first things I started working on after purchasing the antenna rotator. Electronics have gone through several different versions, before I settled on the final version.

Here's a view of the inside of the ammo box with all the electronics installed. White layout with all the logic in the top right corner. The long black rectangle is the inverter. The breadboard and inverter are held in place with industrial strength Velcro.

If you look closely, you will see that the USB cable is connected to the MBED module on the board and goes to my netbook, barely visible at the top of the photo. This photo was taken while programming/testing/adjusting the drive electronics.

Here is a close-up of the board with the “brains” of the system on it. The MBED computer module is on the right. To the left of the MBED there are two trimpots for regulating signals from the sensor head. Below them are power transistors for controlling the relay. Further on the left there are manual correction buttons (press to move the tracker manually). There is a 9V voltage regulator on the far left.

The layout is temporary. Later I'll do the right thing printed circuit board and install it.

The sensor head consists of two small thin film Copper Indium di Selenide (CIS) solar cells of the same type I used in my homemade folding 15W solar cell. I have several of these items left unused.

Two small solar cells are mounted at 90 degrees to each other. The idea was that as one element or another received more sun, the solar tracker would move until the light leveled out.

Shown here is a view of the completed solar tracker sensor head. This is mounted on a short piece of aluminum tube, which in turn will be mounted on the tracking tube actuator. I have shown some sizes for those who always ask me to include them. The sensor head is secured with a clamp.

Here is a view of the sensor head attached to the solar tracker. It is installed on a pipe coming out of the top of the rotator.

The two limit switches are mounted on an aluminum angle bracket attached to the drive pipe with a clamp in the same way as the solar panels.

The switch blades contact long control screws protruding from the wooden supporting structure of the drive motor. Limit switches stop the movement of the electric motor at both (east and west) ends of the stroke. The switches are normally closed, and open when the travel limit is reached.

Testing, setting up and finalizing the solar tracker

This photo was taken during a debugging session in my workshop the last weekend before leaving for Arizona. My netbook is connected to the MBED of the control unit. The battery is large, deep cycle, and provides power to the electronics and the tracker unit (not in the frame).

Another photo of testing and debugging the control unit. The sensor worked well in my workshop environment.

After this, already in Arizona, a problem was discovered. Much stronger natural sunlight powered the sensor's solar cells, even if they were at a fairly acute angle to the sun. This resulted in the tracker not tracking the sun with the required accuracy.

A solution to the problem was found by installing a shade panel in front of the solar cells and using black electrical tape to cover part of the solar cells.

This is the first version of the blackout panel, a piece of metal cut from an aluminum soft drink can, the only thin sheet metal I had on hand at the time.

The dimming panel prototype worked so well that a permanent dimming panel was made from a 1/32 sheet of aluminum purchased from a hardware store the next day. It was made wider so it would provide a wider shade so I could eliminate the duct tape on the solar cells.

The solar tracker dimming panel is mounted on two screws that allow it to rotate to the east and west. This is needed for fine tuning tracker pointing accuracy. With this panel the tracker really started working well.

In the photo you can see how much of the eastern element is in shadow. When the difference in current output between elements exceeds a certain limit, the tracker will begin to move.

Here is a photo of the final version of the blackout mount with dimensions.

The dimming panel works great. This photo was taken late in the day, and the solar tracker had covered almost its entire path before sunset. The device works very well. I couldn't be more pleased.

Calibrating the tracker is quite simple. On a clear day, connect your laptop to the MBED module in the tracker, open the application to see the MBED information. Adjust the dimming bar so that it is centered. Manually position the tracker to point towards the Sun, then turn off the inverter to prevent the tracker from moving on its own. Adjust the trimpots until the east and west readings are approximately equal. Get them as close as possible. Do it pretty quickly because the sun is moving. You can always manually re-center the tracker on the sun and try again. Once you've adjusted, turn on the inverter and see how well the tracker tracks the sun.

Because the Sun moves slowly, calibration may take some time. You may have to wait an hour or two, or even most of a day, for the adjustment to be made.

Here the tracker is pointed slightly east of center on a cloudy day. Even through thin clouds the tracker works well. The tracker stops tracking the sun when the clouds are thick and the sky brightness is usually fairly uniform.

This photo was taken during testing in Arizona. My homemade charge controller and inverter for 120VAC power are connected using an orange extension cord. Subsequently, the battery and electronics will be in a protected enclosure, there will be wires underground for 120V AC and 12V DC, a remote power switch for the inverter and a battery voltmeter will be installed in the cabin. It's in the plan.

It's windy on my piece of land in Arizona. On any given day we could see gusts up to 35 mph. It's even worse if a storm starts. This photo shows wooden stakes on the four corners of the solar tracker base to hold it in place. Once I decide where to permanently place the tracker, I'll probably use steel pegs to hold it in place (they won't rot in the ground).

UPDATE - I think I've found a cheap and easy way to weatherproof the sensor head. I cut a 2 liter bottle in half and placed it on the sensor head. I had to cut some slits in the bottom of the bottle to make it slide around the square tube at the bottom of the head. I can adjust the position of the dimming panel (if necessary) through the hole cover.

UPDATE - I made some changes to the solar tracker. First, as you can see in this photo, it was painted to protect the wood from the weather. It is also currently mounted on the brick to prevent it from coming into contact with wet ground.

The wooden stakes were replaced by long steel stakes driven deep into the ground. Long screws go through the holes and secure the tracker securely.

A mount was added to stabilize the batteries and prevent them from flapping in high winds.

The horizontal support strip was reinforced by welding a 1/2-inch steel pipe coupling to the main one-inch support pipe. Two 24" long pieces of 1/2" pipe then formed a horizontal beam.

UPDATE – The old limit switches have been replaced with new sealed ones to protect against dust and moisture.

UPDATE - I made a new weatherproof sensor head for the solar tracker system. The head is now installed in a clear plastic jar.

The dimming panel is currently located on the outside of the container for ease of fine-tuning tracking and is secured in place with a simple clamp. Once the new sensor head is installed on the tracking system, silicone sealant around the entire edge of the jar lid will protect it from moisture.

Here's a view of the sensor head with the can removed. The original head had two solar cells mounted at 90 degrees to each other. This design will not fit in this jar, so I installed the elements at a sharper 60 degree angle.

This photo shows the underside of the sensor head. It also shows how the mounting support screws onto the jar lid. The mounting support will be clamped to the main tracking shaft using a clamp.

Solar tracker Radiofishka

As you know, the efficiency of a solar panel is maximum when it is exposed to direct sunlight. But because Since the sun is constantly moving across the horizon, the efficiency of solar panels drops significantly when the sun's rays hit the panel at an angle. To increase the efficiency of solar panels, systems are used that track the sun and automatically rotate the solar panel to receive direct rays.

This article presents a diagram sun tracking devices or in another way a tracker (Solar Tracker).

The tracker circuit is simple, compact and you can easily assemble it with your own hands. To determine the position of the sun, two photoresistors are used. The motor is connected using an H-bridge circuit, which allows switching current up to 500 mA at a supply voltage of 6-15V. In the dark, the device is also operational and will turn the motor towards the brightest light source.

Schematic diagram of a sun tracking device

As you can see in the figure below, the circuit is incredibly simple and contains a microcircuit operational amplifier LM1458 (K140UD20), transistors BD139 (KT815G, KT961A) and BD140 (KT814G, KT626V), photoresistors, diodes 1N4004 (KD243G), resistors and tuning resistors.

From the diagram it can be seen that the motor M is driven by different meanings at the outputs of op-amp IC1a and IC1b. Truth table:

Low High Forward High High Stopped High Low Back

or vice versa, depends on the motor connection

The transistors in the circuit work in pairs, diagonally, switching +Ve or -Ve to the motor, and causing it to rotate forward or backward.

When the motor is stopped, it continues to rotate because... there is a rotating moment. As a result, the motor is somehow DIY solar tracker time generates power that can damage transistors. To protect transistors from back EMF, 4 diodes are used in the bridge circuit.

The input stage consists of two op-amps (IC1) and photoresistors LDR and LDR'. If the amount of light falling on them is the same, then the resistances of the photoresistors are also equal. Therefore, if the supply voltage is 12V, then at the junction of the LDR LDR’ photoresistors there will be a voltage of 6V. If the amount of light falling on one photoresistor is greater than on the other photoresistor, the voltage will change.

Restrictions (limits) from +V to 0V are set by four series-connected resistors and adjusted by 2 trimming resistors. If the voltage goes beyond these limits, the op-amp will start the motor and it will constantly rotate.

The 20K trimming resistor adjusts the sensitivity, i.e. range between limits. The 100K trimmer adjusts how symmetrical the limits are relative to +V/2 (balance point).

1. Check the circuit power supply voltage

2. Connect the DC motor. current

3. Place the photoresistors side by side so that they receive the same amount of light.

4. Turn both trimmers completely counterclockwise

5. Apply power to the circuit. The motor will spin

6. Rotate the 100K trimmer clockwise until it stops. Mark this item.

7. Continue turning the 100K trimmer clockwise until the motor begins to rotate in the opposite direction. Mark this item.

8. Divide the angle between the two positions in half and place the trimmer there (this will be the balance point).

9. Now, rotate the 20K trimmer clockwise until the motor starts to jerk

10. Move the trimmer position back a little (counterclockwise) so that the motor stops (this trimmer is responsible for sensitivity)

11. Check the correct operation of the circuit by alternately shielding the first and second photoresistors from light.

List of radioelements

Download list of elements (PDF)

Do-it-yourself rotating device for a solar battery

DIY solar tracker! Peling Info solar

Sun tracking device – Soldering Iron Website

Two-axis solar tracker on Arduino / Geektimes

Solar tracker Radiofishka

10 unusual ways to wrap a gift with your own hands Women's magazine

MC Church My City Church

DIY solar tracker

The general dispersion of the sun's light, which was used previously, did not give excellent results. More precisely, the result that humanity received could not be called ideal, despite all its indicators. The solar panels were installed permanently and remained in one fixed position. The sun tracking system eliminated this problem.

The maximum energy that can be obtained will be generated if the sun's rays are directed perpendicularly to the plane of the batteries. Otherwise, the efficiency of solar panels is extremely low - approximately 10-15%. If you use a system for automatically aiming batteries at the sun, you can increase the result by 40%.

How it works

The tracking device consists of two important parts: a mechanism that rotates and tilts the batteries in the desired direction and an electronic circuit that operates the mechanism.

The location of the batteries is determined by the latitude of the area where they are to be installed. For example, you need to install batteries in an area that corresponds to 330 north latitude. This means that the axis of the device must be rotated 330 relative to the horizon of the earth.

The rotation itself is possible thanks to the engine, the operation of which is regulated automatically. The automation “monitors” the location of the Sun on the skyscraper and, as it moves westward, gives a signal to the engine to turn all the batteries.

An interesting and curious fact is that the power for the engine comes from the solar panels themselves. Tracking the sun is done by the sun itself, and this also saves money.

Design Features

For a detailed understanding, we will give an example of how solar rays were used by batteries earlier. For example, a solar battery is made of two panels, each containing three cells. The elements are connected in parallel. The panels are mounted in such a way that there is a right angle between them. In this case, at least one panel will “absorb” the sun’s rays in any case.

Single-axis solar tracker ED-5000

The panels form an angle of 900, the bisector of which is directed strictly towards the sun. If the entire structure is rotated 450 to the right or left, one panel will work, the second will be inactive. This position was used to catch the sun's rays with one battery in the first half of the day, and in the second half the second battery takes over.

However, with the use of a rotary automatic tracking device, you can forever forget about the problems of battery placement. Now all of them, without exception, will have surfaces facing at an angle of 900 to the sun.

Device diagram

The automatic rotation circuit should also take into account the presence of factors that limit the energy of solar rays for greater operational efficiency. There is no point in using power in case of fog, rain or clouds when the sun is completely or partially hidden.

Device Features

Automatic industrial production tracking systems are more progressive both technically and aesthetically. However, this does not mean that devices that were made at home are inferior. They may have some flaws, but in any case they have a high score.

Two-dimensional solar tracker

What they buy for and what attracts the whole design:

• The devices do not require computer setup or software;
• The GPS receiver reads local time as well as location data;
• Light weight, which is achieved by using light metals (aluminum and its alloys);
• The presence of a communication port makes it possible to diagnose operational problems in a timely manner;
• Belt drive, driving the mechanism is more reliable than gear;
• The GPS receiver always updates the time data, so there is no chance of failure - for example, night-time operation is not possible;
• Any design requires minimal intervention with DIY solar tracker sides of a person;
• Allows you to work under any possible atmospheric influences, including low and high temperatures;

Possibility of making it yourself

If you have the opportunity and desire, you can always try to make the device yourself. Of course, this is somewhat difficult, because it will require not only deep knowledge and skills in electrical modeling, but also additional efforts to manufacture the mast itself, when installing solar panels, etc.

Homemade tracker

Having carefully studied the forums, we can safely say that there are non-industrial level professionals. In different regions (where it is feasible and cost-effective), the use of solar panels with a rotary tracking system has long been no longer a novelty.

Different masters offer their schemes, developments, and share their experience. So, if there is a need to improve the design of solar panels and increase productivity, there is always the opportunity to do it yourself without using the maximum financial resources.