See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/313904738

Development of a Dual Axis Solar Tracking System Using LDR Sensor for Roof-
Top Applications

Article · January 2016

CITATIONS READS

2 653

4 authors, including:

Vijay K. Jayswal
Laval University
5 PUBLICATIONS   2 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by Vijay K. Jayswal on 23 February 2017.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 Recent Trends in Sensor Research & Technology
ISSN: 2393-8765(online)
Volume 3, Issue 3
www.stmjournals.com

Development of a Dual Axis Solar Tracking System Using

LDR Sensor for Roof-Top Applications
Rajshree1, Ajay K. Jaiswal2, Chhavi Chaudhary1, Vijay K. Jayswal3,*
1
Department of Electronics Engineering, Raj Kumar Goel Engineering College, Ghaziabad,
Uttar Pradesh, India
2
Centre for Green Energy Technology, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry, Puducherry, India
3
Department of Electrical Engineering, Rajkiya Engineering College, Ambedkar Nagar,
Uttar Pradesh, India

Abstract
The energy demand in the country has been increasing very rapidly and it is very difficult to
fulfil this increasing demand with the conventional methods of energy generation. So, the use
of renewable sources for energy generation is increasing rapidly with the help of Indian
government policies. Indian government has announced that it will generate 175 GW from
renewable sources of energy by 2022, out of which 100 GW will be from solar energy. Solar
energy is abundantly available throughout the country all around the year for generating
electricity at the roofs of residential and commercial buildings. Indian government policies
are also favouring generation from rooftop power plants, as a target of 40 GW has been set to
be achieved by 2022. The solar power plants generate energy from the incident solar
radiation on its PV panels and energy generation depends highly on the incident radiation.
Due to the rotation of earth around its axis, the panels do not receive maximum and uniform
radiation throughout the day; it results in the less power output from panel than the uniform
radiation. This problem can be solved by moving the panel in the direction of sun with the
movement of the sun throughout the day. In this paper, we have demonstrated a method to
develop a solar tracking system for maximum utilization of solar energy. Here we have used a
LDR sensor to detect the availability of sun maximum solar power, with the help of two DC-
geared motors for dual axis solar tracking. The output energy has increased comparatively by
using the dual axis tracking system.

Keywords: Renewable energy, solar energy, solar photovoltaic, roof-top solar PV, solar
tracking

*Author for Correspondence E-mail: vkjay1991@gmail.com

INTRODUCTION renewable energy sources for energy

Energy needs of a country depend on
consumption by population and the industrial
development of the country. India is the
second most populous country in world after
China and the growth rate of Indian GDP has
been one of the highest in the world in last few
years. Since the growth rate is an indication of
the development of industrial and domestic
sectors, so, combining this growth rate data
with population we can say that the rate of
increase in energy demand of the country is
amongst the highest in world and it is
supposed to increase rapidly in coming years.
This increasing energy demand could not be
fulfilled by relying only on conventional
means of energy generation. Hence, the Indian
government is all set to increase the use of
generation by increasing the scale of
installation of renewable energy generating
plants in a mission mode. The ministry of new
and renewable energy, government of India,
has announced a target of 175 GW of installed
capacity of renewable energy power plants to
be achieved by 2022. India is a country with
abundance of solar energy, so the country is in
a position to meet maximum of its demands
from solar energy hence MNRE has set aside a
target of 100 GW to be generated from solar
energy, and out of which, 40 GW is to be
generated from roof-top solar photovoltaic
power plants. The solar power plants generate
energy from the incident solar radiation on its
PV panels and it depends highly on the
incident radiation. Due to the rotation of earth

RTSRT (2016) 21-26 © STM Journals 2016. All Rights Reserved Page 21
Dual Axis Solar Tracking System Using LDR Sensor
around its axis and unusual weather
conditions, the panel does not receive
maximum and uniform incident solar radiation
throughout the day, which results in the less
power output from solar panel. Less power
output causes drop in efficiency, which may
result in higher cost of operation.
So, it is always desirable to maximize the
power output from the solar panel to increase
the efficiency of the system. In order to do so,
the solar panel should always be in the direct
alignment of the sun. Since the sun changes its
position throughout the day, so it becomes a
difficult task to manually manage the
alignment of panels with sun. There arises the
need for a solar tracking system, which can
align the panels in the direction of sun
throughout the day automatically.
The solar tracking system is an electro-
mechanical device used to rotate the solar
panel such that the position of panels should
be in an optimum perpendicular position to the
angle of incidence of solar radiation [1, 2].
One of the first solar trackers was designed by
Finster et al. in 1962, which was a mechanical
system; it was later improved by Saavedra et
al. by using an automatic electronic control
[3]. The movement of solar tracker can be
classified as: (i) single axis, and for higher
accuracy and efficiency ii) dual axis. A single
axis tracking involves polar/equatorial
tracking for higher efficiency and dual axis
systems may also involve azimuth/elevation
tracking on second axis, which are adjusted
periodically throughout the year [1, 2, 4].
Tracker is not required to always point in
direct line with solar radiation to be efficient;
if there is an error of ±10° in the direction then
the loss in output will be very low, like ±1.5%
[5]. The addition of a solar tracking system
can increase the output of the panel by 10 to
100% in comparison to a stationary system [2,
6]; as a solar tracker installation is inexpensive
in comparison to the cost of the solar panel
[7]. The energy consumption by the solar
tracker is less than 5% of the increased energy
after the addition of solar tracker.
However, it is suggested that the trackers
should not be used with small solar panels but
they should be used with bigger panels [2].
RTSRT (2016) 21-26 © STM Journals 2016. All Rights Reserved
Jaiswal et al.
Agee et al. studied hydraulic systems, program
controlled systems and sensor dependent
tracking of single, dual and polar axis systems.
They stated that hydraulic trackers were good
for small power applications [8].
Helwa et al. studied the absorption of solar
radiation by four different types of
experimental set-ups: fixed, vertical axis
tracker, tilted axis tracker and two axis tracker
systems. After comparing the calculated and
measured experimental data for the hourly root
mean square difference values of the four
systems, they concluded that the vertical axis
tracker and tilted axis tracker were performing
better than fixed and dual-axis trackers [9].
Pavel et al. studied the theoretical and
experimental values of energy collected by
tracking and non-tracking bifacial and no-
bifacial solar PV systems. They reported an
increase of 30–40% in collected energy with
tracking for bifacial panels and 50–60% for
rear face [10].
Shaltout et al. studied a V-through
concentrator on a PV with tracking system,
which gave a rise in the solar cells’ power by
40% [11].
Braun et al. analyzed the optimum geometry
for fixed and tracking surface for single axis
and dual axis tracking, and stated that for dual
axis tracking, increase in radiation is
maximum [12].
In recent past, researchers have used LDR and
photodiodes as sensing elements respectively
and used DC motor with gear and steeper
motor respectively to fabricate solar trackers.
These systems were difficult to design with the
use of microprocessor, faced problems in
controlling the motor speed and had higher
costs associated with them in the process of
development. In this project, we have focussed
on solving few of the common difficulties
faced in the development and operation of
solar trackers. Like, to develop a solar tracking
mechanism, which follows the movement of
solar radiation irrespective of the speed of
motor. In this paper, we have demonstrated a
method to develop a solar tracking system for
maximum utilization of solar energy. Here, we
have used an LDR sensor to detect the
Page 22
Recent Trends in Sensor Research & Technology
Volume 3, Issue 3
ISSN: 2393-8765(online)
availability of maximum solar power, with the
help of DC-geared motors for dual axis solar
tracking.
Hardware Components and
Implementation
Light dependent resistor (LDR) is widely used
as a sensor in solar tracking systems, due to its
sensitivity to solar radiation. The resistance of
LDR is very sensitive to the solar radiation
and shows a quick change in values with a
slight variation in solar radiation. In this
project, LDR has been used to trace the
coordinates of sun by detecting the brightness
level of solar radiation. DC geared motors are
a good choice as they have a hold torque up-to
12 kg.cm and low rotations per minute.
‘ATmega8’ has been chosen as
microcontroller and L293D has been chosen as
motor deriver IC, which can be programmed
by ATMEL. Voltage regulator IC, LM7805 is
used to convert the input voltage from the
source to 5 V output because integrated
circuits need only 5 V to operate.
Fig. 1: Solar Panel Tracking System.
Solar panel stand consists of two motors; one
motor is connected at the base while other is
connected with solar panel. These two motors
are arranged in a manner so that it can track
the solar radiation on two axes. The motors
used are of 12 V each and rotates at the speed
of 10 rpm. The panel is mounted on the
aluminium base which is supported with
wooden ply and screws are used to fix base
with ply (Figure 1). Panel stand rotates from
RTSRT (2016) 21-26 © STM Journals 2016. All Rights Reserved
east to west so as to track maximum intensity
of sunlight should be incident perpendicular to
the panel.
Working Mechanism
The circuit diagram in Figure 2 depicts the
system architecture of the control circuit. It
consists of an LDR sensor which detects the
maximum solar power and transfers the signal
to the microcontroller through the analog to
digital converter (ADC) which digitizes the
LDR output. Controller then performs the
decision based on the algorithm and tilts the
panel towards the direction of the maximum
radiation given by LDR with the help of DC
motor. The LDR is hence used for rotating the
motor through microcontroller in the direction
of maximum solar radiation. The system is
hence controlled by, two DC-geared motors,
driver circuit and a microcontroller as main
processor controlling the tracking process.
Fig. 2: Circuit Diagram.
After tracking the location of sun, the tracker
will try to navigate through the path ensuring
that the best radiation is detected throughout
the day, with the same mechanism in loop as
shown in the flow diagram of Figure 3. It is
completely automatic and keeps the panel in
the direction of maximum sunlight from the
morning till the evening.
This system is designed for a dual axis
tracking and is designed for low power and
roof-top applications. From the experimental
performance of tracker, we can say the system
is able to track and follow the sunlight
intensity in order to get maximum solar power
at the output regardless of motor speed.
Page 23
Dual Axis Solar Tracking System Using LDR Sensor
Fig. 3: Flow Diagram.
RESULT AND DISCUSSIONS
The tracking capabilities of the proposed
technique had been verified experimentally
with a 10 W solar panel at different rotations
of tracker under standard test conditions. A
10 W solar panel was connected with a
rheostat of varying capacity from 0–200 Ω in
series with an ammeter. Tracker was
connected in parallel to the voltmeter (0–50 V)
as shown in Figure 4. Here we have simulated
a 15 V battery by keeping closed circuit
voltage at constant level throughout the
experiment.
Fig. 4: Representative Circuit Diagram.
The current and voltages have been measured
at various angles of tracking throughout the
day as sun moved from east to west. To keep
the system simple for experimental purpose,
the tracking system was rotated manually with
RTSRT (2016) 21-26 © STM Journals 2016. All Rights Reserved
Jaiswal et al.
the help of proper gearing and motor, but we
can actually rotate the panel with external
power supply or from the power generated
from the panel and might make it fully
automated for bulk residential or industrial
roof-top solar PV applications.
Fig. 5: Comparison of the Output Voltages.
Voltage level was maintained at 10 V and the
standard alignment of tracker was kept at 45°.
Then the tracker was moved with the help of
DC gear motors in the direction of incident
solar radiation so that it could extract
maximum amount of solar power from the
available radiation throughout the day as sun
kept moving from east to west. To analyse the
performance of the tracker, the measurements
Page 24
Recent Trends in Sensor Research & Technology
Volume 3, Issue 3
ISSN: 2393-8765(online)
were performed with and without trackers to
record observations of current, voltage, angles,
resistance, etc. of both systems under the
similar conditions. From the Figure 5, the
analyses of output voltages of the both the
systems clearly show that the system with
tracker has shown improved performance.
From calculation of the output values we
found that the efficiency of power generation
has increased by 9.46% on a clear sunny day.
This improvement in the efficiency of a small
system shows that if we implement this
tracking with bigger panels, we will see a
greater improvement in terms of efficiency
and performance of the system.
CONCLUSIONS
We know that both single-axis and dual-axis
tracking systems are highly efficient in terms
of the electrical energy output when compared
with the fixed mount system. But when the
comparison is made between the tracking
systems, it has been proved by many
researchers that, in comparison to single axis
solar tracker, the dual axis tracking system is
more efficient and adds more power to the
solar panel. We can say that we have shown
with design and experiments that the dual axis
solar tracking systems can be developed easily
and performs better than fixed mount systems.
So, we have completed our objective of
developing a dual axis solar tracking system
with LDR sensor for roof-top solar
applications. The basic concept behind the use
of solar PV is that it generates electricity by
tracking sunlight which is always present in
the day time in Indian subcontinent.
So, this project may become useful for all
those off-grid areas where solar panels are the
only source to illuminate their homes by
generating maximum output in the form of
electricity. For further improvements, we may
increase the number of panels to be rotated at a
time, so that in future we might use more than
one panel for tracking by joining several
panels together. Moreover, another
opportunity in the tracking system is that solar
panels use batteries to store the generated
power and if, we could use this charged
battery for the extra power needed for tracking
purpose, there will be reduction in cost of
operation of tracking system.
RTSRT (2016) 21-26 © STM Journals 2016. All Rights Reserved
REFERENCES
1. Kassem A, Hamad M. A Microcontroller-
Based Multi-Function Solar Tracking
System. Systems Conference (SysCon),
2011 IEEE International, Montreal, QC.
2011; 13–16p. doi:10.1109/SYSCON.
2011.5929048
2. Hossein Mousazadeh, Alireza Keyhani,
Arzhang Javadi, et al. A Review of
Principle and Sun-Tracking Methods for
Maximizing Solar Systems Output. Renew
Sust Energ Rev. Oct 2009; 13(8): 1800–
1818p. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.
rser.2009.01.022.
3. Roth P, Georgiev A, Boudinov H. Cheap
Two-Axis Sun Following Device. Energy
Convers Manag. 2005; 46: 1179–92p.
4. Aliman O, Daut I. Rotation-Elevation of
Sun Tracking Mode to Gain High
Concentration Solar Energy. The IEEE
International Conference on Power
Engineering, Energy and Electrical
Drives. 2007; 551–555p.
5. Tracstar. Should You Install a Solar
Tracker? 2007. Available from www.helm
holz.us/smallpowersystems/.
6. Saxena AK, Dutta V. A Versatile
Microprocessor Based Controller for Solar
Tracking. IEEE Proc. 1990; 1105–1109p.
7. Karatepe E, Boztepe T, Colak M. Power
Controller Design for Photovoltaic
Generation System under Partially Shaded
Insolation Conditions. The International
Conference on Intelligent Systems
Applications to Power Systems. 2007; 1–6p.
8. Agee JT, Obok-Opok A, Lazzer MD.
Solar Tracker Technologies: Market
Trends and Field Applications. Adv Mat
Res. 2007; 18–19: 339–44p.
9. Helwa NH, Bahgat ABG, Shafee AMRE,
et al. Computation of the Solar Energy
Captured by Different Solar Tracking
Systems. Energ Source. 2000; 22: 35–44p.
10. Pavel YV, Gonzalez HJ, Vorobiev YV.
Optimization of the Solar Energy
Collection in Tracking and Non-Tracking
PV Solar System. In: Proceedings of the
1st International Conference on Electrical
and Electronics Engineering, ICEEE.
2004; 310–4p.
11. Shaltout MAM, Ghttas A, Sabry M. V-
Trough Concentrator on a PV Full
Tracking System in a Hot Desert Climate.
Page 25
 Dual Axis Solar Tracking System Using LDR Sensor
Renew Energy. 1995; 6(5–6): 527–32p.
12. Braun JE, Mitchell JC. Solar Geometry for
Fixed and Tracking Surfaces. Solar
Energy. 1983; 31(5): 439–44p.
13. Chin CS, Babu A, McBride W. Design,
Modeling and Testing of a Standalone
Single Axis Active Solar Tracker Using
MATLAB/Simulink. Renew Energy.
2011; 36: 3075–3090p. http://dx.doi.org/
10.1016/j.renene.2011.03.26
14. Prasad D, Snow M. Designing with Solar
Power: A Source Book for Building
Integrated Photovoltaic (BiPV). London:
Earthscan; 2005.
15. Appleyard D. Solar Trackers: Facing the
Sun. Renewable Energy World. 2009,
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/re
a/news/article/2009/06/solar-trackers-
facing-the-sun
16. El-Moghany MS, Hamed BM. Two Axis
Tracker Using Fuzzy Controller via
PIC16F887a. The 4th International
Engineering Conference towards
Engineering of 21st Century, Gaza. 15–16
Oct 2012.
17. Salem FA. Mechatronics Design of Solar
Tracking System. International Journal of
Current Engineering and Technology
RTSRT (2016) 21-26 © STM Journals 2016. All Rights Reserved
View publication stats
Jaiswal et al.
(IJCET). 2012.
18. Panait MA, Tudorache T. A Simple
Neural Network SolarTracker for
Optimizing Conversion Efficiency in Off-
Grid Solar Generator. Intl Conf on
Renewable Energy and Power Quality.
Mar 2008; 278.
19. Koyuncu B, Balasubramanian K. A
Microprocessor Controlled Automatic Sun
Tracker. IEEE Trans Consumer Electron.
1991; 37(4): 913–917p.
20. Solodovnik EV, Liu S, Dougal RA. Power
Controller Design for Maximum Power
Tracking in Solar Installations. IEEE
Trans Power Electron. Sep 2004; 19(5):
1295–1304p.
Cite this Article
Rajshree, Jaiswal Ajay K, Jayswal Vijay
K et al. Development of a Dual Axis
Solar Tracking System Using LDR
Sensor for Roof-Top Applications.
Recent Trends in Sensor Research &
Technology. 2016; 3(3): 21–26p.
Page 26