VISVESVARAYA TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

“Jnana Sangama”, Belagavi-590018, Karnataka

A Mini-Project Report
on
“SUN TRACKING SOLAR PANEL USING ARDUINO UNO”
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of

Bachelor of Engineering
In
ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING
For the Academic Year 2022-23
Submitted By
CHETHAM M C – 4AD20EC015
KHUSHI M-4AD20EC029
KUNAL U -4AD20EC031
KUSUMA M-4AD20EC032
Under the Guidance of
Mr. Girish M
Asst. Professor
Department of ECE

13th Kilometer, Mysore – Kanakapura – Bangalore Road,

Mysore – 570 028, Karnataka
Phone: +91-821-25 93 335
 Sun tracking Solar Panel

ATME College of Engineering, Mysuru

13th Kilometer, Mysuru – Kanakapura – Bangalore Road, Mysuru – 570 028

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONICS AND

COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING

CERTIFICATE
Certified that the project work entitled “SUN TRACKING SOLAR PANEL USING
ARDUINO” carried out by CHETHAN M C [4AD20EC019], KHUSHI M
[4AD20EC29], KUNAL U [4AD20EC031] and KUSUMA M [4AD20EC032] students of
ATME College of Engineering, Mysuru in partial fulfillment for the award of Bachelor of
Engineering in Electronics and Communication Engineering, of the Visvesvaraya
Technological University, Belagavi during the year 2022-23. It is certified that all
corrections/suggestions indicated for Internal Assessment have been incorporated in the
Report deposited in the departmental library.
The project report has been approved as it satisfies the academic requirements in respect of
Project work prescribed for the said Degree.

Name & Signature Name &

Signature
Guide HOD
Mini-Project Viva-Voce

Name of the Examiners Signature with date

1.
2.

Dept. of ECE, ATMECE, Mysuru Page 2

 DEPARTMENT VISION AND MISSION
 To develop highly skilled and globally competent professionals in the field of
Electronics and Communication Engineering to meet industrial and social
requirements with ethical responsibility.

Mission
 To provide State-of-art technical education in Electronics and Communication at
undergraduate and post-graduate levels, to meet the needs of the profession and society and
achieve excellence in teaching- learning and research.
 To develop talented and committed human resource, by providing an opportunity for
innovation, creativity and entrepreneurial leadership with high standards of professional
ethics, transparency and accountability.
 To function collaboratively with technical Institutes/Universities/Industries, offer
opportunities for interaction among faculty-students and promote networking with alumni,
industries and other stake-holders.

Program Specific Outcomes (PSOs)

At the end of Graduation, the student will be able,

 To have the capability to understand and adopt the technological advancements with the
usage of modern tool to analyze and design embedded system or processes for variety of
applications.
 To work effectively in a group as an independent visionary, team member and leader having
the ability to understand the requirement and develop feasible solutions to emerge as
potential core or electronic engineer.
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We would like to express our immense gratitude to Dr. A K Murthy, Principal, ATMECE,
Mysuru for his timely help and inspiration during the tenure of the course.

We would like to express our deep gratitude to Dr. L Basavaraj, Professor and Head,
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, ATMECE, Mysuru for his timely co-
operation while carrying the project work. His friendliness made us learn more.

We would like to express our sincere thanks to the project guide Mr. Girish M, Assistant
Professor, Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, ATMECE, Mysuru for their
guidance, encouragement and suggestions that helped us a lot in completion of the mini-project.

We also extend our sincere thanks to the mini project coordinators Mrs. Chethana K S and
Dr. Shalini Hanok and all the faculty members, Department of Electronics and Communication
Engineering, ATMECE, Mysuru who have encouraged us throughout the course.

Last but not the least, we express our heartfelt gratitude to Almighty, our parents for their
love and blessings that helped us complete the project work successfully
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter No. Title Page No.
Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Overview 06
1.2 Existing System 07
1.3 Motivation 07
1.4 Objective of the Project 08
Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Survey Papers 09
Chapter 3 DESIGN METHODOLOGY
3.1 Circuit diagram 11
3.2 Hardware & Software Specifications 12
Chapter 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Results 15
4.2 Advantages 16
4.3 Disadvantages s16

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES
 Sun tracking solar panel using Arduino uno

Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION
Solar energy is a clean, easily accessible and abundantly available alternative
energy source in nature. Getting solar energy from nature is very beneficial for power
generation. Using fixed Photovoltaic panels extract maximum energy only during 12
noon to 3PM in which results in less energy efficiency. Therefore, the need to improve
the energy efficiency of PV solar panel through building a solar tracking system cannot
be over-emphasized. Photovoltaic panels must be perpendicular with the sun in order to
get maximum energy. The methodology employed in this work includes the
implementation of an Arduino based solar tracking system. Light Dependent Resistors
(LDRs) are used to sense the intensity of sunlight and hence the PV solar panel is
adjusted accordingly to track maximum energy. The mechanism uses servo motor to
control the movement of the solar panel. The Arduino is used to control the servo motor
based on signals received from the LDRs. The result of this work has clearly shown that
the tracking solar panel produces more energy compared to a fixed panel

1.1Overview

Studies have shown that the angle of light affects a solar panel’s power output. A solar
panel that is exactly perpendicular to the Sun produces more power than a solar panel
that is not perpendicular. Small angles from perpendicular have a smaller effect on power
output than larger angles. In addition, Sun angle changes north to south seasonally and
east to west daily. As a result, although tracking east to west is important, north to south
tracking has a less-significant impact. Solar trackers provide significant advantages for
renewable energy. With solar tracking, power output can be increased by about 30 to 40
percent. The increase in power output promises to open new markets for solar power.
However, solar trackers have several important disadvantages. A static solar panel may
have a warranty that spans decades and may require little to no maintenance. Solar
trackers, on the other hand, have much shorter warranties and require one or more
actuators to move the panel. These moving parts increase installation costs and reduce
reliability; active tracking systems may also use a small amount of energy (passive
systems do not require additional energy). Computer-based algorithm solar trackers are
more expensive, require additional maintenance, and become obsolete much faster than
static solar panels, since they use fast-evolving electronic components with parts that
may be difficult to replace in relatively short periods of time.
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 Sun tracking solar panel using Arduino uno

1.2 Existing System

There are two main types of solar trackers available on the market: single- and dual-axis.

Single-Axis Trackers

Many solar tracking devices have been developed. Single-axis control means only one
axis automatically tracks the daily motion of the sun. The seasonal changes in the sun’s
path cannot be tracked automatically, but manual adjustments can be made to maximize
the sunlight over the course of the year. If an adjustment is done each season, the angle
from the horizontal is typically set to the latitude −15° in the summer (flatter orientation)
when the sun is high, 0° in fall and spring, and +15° in winter (steeper orientation) when
the sun is low.

Dual-Axis Trackers

Certain concentrating collectors need better accuracy than a single-axis tracker can
provide. The higher the concentration ratio, the higher the tracking accuracy that is
required. The highest accuracy is required by collectors that are so-called imaging types,
such as the parabolic dishes used with Stirling engines. Imaging concentrating collectors
work from direct radiation rather than diffuse radiation, and they are inefficient if they are
not pointed directly at the sun. To get the most energy and the highest temperature, dual-
axis tracking must be employed. As the name implies, a dual-axis tracker can move in
either of two directions.

1.3Motivation

It is observable that the solar power is an important field that the whole world seeks to
make the best use of it in order to decrease the use of fossil fuels that pollutes the
environment. But the high initial cost of solar power has limited its wide usage for many
poor countries. So that, the objective now is to increase the efficiency of solar system in
order to decrease its high initial cost. For this reason, solar tracker system is presented as a
solution for solar system in order to make the best possible use of the incident solar power.
Solar tracker is an automatic control system that directs the absorber surface directly
towards the sun.

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 Sun tracking solar panel using Arduino uno

Problem Statement

Getting solar energy from nature is very beneficial for power generation Using fixed
photovoltaic panels extract maximum energy only during 12 noon to 3PM in which results
in less energy efficiency. Solar energy is the clean easily accessible and abundantly
available alternative energy source in nature

1.4 Objectives of the Project Work

 It should be capable of self-operating.

 It should be capable of tracking the space from lower intensity to higher intensity
light brightness.
 The electrical energy from the solar panel should be stored and used for applicable
purposes (for e.g., Mobile charging)

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 Sun tracking solar panel using Arduino uno

Chapter 2

LITERATURE REVIEW
In this section we have discussed the papers surveyed regarding Sun tracking
solar panel using Arduino. By reviewing these papers, we have designed a system to
make efficient usage of technology.

2.1 Survey Papers

 Bhavesh Pandey (2012), IJIRSET, 2012, Vol. 1, discusses a system using a

Programmable system on chip device to control a small model of solar tracker. Voltage
across the solar panel and a photo resistor is fed as an input to the PSOC (Programmable
System on Chip) to be processed and the output is fed to geared DC motor. One
microcontroller can be used to control many solar panels only correct information needs
to be sent. Efficiency is increased almost by a factor of 2.[1]
 Ashwin R, Varun A.K et al. presented a sensor based single axis solar tracker to achieve
the highest degree of energy through solar panels. It keeps tracking continuously for the
maximum strength of light. This system spontaneously changes its direction when the
sun moves from its position to get maximum light energy. Therefore, the experimental
result shows the robustness and productiveness of the proposed method.[2]
 V Sundara Siva Kumar and S Suryanarayana proposed a dual axis tracking system to
implement and develop a simple and efficient control scheme with only a single tracking
motor. Their main motive is to improve the power gain by accurate tracking of the sun.
In this paper they successfully designed, built and examined a dual axis sun tracking
system and received the best result. They concluded saying that this tracking technology
is very simple in design, precise in tracking and inexpensive.[3]
 Bhagwan Den Verma School of Energy and Environment Management Rajiv Gandhi
Proud yogi ki Vishwavidyalaya, Bhopal, India. International Journal of Engineering
Research& Technology (IJERT)ISSN: 2278-0181http://www.ijert.orgIJERTV9IS020103
(This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.)
Published by: www.ijert.orgVol. 9 Issue 02, February. In today's era the biggest problem
World is facing is energy crises and we know that fossil fuels are available in very
limited amount. Also, there overuse in last 30-40 years has reduced them further. So,

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 Sun tracking solar panel using Arduino uno
now to meet our energy demands the only option we are left is to utilize the Renewable
resources of energy that is available in abundance. There are various sources of
renewable energy like wind, sun and geothermal but most cost effective among them is
Solar Energy. Solar energy can not only meet our existing energy demands but can also
provide us clean and cheap energy. Solar Panels once installed can give energy for
several years without having any maintenance cost. Solar photovoltaic systems are such
systems which are used for harnessing solar energy but we since the earth is rotating
around the sun due to which solar energy in existing Solar panels is available only for a
limited time throughout the day. To overcome this problem solar trackers are used.
Authors in this study have tried to explore the possibility of solar trackers and their cost
effectiveness in solar photovoltaic.[4]
 Anshul Awasthi a, Akash Kumar Shukla a, Murali Manohar S.R. a, Chandrakant Donda
Riya a, K.N. Shukla a, Deepak Porwal a b, Geetham Richardia c. Solar energy is vast,
abundant, cost free, green renewable source of energy. Due to the aforementioned
qualities, the world is today researching and exploring the most feasibly optimized way
of harnessing this energy and solar tracking system is a result of this quest. This paper
begins with a brief introduction to the solar PV cells and the materials used in their
construction. It also discusses the types of solar PV systems and types of solar tracking
systems. It mainly focuses on the design and performance analysis of the various dual-
axis tracking solar systems proposed in recent years. Although the choice on the use of
trackers mainly depends upon the physical features of the land but in general this system
has proved to be more efficient and advantageous than its single-axis and fixed
counterparts.[5]

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 Sun tracking solar panel using Arduino uno

Chapter 3

DESIGN METHODOLOGY
In this chapter we have explained about the hardware and software specifications of our
project.

3.1 Circuit Diagram

Sun tracking solar panel can be built by using servo motor ,LDRs ,Arduino Uno , and can
be achieved by connecting the components as shown in Fig 3.1.

Fig 3.1. Circuit Diagram

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 Sun tracking solar panel using Arduino uno

3.2 Hardware and Software specifications

3.2.1Arduino Uno

Fig 3.2.1. Arduino Uno

The Arduino uno in fig3.2.1 consists of following characteristics

Input Voltage (limits) : 6-20V

Digital I/O Pins :14 (of which 6 provide PWM output)

Analog Input Pins :6

DC Current per I/O Pin : 40 mA DC Current for 3.3V Pin

Flash Memory : 32 KB (ATmega328)

SRAM : 2 KB (ATmega328)

Clock Speed : 16 MHz

3.2.2 Servo Motor

In this design servo motor shown in fig 3.2.2 is used for rotating the solar panel up to 180
degrees. In the direction of maximum intensity of sunlight. Its internal pin diagram is
shown in fig 3.2.2

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 Sun tracking solar panel using Arduino uno

Fig.3.2.2 Servo motor Fig 3.2.2 internal pin diagram

3.2.3 LDR-Light Dependent Resistor

Fig3.2.3 Internal circuit diagram Fig 3.2.3 LDR

Light Dependent Resistors or LDRs are the resistors whose resistance values depend on
intensity of the light. As the intensity of light falling on the LDR increases, resistance
value decreases.

3.2.4 Resistor

Fig 3.2.4
The resistor absorbs the electrical energy in the process where it acts as a hindrance to the
flow of electricity by reducing the voltage, and it is dissipated as heat.

3.2.5 Solar panel

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 Sun tracking solar panel using Arduino uno

Fig 3.2.5
When the sun shines onto a solar panel, energy from the sunlight is absorbed by the PV
cells in the panel. This energy creates electrical charges that move in response to an
internal electrical field in the cell, causing electricity to flow.
Software Specifications:
Arduino IDE version 2.1.0

Arduino IDE is an open-source software, designed by Arduino.cc and mainly used for
writing, compiling & uploading code to almost all Arduino Modules. It is an official
Arduino software, making code compilation too easy that even a common person with no
prior technical knowledge can get their feet wet with the learning process. A range of
Arduino modules available including Arduino Uno, Arduino Mega, Arduino Leonardo,

Arduino Micro and many more. The IDE environment mainly contains two basic parts:
Editor and Compiler where former is used for writing the required code and later is used
for compiling and uploading the code into the given Arduino Module.

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 Sun tracking solar panel using Arduino uno

Chapter 4

RESULTS
In this chapter will discuss about the results obtained from the project work
implementation.

4.1 Results

Fig 4.1 Intensity of light is maximum at left side of the solar panel

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 Sun tracking solar panel using Arduino uno

Fig 4.1 Intensity of light is focused at the top of solar panel

4.2 Advantages
 Trackers generate more electricity than their stationary counterparts due to increased
direct exposure to solar rays. This increase can be as much as 10 to 25% depending on
the geographic location of the tracking system
 Solar trackers generate more electricity in roughly the same amount of space needed for
fixed-tilt systems, making them ideal for optimizing land usage.
 In certain states, some utilities offer Time of Use (TOU) rate plans for solar power,
which means the utility will purchase the power generated during the peak time of the
day at a higher rate. In this case, it is beneficial to generate a greater amount of electricity
during these peak times of the day. Using a tracking system helps maximize the energy
gains during these peak time periods.
 Advancements in technology and reliability in electronics and mechanics have
drastically reduced long-term maintenance concerns for tracking systems.

4.3 Disadvantages
 Solar trackers are slightly more expensive than their stationary counterparts, due to the
more complex technology and moving parts necessary for their operation.
 Even with the advancements in reliability, there is generally more maintenance required
than a traditional fixed rack, though the quality of the solar tracker can play a role in
how much and how often this maintenance is needed.
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 Sun tracking solar panel using Arduino uno
 Trackers are a more complex system than fixed racking. This means that typically more
site preparation is needed, including additional trenching for wiring and some additional
grading.

CONCLUSION
A solar panel tracking system was designed and implemented. The aim of the sun
tracking solar panel using IOT system is to track the position of the sun for better efficiency
of the solar panel will be shown in the project results and to store the collected energy
which can be used for charging appliances. This work can be executed on an industrial scale
which can be beneficial in high temperature countries and cities. Our recommendation for
future works is to consider the use of more sensitive and efficient sensors which consumes
less power and which are also cost effective. This would increase the efficiency while
reducing the cost.

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 Sun Tracking Solar Panel Using Arduino

REFERENCE
[1].http://www.ijirset.com/upload/november/8_Automatic%20Sun%20Tracking
%20System.pdf
[2].https://www.researchgate.net/publication/
342304072_REVIEW_ON_SUN_TRACKING_MODEL_IN_SOLAR_PV_SYSTEM_AND_T
HEIR_CLASSIFICATION
[3].https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sundara-Kumar-V/publication/
266203938_Automatic_Dual_Axis_Sun_Tracking_System_using_LDR_Sensor/links/
5e60b81d299bf1bdb854412d/Automatic-Dual-Axis-Sun-Tracking-System-using-LDR-
Sensor.pdf
[4].https://www.ijert.org/a-review-paper-on-solar-tracking-system-for-photovoltaic-power-
plant
[5].https://www.researchgate.net/publication/
345187063_Review_on_sun_tracking_technology_in_solar_PV_system
https://github.com/Unic-coder/Arduino-Projects/blob/main/Dual-Axis-Solar-Tracker/
Dual_axis_Solar_Tracker.txt
https://youtu.be/W8kh3Jd_AsI
https://youtu.be/6uZxKArzfuE

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 ABSTRACT
Solar panel has been used increasingly in recent years to convert solar energy to electrical
energy. The solar panel can be used either as a stand-alone system or as a large solar
system that is connected to the electricity grids. The earth receives 84 Terawatts of power
and our world consumes about 12 Terawatts of power per day. We are trying to consume
more energy from the sun using solar panel. In order to maximize the conversion from
solar to electrical energy, the solar panels have to be positioned perpendicular to the sun.
Thus the tracking of the sun’s location and positioning of the solar panel are important.
The goal of this project is to design an automatic tracking system, which can locate
position of the sun. The tracking system will move the solar panel so that it is positioned
perpendicular to the sun for maximum energy conversion at all time. Photoresistors will
be used as sensors in this system. The system will consist of light sensing system,
microcontroller, gear motor system, and a solar panel. Our system will output up to 40%
more energy than solar panels without tracking systems.