A Sliding Mode Control for a Sensorless Tracker: Application on a Photovoltaic System

The photovoltaic sun tracker allows us to increase the energy production. The sun tracker considered in this study has two degrees of freedom (2-DOF) and especially specified by the lack of sensors. In this way, the tracker will have as a set point the sun position at every second during the day for a period of five years. After sunset, the tracker goes back to the initial position (which of sunrise). The sliding mode control (SMC) will be applied to ensure at best the tracking mechanism and, in another hand, the sliding mode observer will replace the velocity sensor which suffers from a lot of measurement disturbances. Experimental measurements show that this autonomic dual axis Sun Tracker increases the power production by over 40%

Sun tracker with rotatable plane-parallel plate and two photocells Patent

Sun tracker with rotatable plane-parallel plate and two photocell

Thermal heliotrope - A passive sun-tracker

Continuous sun tracking device consists of helical bimetallic coil and control mechanism. Coil produces torque and angular displacement with temperature change, and acts as device's driving element. Control mechanism, concentric shading mechanism containing bimetallic sensor coil, controls tracking rate and provides for reset cycle

Simple thermal-electrical model of photovoltaic panels with cooler-integrated sun tracker

This paper presents a simple thermal-electrical model of a photovoltaic panel with a cooler-integrated sun tracker. Based on the model and obtained weather data, we analyzed the improved overall efficiency in a year as well as the performance in each typical weather case for photovoltaic panels with fixed-tilt systems with a tilt angle equal to latitude, fixed-tilt systems with cooler, a single-axis sun tracker, and a cooler-integrated single-axis sun tracker. The results show that on a sunny summer day with few clouds, the performance of the photovoltaic panels with the proposed system improved and reached 32.76% compared with the fixed-tilt systems. On a sunny day with clouds in the wet, rainy season, because of the low air temperature and the high wind speed, the photovoltaic panel temperature was lower than the cooler’s initial set temperature; the performance of the photovoltaic panel with the proposed system improved by 12.55% compared with the fixed-tilt system. Simulation results show that, over one year, the overall efficiency of the proposed system markedly improved by 16.35, 13.03, and 3.68% compared with the photovoltaic panel with the fixed-tilt system, the cooler, and the single-axis sun tracker, respectively. The simulation results can serve as a premise for future experimental models

Attenuation studies at 35 GHz

Instrumentation and preliminary results of studies of attenuation of 35 GHz radio signals transmitted through the atmosphere are reported. The purpose of this work is to provide information to supplement the ATS-5 downlink tests. Data on atmospheric losses at 35 GHz are being obtained by sun tracker techniques, sky temperature observations, and point-to-point transmissions

Pelacak Matahari Dua Sumbu Menggunakan LDR untuk Meningkatkan Absorbsi Matahari

The position of the sun in the sky always changes periodically. A lot of research has been doneto follow the sun's motion using a solar tracking system to increase the amount of solar energy that can be absorbed. The solar tracking system can be grouped into passive and active system. Active sun tracker system uses motor drive in following the motion of the sun. The current active tracking system is using one or two rotary axis. Active two-axis solar tracking system provides greater efficiency and effectiveness than one-axis solar tracking system. This study aims to increase the absorbable sun energy with a simpletwo-axis solar tracking system. This research has been done by experimental method by making a model of two-axis sun tracker and its field data retrieval. The main parts of the model in this study are (1) LDR sensor, (2) microcontroller and (3) motor drive. Initial data of field test results shows a maximum increase (269%) in absorbable solar energy on a model using a sun tracker than models that d o not use a solar tracking systemKeywords: tracker, sun, two-axis rotate, simpl

Rancang Bangun Dual Axis Sun Tracker Menggunakan Motor DC Power Window CSD60-B

Sun tracker technology is one of the mechatronic devices to optimize the electrical energy rays from the sun's rays by directing the solar panel plane to follow the sun's direction. This research aims to design and manufacture an effective dual axis sun tracker so as to maximize the absorption of solar energy. The benefits of the research provide a design concept and a mechanical prototype of a dual axis sun tracker with a capacity of 200 Wp which is able to detect light sources using a CSD60-B DC motor in the driving system. The research method using the Conceptual Design method is a research method used in product manufacture with product development and analysis produced systematically and regularly. The results of the research on the design of a dual axis sun tracker using a DC motor CSD60-B resulted in a mechanical structural design with 3 main components, namely horizontal plane components, vertical plane components, and legs components as well as the effectiveness of the motor work applied in the product prototype. specification of horizontal plane dimensions with a length of 1494 mm, a width of 1024 mm, with the use of a shaft diameter of 57 mm and a pillow block UCP212-26 as a support for the work of the axis, a vertical plane component with a length of 1200 mm with the use of a transmission shaft of 60 mm and 2 units of pillow block UCF212 as a support for the work of the shaft, and components of the legs which have a length of 1508 mm, a width of 1008 mm, and a height of 548 mm. The effectiveness of the motor work obtained in the application in the drive system for the horizontal plane component is 123.16% and 89.38% in the vertical plane component

Development of A Solar Photovoltaic System Equipped With A Sun Tracker System: A Case Study In Kuching, Sarawak

A solar photovoltaic system consists of photovoltaic panel(s) and it converts energy of sunlight into electricity via photovoltaic effects. Installation of a sun tracker is one of the approaches to improve the performance of a solar photovoltaic system. A sun tracker is a device for orientating photovoltaic panel towards the sun. The aim of this paper is to examine the use of a solar photovoltaic system with a sun tracker in Batu Lintang, Kuching, Sarawak (1º32’09.73’’N, 110º20’32.70E). A designed and developed solar photovoltaic system that equipped with a sun tracker is presented. Our developed solar photovoltaic system consists of five modules, i.e., a sensor system, a linear actuator system, a tracking mechanism, a battery storage system and charge controller, and a microcontroller system. The performance of our developed system is further analyzed and evaluated with experiments. Concluding remarks is further presented

Characterization of cadmium sulfide light dependent resistors sensors for optical solar trackers

The aim of this paper is to study the effect of dissimilarity of the intrinsic characteristics of the light dependent resistor (LDRs) on optical sun tracking systems, designed for solar power concentration applications such as parabolic trough collectors, Fresnel mirrors concentrators, and concentrated photovoltaic, a comparative study was done between a sun tracker based on LDRs chosen randomly with and without an initial calibration of the offsets, and a sun tracker based on LDRs selected meticulously thanks to a black box test bench, developed especially for this purpose. By choosing two light dependent resistors randomly, the dissimilarity between them can reach 23.2%, which cause a bad sun tracking even with initial offset calibration, in the other hand, and by the use of selected LDRs using the test bench, the dissimilarity drops to 0.06%, which meets requirements of solar power concentration systems

A Sliding Mode Multimodel Control for a Sensorless Photovoltaic System

In this work we will talk about a new control test using the sliding mode control with a nonlinear sliding mode observer, which are very solicited in tracking problems, for a sensorless photovoltaic panel. In this case, the panel system will has as a set point the sun position at every second during the day for a period of five years; then the tracker, using sliding mode multimodel controller and a sliding mode observer, will track these positions to make the sunrays orthogonal to the photovoltaic cell that produces more energy. After sunset, the tracker goes back to the initial position (which of sunrise). Experimental measurements show that this autonomic dual axis Sun Tracker increases the power production by over 40%