Show simple item record

AuthorChowdhury, Muhammad E. H.
AuthorKhandakar, Amith
AuthorHossain, Belayat
AuthorAbouhasera, Rayaan
Available date2020-06-23T20:45:40Z
Publication Date2019
Publication NameJournal of Sensors
ResourceScopus
ISSN1687725X
URIhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/3681031
URIhttp://hdl.handle.net/10576/15097
AbstractSun position and the optimum inclination of a solar panel to the sun vary over time throughout the day. A simple but accurate solar position measurement system is essential for maximizing the output power from a solar panel in order to increase the panel efficiency while minimizing the system cost. Solar position can be measured either by a sensor (active/passive) or through the sun position monitoring algorithm. Sensor-based sun position measuring systems fail to measure the solar position in a cloudy or intermittent day, and they require precise installation and periodic calibrations. In contrast, the sun position algorithms use mathematical formula or astronomical data to obtain the station of the sun at a particular geographical location and time. A standalone low-cost but high-precision dual-axis closed-loop sun-tracking system using the sun position algorithm was implemented in an 8-bit microcontroller platform. The Astronomical Almanac's (AA) algorithm was used for its simplicity, reliability, and fast computation capability of the solar position. Results revealed that incorporation of the sun position algorithm into a solar tracking system helps in outperforming the fixed system and optical tracking system by 13.9% and 2.1%, respectively. In summary, even for a small-scale solar tracking system, the algorithm-based closed-loop dual-axis tracking system can increase overall system efficiency. - 2019 Muhammad E. H. Chowdhury et al.
SponsorThe publication of this article was funded by the Qatar National Library. The authors would like to thank Qatar University for granting the student grant (QUST--CENG-SPR\2017-23) which made this work possible. We would like to thank the Mechanical Engineering Department, Qatar University, for their assistance in designing the mechanical system.
Languageen
PublisherHindawi Limited
SubjectCosts
Efficiency
Position measurement
Solar cell arrays
Solar concentrators
TitleA low-cost closed-loop solar tracking system based on the sun position algorithm
TypeArticle
Volume Number2019


Files in this item

Thumbnail

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record