This solar tracker makes use of an Arduino to extend photo voltaic panel effectivity

With the speedy tempo of photo voltaic panel installations over the course of the earlier decade, there was an ongoing problem of attempting to enhance their effectivity. Other than the standard silicon crystal photovoltaic cells, there are additionally extra environment friendly/costly cells often known as focus photovoltaics (CPV), which depend on a set of mirrors to focus daylight right into a small multijunction cell. Though this expertise reduces the dimensions and materials necessities, it additionally requires exact solar monitoring for peak efficiency.

Ruediger Loechenhoff has been capable of create a far cheaper photo voltaic tracker controller, which depends on an Arduino Uno to drive a set of two motors that place the panel. To realize this, the Uno was related to a 9-axis MPU-9250 compass module for inside positioning, a DS3231 real-time clock for correct timing, and a DIY shading beam daylight sensor to detect optimum angles. Working the tracker can be fairly easy because the firmware solely requires an occasional calibration step after a set variety of days.

When it comes to security and reliability, the CPV tracker makes use of a mixture of firmware checks and {hardware} stops to make sure all the things operates usually. For example, a motor collision causes its present draw to spike which might be rapidly minimize off from the present detector circuit. Shifting too far in a single route will even pull the first energy connector, subsequently eradicating energy from the motors.

Extra data on the venture — which was named a finalist within the Planet-Pleasant Energy spherical of this 12 months’s Hackaday Prize — might be present in Loechenhoff’s write-up.