Development and Performance Comparison of an Automatic Solar Tracking System for Photovoltaic Panels

Abstract

This research focuses on the development and performance evaluation of an automatic solar tracking photovoltaic system, compared with a fixed solar panel system. One of the main limitations of fixed solar panel systems is their inability to continuously face the sun perpendicularly, resulting in suboptimal energy generation and reduced investment efficiency. Therefore, this study aims to propose an effective approach to enhance energy production efficiency. The objectives of this research are to develop a prototype of an automatic solar tracking system and to compare the energy generation performance between a fixed solar panel system and an automatic solar tracking system. The developed tracking system utilizes five Light Dependent Resistors (LDRs) to detect the direction of sunlight and control servo motors to continuously adjust the orientation of the solar panel so that it remains perpendicular to the sun’s rays. Experimental results under clear-sky conditions indicate that the solar tracking system generated a total energy output of 91.18 Wh, which is higher than the 71.04 Wh produced by the fixed system. This represents an efficiency improvement of approximately 29%. The results demonstrate that adjusting the orientation of the solar panel significantly enhances energy production.