Design and Development of Solar-Tracking Arduino-Rooted PV Panels

Overview

The leading sources of energy globally are oil, coal, and natural gas - fossil fuels that can be depleted, and whose access and use greatly impact the environment. Hence, much study has been made of renewable energy sources and use, including harnessing solar power through a photovoltaic cell. The study aimed to improve the power harvesting and generating capacity of photovoltaic cells by designing and building a solar device that mimics a flower opening when the sun is out, tracks the sun’s movement, closes when the light source is no longer detected and responds to humidity and temperature to maximize power generation. Six (6) photovoltaic panels are mounted on a base operated by servo motors and controlled by Arduino module. Electronics, servo motors, Arduino, and humidity sensors were acquired commercially. Other material included those repurposed from a broken umbrella and electric fan, and scrap acrylic sheets. The device's performance was compared to that of a fixed-mounted photovoltaic panels at different angles. The fixed setup generated 4.71W while the petal panels produced 6.95W, a 47.72% increase. Taxing the power consumption of the device to the power it generates gives an average of 6.09W. This translates to a 29.29% improvement from the 4.71W generated by the fixed panel setup. T-Test for Dependent Means was used and showed that there is a significant difference between the power generations of the two setups (p= 0.000261, a= 0.05). This robotic design amplifies capacity to harness solar power through a photovoltaic cell.

Awards (1)

• Second Award of $2,000 $2,000

Competition history

• ISEF 2018 Energy: Physical · Entry EGPH023T

Resources

• ISEF abstract page ↗

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