Solar Tracker Devin Noyes and Mike Abrisco

Problem We need to design and fabricate a small scale Solar Tracker to demonstrate performance improvements with one and two axis tracking over fixed tilt conditions.

System Overview

Structure We are going to use a tripod set up for legs along with an enclosed shelf to hold the motor and HC08. The support that holds the solar panels themselves will be made of strut channel so we can adjust each panel left and right to completely balance the systems.

Positioning The solar panels will be adjusted by a motor, chain, and sprocket attached to either side of the panel support tilting the panels up or down. The entire shaft will then be driven by gears to adjust the rotation according to the sun chart to acquire the maximum amount of sunlight.

Sensing We are going to use a hall effect sensor to sense current coming from the solar panels, which will display the amount of electricity we are generating by absorbing energy from the sun.