1. The Significance of Solar Panel Orientation David Tran

2. Overview Internship Research and Background Problem Purpose Research Design Data analysis Conclusion Recommendations Acknowledgements References Questions

3. Internship Southern Polytechnic State University Mechatronics and Electrical Engineering Department Mentor: Dr. Kevin McFall Project Leader: Dr. Bill Diong

4. Research and Study Solar Tracking System Rotation of Solar Cells (ROSC) System Angle to Energy Output Relationship

5. Significance of Solar Energy Renewable Energy Resource (Maehlum, 2014) Less polluting than current methods (Maehlum, 2014) Fast growing industry (Frishberg, 2013) 60% of installed in two years 100+ GW production a year Saving 53 million tons of greenhouse gas emission Government and investor support ( Borg, Kalish, & Meyer, 2013 ) Feed-in tariffs

6. Photovoltaics Solar cells capture photons (“How do solar cells work”) Photovoltaic Effect: Photons excite electrons Electrons cause electrical flow http://africagreenmedia.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/pv-photovoltaic-solar-energy-solar-power.jpg

7. Solar Trackers Follow the sun’s movement 25-35% increase in power compared to fixed panels (Rhif, 2011) Active, Chronological, Passive (Rhif, 2011) Susceptible to wind damage (Diong, 2012) Requires large space (Diong, 2012) http://www.cmstatic1.com/23546/23546.110197.jpg

8. Rotation of Solar Cells System Solar tracking system Follows daily east to west sun movement Focus on rotating solar cells Hybrid design of fixed panel and solar tracker

9. Rotation of Solar Cells System Stepper Motor Fiberglass Rods Linkage System Solar Cells

10. Linkage System

11. Problem Effect angle of the solar cell has on energy yield Use same parameters as the ROSC system Same solar cell Solar Emulator Data analysis System

12. Purpose ROSC Goal: 25% more energy than fixed panel Able to estimate results of ROSC using results from data

13. Hypothesis There is a significant increase in energy if the solar cell is perpendicular to the to the light source of the solar emulator. The amount of energy decreases if the solar cell rotates away from the perpendicular orientation.

14. Method Quantitative Comparative Study Solar array using same cells as ROSC system Adjust the array to different angles Measure current and voltage Calculate power and energy N

15. Data Collection

16. Results Angle0°20°25°30°35°40°45° Current (amps) (x10 -4 ) 1.251.361.451.922.202.442.69 Voltage (volts) (x10 -4 ) 2.482.692.923.794.334.825.30 Power (watts) (x10 -8 ) 3.103.664.237.289.5311.714.2 Energy (joules) (x10 -8 ) 3.103.664.237.289.5311.714.2 Voltage, Current, Power, and Energy Measurements at Different Angles of Incidences

17. Findings Data suggests: Perpendicular orientation yields the lowest amount of energy As the angle of incidence increases, the total energy yield increases Hypotheses not supported

18. Errors in the Experiment Solar array slightly larger than diameter of output beam As tilt increased, light intensity increased Could not test wider range of angles

19. Conclusions Due to experimental flaws, hypotheses should not be concluded Angle to Energy relationship not developed due to data Able to state that angle effects energy yield Could not predict results for ROSC system

20. Recommendations Increase distance between solar cells and light source Test the diagonal configuration Solar array has the same amount of solar cells as the ROSC Test wider range of angles ROSC system test under real sun conditions

21. Acknowledgements Dr. Kevin McFall Dr. Bill Diong Dr. Eden Hunt Mrs. Kelly Ingle Mr. Ada Odey Mr. Eliah Manders Mr. Tai Nguyen

22. References Borg, E. J., Kalish, E., & Meyer, T. (2013). Solar energy incentives: Gauging the investment climate and chasing grid parity. The Michigan Journal of Business, 6(2), 11-39. Retrieved October 5, 2014. Diong, B. (2012). New Photovoltaic Module Design Paradigm: Cell Strands that Track the Sun. Unpublished manuscript. Frishberg, M. (2013). Incentives spark solar energy boom for Japan. Research Technology Management, 56(3). Retrieved October 5, 2014. How do solar cells work?| Explore | physics.org. (n.d.). Retrieved December 14, 2014, from http://www.physics.org/article-questions.asp?id=51 Maehlum, M. (2014, May 12). Solar energy pros and cons. Retrieved September 7, 2014, from http://energyinformative.org/solar-energy-pros-and-cons/ Rhif, A. (2011). A position control review for a photovoltaic system: Dual axis sun tracker. IETE Technical Review, 28(6), 479. doi: 10.4103/0256-4602.90755 [Solar Tracker]. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2014, from http://www.cmstatic1.com/23546/23546.110197.jpg [Southern Polytechnic State University]. (n.d.). Retrieved December 4, 2014, from http://www.spsu.edu/marketing/images/SPSU_LOGO_RGB.jpg

23. Thank you for listening Questions?