Design and Compare Dual-Axis Active Solar Harvesting System against Fix Mounted PV Panel

Ooi, Yao Sheng (2022) Design and Compare Dual-Axis Active Solar Harvesting System against Fix Mounted PV Panel. Final Year Project (Bachelor), Tunku Abdul Rahman University College.

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Abstract

Many countries, including Malaysia, started replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy for electricity generation to ensure zero carbon emission by 2050. Due to owning advantages where an average of 4500 kWh m-2 solar radiation in a more extended period, solar energy is suitable for Malaysia. The sun’s angle toward the solar panel has always been a factor that affects solar panels’ performance. The traditional installation technique that is fixed installing the PV panel at a certain tilt angle may not be effective as the sun position keeps changing. The cost of installing a solar tracker may be more than installing two or more photovoltaic panels. However, a solar tracker is a viable solution if the goal is to enhance the PV panel’s output power generation in limited spaces like residential areas. Therefore, in this project, the dual-axis solar harvesting system is adopted to maximize PV panel output power. This project introduces the control principle, system hardware composition, and control algorithm of the sun tracking system. The linear actuator is used to control the PV panel’s elevation angle, whereas the power window motor controls the PV panel’s azimuth angle. The tracker’s movement is based on the light intensity of the LDR sensor in each plane of the solar tracker holder that provides the shading effect to the LDR sensor. The solar tracker will react to different weather like cloudy, rainy, sunny days by using an anemometer and humidity sensor. The energy improvement of the system was increased by 7.54% to 18.54% compared to the fixed mounted solar panel after considering the power consumption of electronic components. The designed dual-axis solar tracking system consumes about 2% of PV output power. The total cost of building a dual-axis solar tracker is RM1,031.80 which is relatively lower than the dual-axis solar tracker in the market.