Solar Tracking Device
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Campus where you would like to present
SURC Ballroom C/D
Start Date
15-5-2014
End Date
15-5-2014
Keywords
track the sun from east to west, light weight, efficiency
Abstract
Renewable energy is one of the most talked about issues of the modern world. Solar energy is the most popular; it is everywhere, and there is anunlimited supply. Solar panels were invented to collect this unlimited energy. There are many devices that help these panels work better, but most of them are not used at their 100-percent efficiency since at the amount of sunrays are depend on the complexities of locations, times, directions, and price. Therefore, this project is about building a simple device that not only can track the sun from east to west, but also different angles that make the panels perpendicular to the sun at three main different times of the year. The device is made from standard Aluminum 6061-T6, which is lightweight, and not expensive. L-Brackets, bolts and screw threads connect all parts of the device. The stepper motor will turn the panels’ frame from east to west. The torque needed for the device is calculated carefully, and it has the safety factor of 2. The device is tested by using electronic multimeter to measure the produced voltage and current. Then it will be compare with a fixed solar device. This project's result is expected to be more efficient than the benchmark devices by about 15 to 20 percent, and also a benchmark for other future projects that are in the same category.
Recommended Citation
Bui, Tam, "Solar Tracking Device" (2014). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 126.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2014/posters/126
Poster Number
17
Additional Mentoring Department
Engineering Technologies, Safety, and Construction
Solar Tracking Device
SURC Ballroom C/D
Renewable energy is one of the most talked about issues of the modern world. Solar energy is the most popular; it is everywhere, and there is anunlimited supply. Solar panels were invented to collect this unlimited energy. There are many devices that help these panels work better, but most of them are not used at their 100-percent efficiency since at the amount of sunrays are depend on the complexities of locations, times, directions, and price. Therefore, this project is about building a simple device that not only can track the sun from east to west, but also different angles that make the panels perpendicular to the sun at three main different times of the year. The device is made from standard Aluminum 6061-T6, which is lightweight, and not expensive. L-Brackets, bolts and screw threads connect all parts of the device. The stepper motor will turn the panels’ frame from east to west. The torque needed for the device is calculated carefully, and it has the safety factor of 2. The device is tested by using electronic multimeter to measure the produced voltage and current. Then it will be compare with a fixed solar device. This project's result is expected to be more efficient than the benchmark devices by about 15 to 20 percent, and also a benchmark for other future projects that are in the same category.
Faculty Mentor(s)
Pringle, Charles