I am building a solar tracker which will track the sun via 3 DoF (pitch, tilt, pan) using an Arduino. I would like to compare the efficiency of a fixed panel vs. the solar tracker, and I was wanting some input on how to really compare/test them.
I was planning on setting up both panels outside and comparing the output. In the field, the panel would be deployed to charge LiFEPO4 batteries. I've already developed the hardware/software solution. Ideally, an off-the-shelf power measurement solution would be nice which also measures the necessary environmental variables. Any help is greatly appreciated!
I think industry has already done your test. There are a lot of solar farms in Central Oregon. All have fixed in position solar panels. All the buildings with solar panels are fixed in position. Home solar panels on the ground are all fixed.
Moveable panels all require maintenance by people. All movable panels must be able to withstand wind gusts. Here we have 65mph or so several times a year and not all from the same direction.
Anxious to see the results of your tests over several months.
Paul
I believe the most economic tracker has a pan plane parallel with Earth Equator. Then a tilt, which is set to Sun declination. The tilt is adjusted once for each day, or even fewer times near the solstices. The pan is set to sunrise, then it follows the Sun during the day to sunset. Everything according to precalculated angles or according to astronomical tables. It's fun to build a tilt-pan thing that tracks the brightest spot on the sky, but that's not economic.
What I would like to see: A program that prints out a protractor, based on your latitude. Mark it with settings for the 1st or the 15th of every month. Once a month adjust the array for that month.
An actual tracker only makes sense if it is based on a clock, and it should calculate tomorrow's sunrise and swing the panels to point at sunrise the moment the sun sets, to get it ready while the batteries are maxed out.
The mount mentioned above, with the axis parallel to the poles, is known as an equatorial mount, or a HADEC ( hour angle declination ) mount.
I am thinking about building a solar panel rack for my car hauler, to get around the states requirement that all solar systems must use only all new equipment. I live one state over from Santana solar, which sells used solar panels for less than half the cost of new. I am thinking I could make that track with a wheelchair motor driving an ATV tires making the trailer pivot around a support under the rear axle. This is in the all talk no do phase for the foreseeable future.