Development of A Single-Axis Solar Tracker in Malaysia

The performance of solar photovoltaic systems can be improved if solar modules are kept perpendicular to the direction of solar radiation. Therefore, an accurate solar tracker system is important to continuously orientate solar modules to be always perpendicular to the solar radiation throughout the day. This paper presents the development and testing of a selfadjusting single-axis solar tracking system using two photovoltaic cells as photosensors. A prototype of the single-axis solar tracking system is built and tested based on continuous tracking method to the sun’s position throughout the day. An Arduino UNO microcontroller, a servo motor, and photovoltaic cells are selected as the components of the prototype. As this is an active tracking system, the orientation of the tracker receiver surface depends on the feedback received from the photosensors. Outdoor tests were carried out under clear skies at Kota Damansara, Malaysia (3.1467512 N, 101.5740615 E). The tracking inaccuracy is less than 5% with the maximum being 4.12%.