Open AccessDesign and Performance Evaluation of a Dual-Axis Solar Tracking System for Rural Applications
Author(s) -
Hachimenum Nyebuchi Amadi,
Sebastián Gutiérrez
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
european journal of electrical engineering and computer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2736-5751
DOI - 10.24018/ejece.2019.3.1.52
Subject(s) - electricity , environmental economics , livelihood , microcontroller , work (physics) , cost of electricity by source , photovoltaic system , solar energy , population , mains electricity , business , abia , renewable energy , tracking system , engineering , electricity generation , electrical engineering , environmental science , economics , agricultural science , geography , agriculture , mechanical engineering , palm oil , power (physics) , physics , demography , archaeology , filter (signal processing) , quantum mechanics , voltage , sociology
Most rural dwellers in developing countries do not have access to adequate and regular supply of energy and most of these estimated two billion people are poor with no sustainable means of livelihood and therefore rely on wood fuel for their cooking and heating needs. And due to lack of energy, including electricity, socio-economic development is either absent or at abysmally low level. To foster rural development and improved living conditions among this populace, there is need for a reliable, low cost and environmentally risk-free source of energy. This work designed, implemented and evaluated the performance of a dual axis solar tracking system (DATS) using light dependent resistor (LDR) sensors, direct current (DC) motors and microcontroller to make it capable of uninterruptible electricity supply for rural applications. Results of the experiment show that the proposed system is more cost-effective and produces 31.4 % more energy than the single axis tracking system (SATS) and 67.9 % more than the fixed PV panel system (FPPS). Owing to the unique design of the proposed tracking system, solar energy can be tracked and stored continuously so that there is adequate electricity for the consuming population at all times. Though tested on a rural community in Abia State, Nigeria, the proposed system can be adapted to rural communities anywhere in the world.