DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION SINGLE AXIS TRACKER MODEL BASED ON MICROCONTROLLER FOR SOLAR COLLECTOR

Abstract

The present work is a design and implementation of a compact single-axes solar tracking system. The hybrid system a combination from mechanical and the electronic parts. A tracking system are used to track the sun position and let the solar collector facing the sun as long as possible. The single axis tracking system has the ability to rotate the solar collector in horizontal axis and in both clockwise and anticlockwise .The electronic system contains a microcontroller board connected to dual sensors and the output signal from the microcontroller will be input to one-axis motor. The experiments conduct for flat plate solar water collector in the first case non-tracking system and secondly case using tracking system. The experimentally results that the average obtained falling solar radiation on solar collector in the first case and the second case during the same time is (616 watt/m2, 725 watt/m2) respectively .This means an increase about 17.7 % at using tracking system and the average useful heat gain output of solar collector during the same time is (65.8 watt, 85.5 watt) respectively it mean increased about 30.4 % at using tracking system.