Homemade Sun Tracker For Solar Panels

This solar tracker system is used for tracking the sun only in one plane the horizontal one.

Homemade sun tracker for solar panels.

In this video i demonstrate a simple autonomous solar tracking system that can be used with solar panels or parabolic mirrors to improve their performance in. Make a simple low cost solar tracker see the image gallery for the diagrams of the. All of these tools can be purchased at local stores or at the links in the. If you want to track the solar light in the vertical plane you need to build a separate sun tracker circuit.

One of the biggest limitations of static solar panels is that they are only at maximum efficiency while the sun is shining directly on them. Print the templates in the attached file. These have to be printed in full scale. Adjust the panel until the dowel has no shadow whatsoever around it and your solar panel is now facing head on into the sun.

If panels are able to move and track the sun they will receive greater amounts of sunlight during the day making them 30 50 more efficient than unmoving panels. For a class project he decided to try to build a photovoltaic tracker that was both cheaper and more sturdy than versions available for purchase. Diy solar tracker step 1. Tools and bill of materials.

Mother s dennis burkholder develops a 34 49 solar tracker that works better than some 200 units we ve seen. In the center of a piece of plywood or plastic mount a 1inch x 12 inch dowel. Place the piece on the solar panel so that the dowel is in the exact center of the array and temporarily tape it in place. For solar panels control is best to use small motors with a suitable voltage and a maximum working current of 300 ma.