The “bang-bang” channel showed how to make a homemade solar tracker for panels. They will automatically rotate after the sun, increasing the efficiency of the power plant.
You will need two solar panels with a capacity of 3.5 watts each. At the output, one has more than 6 volts, which, when two batteries are connected in series, will give more than 12 volts. USB socket on the back. Three outputs from three battery segments. Each of which generate 2 volts. That is, if necessary, you can connect accordingly and get 2, 4, 6 volts.
The next important node is two servos. One will rotate the solar array horizontally and the other vertically. These drives are not simple, they are not so easy to make rotate. Some improvement is needed. In the set with each of the engines are plastic crosses, discs, screws for fastening. Brackets purchased for the engine. Also included are mounting screws, bearing and discs. charge controller. It will receive energy from solar panels and transfer it to the battery.
Let's start working with our own hands with electronic filling. The tracker diagram for the solar panel is below. 
Wiring diagram, board, board editing program: https://cloud.mail.ru/public/DbmZ/5NBCG4vsJ
The circuit is very simple and easy to repeat. It is the most successful of several proven options. But even her author had to change a little. I had to change the values of variable and fixed resistors, a printed circuit board circuit was designed.
To begin with, let's print out the circuit board of the tracker on special paper. This is laser ironing technology. The paper has a glossy appearance. On the reverse side, it is the usual matte. You need to print on a laser printer on the glossy side. After contact with the iron, it must be allowed to cool and the paper easily comes off the layer.
Before transferring, the textolite must be degreased. It is best to use fine sandpaper. We attach the pattern to the board and iron it with a hot iron for 2 minutes.
Now you need to etch the tracker board. Ammonium persulfate can be used. Sold in radio stores. The same solution can be used several times. It is desirable to heat the liquid to 45 degrees before use. This will greatly speed up the etching process. After 20 minutes, the board was successfully completed. Now you need to remove the toner. Again, use sandpaper or acetone.
Now you can make a hole in the board. You can start soldering parts.
The heart of the solar tracker is the lm324n operational amplifier. Two transistors type 41c, type 42c. One ceramic capacitor 104. The author of the development replaced many details with the smd type. Instead of 5408 diodes, their analogues of the smd type were used. The main thing is to use at least 3 amps. One resistor for 15 kilo-ohms, 1 for 47 kilo-ohms. two photoresistors. 2 tuning resistors for 100 and 10 kilo-ohms. The latter is responsible for the sensitivity of the photo sensor.
Solar Tracker for Solar Panels - Heliostat
A heliostat, or otherwise, a tracker, is a device for tracking the sun, in our case, for turning solar panels so that they are always perpendicular to the sun. It's no secret that it is in this case that the solar panel gives maximum power. In the diagram above, the solar tracking device (heliostat) uses pulse control and, without any human assistance, is able to orient the solar array to the best illumination.
The heliostat circuit consists of a clock generator (DD1.1, DD1.2), two integrating circuits (VD1R2C2, VD2R3C3), the same number of shapers (DD1.3, DD1.4), a digital comparator (DD2), two inverters (DD1. 5, DD1.6) and a transistor switch (VT1-VT6) for the direction of rotation of the electric motor M1, which controls the rotation of the platform on which the solar battery is installed. With the power on, the generator on the elements DD1.1, DD1.2 generates clock pulses that follow at a frequency of about 300 Hz. During operation of the device, the durations of the pulses generated by the inverters DD1.3, DD1.4 and the integrating circuits VD1R2C2, VD2R3C3 are compared. Their steepness varies depending on the integration time constant, which, in turn, depends on the illumination of the photodiodes VD1 and VD2 (the charging current of capacitors C2 and C3 is proportional to their illumination). The signals from the outputs of the integrating circuits are fed to the level shapers DD1.3, DD1.4 and then to a digital comparator made on the elements of the DD2 microcircuit. Depending on the ratio of the duration of the pulses supplied to the inputs of the comparator, a low-level signal appears at the output of the element DD2.3 (pin 11) or DD2.4 (pin 4). With equal illumination of the photodiodes, high-level signals are present at both outputs of the comparator. Inverters DD1.5 and DD1.6 are required to control transistors VT1 and VT2. A high signal level at the output of the first inverter opens the transistor VT1, at the output of the second - VT2. The loads of these transistors are keys on powerful transistors VT3, VT6 and VT4, VT5, which switch the supply voltage of the electric motor M1. The R4C4R6 and R5C5R7 circuits smooth out ripples at the bases of the control transistors VT1 HVT2. The direction of rotation of the motor changes depending on the polarity of the connection to the power source. The digital comparator does not allow all key transistors to open at the same time, and thus ensures high reliability of the system.
In the morning with sunrise, the illumination of the photodiodes VD1 and VD2 will be different, and the electric motor will begin to turn the solar panel from west to east. As the difference in the duration of the pulses of the shapers decreases, the duration of the resulting pulse will decrease, and the speed of rotation of the solar battery will gradually slow down, which will ensure its accurate positioning in the sun. Thus, with pulse control, the rotation of the motor shaft can be transmitted directly to the platform with a solar battery, without the use of a gearbox. During the day, the solar panel platform will rotate with the movement of the sun. With the onset of twilight, the duration of the pulses at the input of the digital comparator will be the same, and the system will go into standby mode. In this state, the current consumed by the device does not exceed 1.2 mA (in orientation mode, it depends on the motor power).
If the design is supplemented with a vertical deflection block assembled according to a similar scheme, it is possible to fully automate the orientation of the battery in both planes. If suddenly there were no microcircuits indicated on the diagram, they can be replaced with microcircuits of the K564, K176 series (with a supply voltage of 5 ... 12 V). Transistors KT315A are interchangeable with any of the KT201, KT315, KT342, KT3102 series, and KT814A - with any of the KT814, KT816, KT818 series, as well as germanium P213-P215, P217. In the latter case, resistors with a resistance of 1 ... 10 kOhm should be connected between the emitters and the bases of transistors VT3-VT6 to prevent their accidental opening due to a significant reverse current. Instead of photodiodes FD256, you can put pieces from solar cells (connected with polarity), phototransistors without bias circuits, as well as photoresistors, for example, SF2, SFZ or FSK of any modification. It is only necessary to select (by changing the resistance of the resistor R1) the frequency of the clock generator according to the reliable operation of the digital comparator. A green light filter is used to protect the photodiodes from excessive irradiation. An opaque curtain is placed between the photo sensors. It is fixed perpendicular to the board in such a way that when the angle of illumination changes, it obscures one of the photodiodes. 
Solar panels work at their best efficiency when the angle of incidence of the sun's rays is the most appropriate. But this can only be achieved by turning the platform with the solar panel. This requires an automatic sun tracking system.
The circuit shown uses a two-threshold comparator to keep the motor stationary while both light sensitive resistors (LDR) are under the same light level. In this case, one half of the voltage is applied to the inverting input and the other half to the non-inverting input of amplifier A1.
The circuit uses the following components:
T1, T3 = BD239, BD139
T2, T4 = BD240, BD140
A1, A2 = LM324
Diodes = 1N4001
When the position of the sun changes, the light level of the photoresistors changes, and the input voltage of the comparator is no longer half the supply voltage. As a result, the output signal of the comparator causes the motor to move the solar panel following the sun.
Potentiometers P1 and P2 are adjusted so that the motor remains stationary when both photoresistors have the same light level. If, for example, more light falls on LDR2 than on LDR1, the voltage at point A becomes more than half the supply voltage. As a result, output A1 will be logic high and transistors T1 and T4 will conduct. As a result, the motor will start to rotate.
If the angle of incidence of the sun's rays changes again and the voltage at point A is less than half the supply voltage, then output A2 will be logic high, transistors T2 and T3 will start to conduct current, and the motor will rotate in the opposite direction.
To control solar panels, it is better to use small motors with the appropriate voltage and a maximum operating current of 300 mA. This system tracks the sun in only one horizontal plane. If you want to track sunlight in a vertical plane, you need to create a separate path.
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Until now, when operating solar panels, we have been content with the total dispersion of sunlight. True, some seasonal changes were taken into account, as well as the time of day (orientation in the east-west direction). Nevertheless, the solar panels remained more or less fixed in the working position once found. In a number of cases, we did not even attach much importance to this, approximately exposing the battery in the direction of the sun.
However, it is known from experience that solar cells generate maximum energy only when they are exactly perpendicular to the direction of the sun's rays, and this can happen only once a day. The rest of the time, the efficiency of solar cells is less than 10%.
Suppose you were able to track the position of the sun in the sky? In other words, what would happen if you rotated the solar array during the day so that it always pointed directly at the sun? By changing this parameter alone, you would increase the total efficiency of solar cells by about 40%, which is almost half of the energy produced. This means that 4 hours of useful solar intensity automatically turns into almost 6 hours. Tracking the sun is not difficult at all.
The tracking device consists of two parts. One of them combines a mechanism that drives the receiver of solar radiation, the other - an electronic circuit that controls this mechanism.
A number of solar tracking methods have been developed. One of them is based on mounting solar cells on a holder parallel to the polar axis 11. You may have heard of such devices called equatorial tracking systems. This is a popular term used by astronomers.
Due to the rotation of the Earth, it seems to us that the Sun moves across the sky. If we took into account this rotation of the Earth, the Sun, figuratively speaking, would "stop" . The equatorial tracking system works in a similar way. It has a rotating axis parallel to the Earth's polar axis.
If you attach solar cells to it and rotate them back and forth, you will get an imitation of the rotation of the Earth (Fig. 1).
The tilt angle (polar angle) is determined by the geographic location and corresponds to the latitude of the place where the device is mounted. Suppose you live in an area corresponding to 40 ° N. sh. Then the axis of the tracking device will be rotated at an angle of 40° to the horizon (at the North Pole it is perpendicular to the Earth's surface, Fig. 2).
The rotation of solar cells to the east or west about this inclined axis will imitate the movement of the sun across the sky. If we rotate the solar cells with the angular velocity of the Earth's rotation, we can completely "stop" the Sun.
This rotation is carried out by a mechanical tracking system. A motor is needed to rotate solar cells around an axis. At any moment of the daily movement of the sun, the plane of the solar panels will now be perpendicular to the direction of the sun's rays.
The electronic part of the tracking device gives the leading mechanism information about the position of the Sun. By electronic command, the panel is installed in the desired direction. As soon as the sun moves to the west, the electronic controller will start the electric motor until the correct direction of the panel to the sun is restored again.
The novelty of our tracking device lies not only in the implementation of the orientation of solar cells to the sun, but also in the fact that they feed the control electronic "brain". This is achieved through a unique combination of structural and electrical characteristics of the device.
Let us first consider the design features of the device, referring to Fig. 3. The solar battery consists of two panels containing three elements each, connected in series and placed on the planes of a transparent plastic case. The panels are connected in parallel.
These panels are mounted at right angles to each other. As a result, at least one of the modules will be constantly illuminated by the sun (subject to the limitations discussed below).
Let us first consider the case where the whole device is located so that the bisector of the angle formed by the panels is directed exactly at the sun. In addition, each panel is tilted at an angle of 45° to the sun (Fig. 4) and generates electrical energy.
If you rotate the device 45° to the right, the right panel will be parallel and the left panel will be perpendicular to the sun's rays. Now only the left panel generates energy, the right panel is idle.
Rotate the device another 45°. The light continues to hit the left panel, but at a 45° angle. As before, the right side is not illuminated and therefore does not generate any power.
You can repeat a similar rotation to the left side, while the right panel will generate energy, and the left panel will be idle. In any case, at least one battery generates electricity. Since the panels are connected in parallel, the device will always produce electricity. During our experiment, the module rotated 180°.
Thus, if a particular device is fixed so that the joint of the panels is directed to the midday sun, the output of the solar battery will always generate electrical voltage, regardless of the position of the sun in the sky. From dawn to dusk, some part of the device will be illuminated by the sun. Great, but why all this? Now you will know.
To follow the movement of the sun across the sky, the electronic control circuit must perform two functions. First of all, she must decide whether there is a need for tracking at all. It makes no sense to waste energy on the operation of the electric motor if there is not enough sunlight, for example, in the presence of fog or clouds. This is the purpose for which the above device is needed in the first place!
To understand the principle of its operation, let us turn to the electronic circuit shown in Fig. 3. Let's focus on relay RL 1 first. To simplify the discussion below, let's assume transistor Q1 is saturated (conducting) and transistor Q2 is not present.
Relay RL 1 is a circuit element that reacts to the current flowing through it. The relay has a wire coil in which the energy of the electric current is converted into the energy of a magnetic field. The field strength is directly proportional to the strength of the current flowing through the coil.
With an increase in current, there comes a moment when the field strength increases so much that the relay armature is attracted to the winding core and the relay contacts close. This moment corresponds to the so-called relay threshold.
Now it is clear why the relay is used when measuring the threshold intensity of solar radiation using solar cells. As you remember, the current of a solar cell depends on the intensity of light. In our circuit, two solar panels are actually connected to the relay, and until they generate a current that exceeds the trip threshold, the relay does not turn on. Thus, it is the amount of incident light that determines the response threshold.
If the current strength is slightly less than the minimum value, then the circuit does not work. The relay and the solar panel are matched so that the relay is activated when the light intensity reaches 60% of the maximum value.
This is how the first task of the tracking system is solved - determining the level of intensity of solar radiation. Closed relay contacts turn on the electric motor, and the system starts to look for orientation to the sun.
So we come to the next task, namely, to find the exact orientation of the solar battery to the sun. To do this, let's go back to transistors Q1 and Q2.
There is a relay in the collector circuit of transistor Q1. To turn on the relay, it is necessary to short the transistor Q1. Resistor R1 sets the bias current, which opens the transistor Q1.
Transistor Q2 is a phototransistor, its base region is illuminated by light (in conventional transistors, an electrical signal is applied to the base). The collector current of a phototransistor is directly proportional to the light intensity.
Resistor R1, in addition to setting the bias current of transistor Q1, is also used as a load for transistor Q2. When the base of transistor Q2 is not illuminated, there is no collector current and all the current through resistor R1 flows through the base, saturating transistor Q1.
As the illumination of the phototransistor increases, the collector current begins to flow, which flows only through the resistor R1. According to Ohm's law, an increase in current through a fixed resistor /?1 leads to an increase in the voltage drop across it. Thus, the voltage at the collector of Q2 also changes.
When this voltage falls below 0.7V, the predicted phenomenon will occur: transistor Q1 will lose bias due to the fact that it needs at least 0.7V to carry the base current. Transistor Q1 will stop conducting current, relay RL1 will turn off and its contacts will open.
This mode of operation will only take place when transistor Q2 is pointed directly at the sun. In this case, the search for an exact orientation to the sun is terminated due to the opening of the engine power supply circuit by the relay contacts. The solar array is now pointing exactly at the sun.
When the sun leaves the field of view of transistor Q2, the transistor
Q1 turns on the relay and the mechanism starts moving again. And finds the sun again. The search is repeated many times as the sun moves across the sky during the day.
By evening, the intensity of illumination decreases. The solar panel can no longer generate enough energy to power the electronic system, and the relay contacts open for the last time. In the early morning of the next day, the sun illuminates the battery of the tracking system, oriented to the east, and the operation of the circuit begins again.
Similarly, the relay contacts open if the illumination decreases due to bad weather. Suppose, for example, that in the morning the weather is fine and the tracking system has started working. However, at noon the sky began to frown and the decrease in illumination caused the tracking system to stop working until the sky cleared up again in the afternoon, or maybe the next day. Whenever this happens, the tracking system is always ready to resume operation.
Making a tracking device is quite simple, since a significant part of the parts is made of organic glass.
However, a very important point is to match the characteristics of solar panels and relays. It is necessary to select elements that generate a current of 80 mA at the maximum intensity of solar radiation. Selection can be done through testing. I have found that the crescent cells put out about 80 mA on average. Therefore, of all the types of elements that are on sale, I used these elements for my device.
Both solar panels are similar in design. Each contains three elements that are connected in series and attached to Plexiglas plates measuring 10x10 cm2. The elements will be constantly exposed to the environment, so protection measures must be provided for them.
It would be nice to do the following. Place the finished battery on a Plexiglas plate placed on a flat metal surface. From above, cover the battery with a relatively thick (0.05-0.1 mm) layer of lavsan film. Thoroughly heat the resulting structure with a blowtorch so that the plastic parts melt and solder together.
At the same time, be careful. If you place a Plexiglas plate on a surface that is not flat enough or if it is overheated, it may warp. Everything should be similar to cooking a grilled cheese sandwich.
When finished, check the tightness of the seal, especially around the edges of the solar cells. You may need to lightly crimp the edges of the Dacron while it is still hot.
After the panels have cooled down sufficiently, glue them together as shown in fig. 5 and connect them in parallel. Don't forget to solder the leads to the batteries before assembling the device.
The next important design element is the relay. In practice, the relay is a coil wound on a small reed contact.
The relay winding consists of 420 turns of No. 36 enamelled copper wire wound around a frame small enough to fit the reed contact with interference. I used a cocktail straw as a frame. If you touch the ends of the straw with a hot knife blade, the cheeks of the frame are formed, as it were, protecting the winding from slipping over the edges. The total resistance of the winding should be 20-30 ohms. Insert the reed switch into the frame and fix it with a drop of glue.
Then connect transistor Q1 and resistor R1 to the relay. Without connecting transistor Q2, apply power from the solar cells and check the operation of the circuit.
If everything is working correctly, the relay should operate when the sunlight intensity is about 60% of full intensity. To do this, you can simply cover 40% of the surface of the solar cells with an opaque material, such as cardboard.
Depending on the quality of the reed switch, there may be some deviation from the ideal value. It is acceptable to start the relay at a light intensity of 50-75% of the maximum possible value. On the other hand, if you do not meet these limits, you need to change either the number of turns of the relay winding or the current of the solar array.
The number of turns of the relay winding should be changed in accordance with the following rule. If the relay operates earlier, the number of turns must be reduced, if later, increased. If you want to experiment with changing the current of the solar array, connect a shunt resistor to it.
Now connect the phototransistor Q2 to the circuit. It must be placed in a light-tight case, otherwise it will not work correctly. To do this, take a copper or aluminum pipe about 2.5 cm long and with a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the transistor housing.
One end of the pipe should be flattened so that a gap of 0.8 mm wide remains. Attach the tube to the transistor. The finished control circuit, containing the elements Q1, Q2, R1 and RL 1, is filled with liquid rubber for the purpose of sealing.
Four drives are output from the device: two from relay contacts, two from solar panels. For pouring liquid rubber, a form made of thick paper (such as a postcard) is used. To make it with a sheet of paper, wrap a pencil and secure the paper so that it does not unfold. After the polymer layer around the diagram has dried, remove the paper form.
Operating the tracking device is quite simple. First, assemble a simple tracking mechanism.
Mount your battery on a rotating axle. You can attach the battery to a suitable frame and then attach the frame to the pipe using friction or rolling bearings. Then install a motor with a gearbox to rotate the frame around the axis. This can be done in many ways.
Since the relay only performs the functions of switching on and off in the electronic circuit, it is necessary to have elements that would switch the rotational voltage of the electric motor. This requires limit switches located in the extreme positions of the frame. They are connected according to the diagram shown in Fig. 6.
It can be seen from the figure that this is a simple polarity switch circuit. When power is applied, the electric motor starts to rotate. The direction of its rotation depends on the polarity of the power supply.
At the moment of power supply, the polarity reversal relay RL1 2) does not work, because the power supply circuit of its winding is broken by normally open contacts. The electric motor rotates the frame towards limit switch No. 1. This switch is located so that the frame rests against it only in the extreme position of its rotation.
When this switch is closed, relay RL 1 is activated, which reverses the polarity of the supply voltage of the electric motor, and the latter begins to rotate in the opposite direction. Although limit contact #1 opens again, the relay remains energized due to its contacts being closed.
When the frame is pressed on the limit switch No. 2, the power circuit of the relay RL 1 opens and the relay turns off. The direction of rotation of the motor is reversed again and the sky tracking continues.
The cycle is interrupted only by the reed relay RL 1 from the solar tracking circuit, which controls the power circuit of the electric motor. However, the RL 1 relay is a low-current device and cannot directly switch the motor current. Thus, the reed relay switches the auxiliary relay, which controls the electric motor, as shown in fig. 6.
The tracking system's solar arrays must be located close to the rotation mechanism. The angle of their inclination should coincide with the angle of inclination of the polar axis, and the junction of the batteries is directed to the midday sun. The electronic module is connected directly to the rotation device. Orient the slot of the phototransistor cover parallel to the polar axis. This takes into account seasonal changes in the position of the sun above the horizon.
Parts list
Q1-2N2222, transistor
Q2—FPT-100, phototransistor
R1—1000 Ohm, resistor
RL1 - relay (see text)
6 silicon solar cells each generating 80 mA
Literature: Byers T. 20 structures with solar cells: Per. from English - M .: Mir, 1988.
Nowadays, a lot of people are switching to solar garden lights, for example, or a phone charger. As everyone knows and understands, such charging works from the solar energy received during the day. However, the luminary does not stand still all day, and therefore, by creating a rotary device for a solar battery with your own hands, you can increase the charging efficiency by about half by moving the battery towards the sun throughout the day.
A do-it-yourself solar tracker has several very significant advantages that are worth the time to make and install.
- The first and most important benefit is that turning the solar cell all day long can increase battery efficiency by about half. This is achieved due to the fact that the most efficient operation of solar panels is achieved during the period when the rays from the luminary fall perpendicular to the photocell.
- The second advantage of the device is created under the influence of the first. Due to the fact that the battery improves its efficiency and produces half as much energy, there is no need to install additional stationary batteries. In addition, the rotary battery itself may have a smaller photocell than with the stationary method. All this saves a lot of money.
Components of a tracker
Creating a do-it-yourself solar panel rotary device includes the same components as factory products.
List of required parts to create such a device:
- The base or frame - consists of load-bearing parts, which are divided into two categories - these are movable and fixed. In some cases, the frame has a movable part with only one axis - horizontal. However, there are models with two axes. In such cases, actuators are needed that control the vertical axis.
- The previously described actuator must also be included in the design and have devices not only for rotation, but also devices for controlling these actions.
- Details are needed that will protect the device from the vagaries of the weather - thunderstorm, strong wind, rain.
- Possibility of remote control and access to the rotary device.
- An element that converts energy.
But it is worth noting that the assembly of such a device is sometimes more expensive than buying a ready-made one, and therefore, in some cases, it is simplified to bearing parts, an actuator, and actuator control.
Electronic turning systems
Principle of operation
The principle of operation of the rotary device is very simple and rests on two parts, one of which is mechanical and the other is electronic. The mechanical part of the rotary device is respectively responsible for the rotation and tilt of the battery. And the electronic part regulates the moments of time and the angles of inclination, according to which the mechanical part operates.
Electrical equipment used in conjunction with solar panels is charged from the batteries themselves, which in some way also saves money on feeding electronics.
Positive sides
If we talk about the advantages of electronic equipment for a rotary device, then it is worth noting the convenience. The convenience lies in the fact that the electronic part of the device will automatically control the process of turning the battery.
This advantage is not the only one, but is just one more in the list of those that were listed earlier. That is, in addition to saving money and increasing efficiency, electronics frees a person from the need to manually turn.
How to DIY
It is not difficult to create a tracker for solar panels with your own hands, since the scheme for creating it is simple. In order to create a workable tracker circuit with your own hands, you must have two photoresistors available. In addition to these components, you also need to purchase a motor device that will rotate the batteries.
The connection of this device is carried out using the H-bridge. This connection method will allow you to convert current up to 500 mA with a voltage of 6 to 15 V. The assembly diagram will allow you not only to understand how the solar tracker works, but also to create it yourself.
To configure the scheme, you must perform the following steps:
- Make sure there is power to the circuit.
- Connect the DC motor.
- You need to install photocells side by side to achieve the same amount of sunlight on them.
- It is necessary to unscrew the two tuning resistors. You need to do this counterclockwise.
- The current flow to the circuit starts. The engine should start.
- We screw one of the trimmers until it rests. Let's mark this position.
- Continue screwing in the element until the motor starts turning in the opposite direction. We also note this position.
- We divide the resulting space into equal sections and install a trimmer in the middle.
- We screw in another trimmer until the engine starts to twitch a little.
- We return the trimmer a little back and leave it in this position.
- To check the correct operation, you can close sections of the solar battery and watch the reaction of the circuit.
clock mechanism turning
The device of the clock mechanism of rotation is basically quite simple. In order to create such a principle of operation, you need to take any mechanical watch and connect it to a solar battery engine.
In order to make the engine work, it is necessary to install one moving contact on the long hand of a mechanical clock. The second motionless is fixed at twelve o'clock. Thus, every hour, when the long hand passes twelve hours, the contacts will close and the motor will turn the panel.
The time interval of one hour was chosen based on the fact that during this time the solar body passes through the sky about 15 degrees. You can install another fixed contact for six hours. Thus, the turn will take place every half hour.
water clock
This method of controlling the rotary device was invented by an enterprising Canadian student and is responsible for turning only one axis, the horizontal one.
The principle of operation is also simple and is as follows:
- The solar battery is installed in its original position when the sun's rays hit the photocell perpendicularly.
- After that, a container with water is attached to one of the sides, and some object of the same weight as the container with water is attached to the other side. The bottom of the container should have a small hole.
- Through it, water will gradually flow out of the tank, due to which the weight will decrease, and the panel will slowly tilt towards the counterweight. It will be necessary to determine the dimensions of the hole for the container experimentally.
This method is the simplest. In addition, it saves material resources that would be spent on the purchase of an engine, as is the case with a clockwork. In addition, you can install the rotary mechanism in the form of a water clock yourself, without even having any special knowledge.
Video
How to make a tracker for a solar battery with your own hands, you will learn from our video.
There are some tricks that allow you to slightly modify the main system to get more energy from the sun. The first of them is to follow the sun, and the second is to follow the point of maximum power of solar panels. Sun Tracking carried out using a solar tracker, with which I will begin this article. The following video demonstrates how a solar tracker works.
After installing a solar tracker, energy production will increase by 1.6 times due to longer exposure to the sun on the panels, as well as optimizing the angle of installation of solar panels in relation to the sun. The cost of the finished solar tracker will be about 52,000 rubles. Since it can hold only a couple of panels with a total power of up to 600W, such a system will not pay off soon. But you can make such a device yourself, and homemade trackers are quite popular. When tracking the sun, there are the following main tasks: 1. Creating a strong platform that can withstand both the weight of the panels themselves and gusts of wind.2. Creation of the mechanics of turning a heavy platform with high windage.3. Development of the mechanics control logic for tracking the sun. So, the first point. It is better to place arrays of batteries in multiples of the required voltage, while they should not obscure each other.
The tracker will require strong hardware and a strong foundation. Actuators are ideal for controlling the turntable. In the next picture you can see the mechanics of control.
Such a tracker will allow you to control the position of solar panels in two planes at once. But if you wish, you can adjust the control only horizontally, and vertically change the angle a couple of times a year (in autumn and spring). When creating the logic of the entire system, you can choose one of several options: 1. Follow the brightest point.2. Set the tilt and turn on the timer (for each day, the time of sunrise and sunset is always known).3. A combined option that provides for a constant rotation angle and a search for maximum brightness. For the first method, there are two solutions: build a tracker yourself or buy a ready-made Chinese one, which costs about $ 100.
But since making such a device is quite easy for anyone who understands the principles of how controllers work, many people prefer to do everything on their own, while a home-made tracker will cost 10 times less.
Details of the manufacture of a solar tracker can be found on the profile forum, where the optimal designs have already been calculated and the best equipment has been selected. MRPT (solar maximum power point) tracking There are two types of solar controllers for this purpose. The MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) controller tracks the sun from a different position in the system. For clarification, here is the following chart.
As can be seen from the graph, the maximum output power will be obtained at the point of maximum power, which will certainly be on the green line. This is not possible for a conventional PWM controller. Using the MPPT controller, you can also connect series-connected solar panels. This method will significantly reduce energy losses during transportation from solar panels to batteries. It is economically feasible to install MRPT controllers with a power of the JV exceeding 300-400 W. Buying an oversized solar controller is perfectly reasonable, unless you are creating a powerful power system that will overwhelm the needs of the house in excess. Consistently increasing the number of solar panels, I received a power of 800 W, which is quite enough for a country cottage in the summer. In my example, an average of 4 kWh of electrical energy is expected from the power system per day from April to August. This amount of energy is quite enough for the comfort of a family of 4, provided that the use of an electric stove and a microwave oven is not used. A powerful consumer of energy is a boiler for heating water. For an 80 liter boiler in a private house, just about 4.5 kWh of energy will be required. Thus, the autonomous system being created will pay off at least when the water is heated. The previous article was devoted to a hybrid inverter that allows you to take energy mainly from solar panels, receiving only the missing amount from the network. The MicroArt company has already launched the production of MPPT controllers that can be connected to the inverters of the same company via a common bus. Since I have already installed the MicroArt hybrid inverter, this option is especially convenient for me. The main advantage of this controller for me was the ability to pump the right amount of electricity so as not to borrow energy from the battery, reducing its resource. The most popular and at the same time optimal in terms of voltage/current ratio is the ECO Energy MPPT Pro 200/100 Controller. It is capable of supporting up to 200V input voltage and 100A output current. My batteries are built for 24V (battery voltage is 12/24/48/96V), so the maximum power from the controller will be 2400W, so I get twice the power when building up solar panels. The maximum power of the controller is 11 kW at 110 V on batteries (buffer voltage). The connection of the controller with the hybrid inverter MAC SIN Energy Pro HYBRID v.1 24V is supported via the 12C bus. In this case, an instant addition of power is possible in the case when the inverter provides information about increased energy consumption. Since both devices are from the same manufacturer, it only took to plug the laces into the necessary device connectors and activate the necessary parameters. Continuing to explore the controller's capabilities, I found three relays that can be programmed. For example, in sunny weather, if the house does not consume electricity, you can heat an additional boiler or pool. Another option - the weather is cloudy and the battery voltage is reduced to a critical level, the inverter may turn off altogether, and energy is consumed. In this case, it is possible to start a separate benzo / diesel generator, for which it is enough just to close the relay. In this case, the generator must have a dry start contact or a separate automatic start system - SAP (another name is ATS, Automatic Transfer of Reserve). I have a simple Chinese generator, but there is a starter. Having taken an interest in the automation of its launch, and having found out that MicroArt has been producing its own automation for a long time, I was very pleased with this. Let's return to the installation of the controller. Everything is standard here: first you need to connect the battery terminals, then the solar panel terminals, after which the parameters are configured. By connecting an external current sensor, you can detect the power consumed by the inverter in real time. In the next photo you can see how the inverter works in hybrid mode (receiving part of the energy from the network, the main part from solar panels).
To demonstrate the operation of the solar controller with any other third party inverter, the controller is specifically connected using an external current sensor.
Results The actual characteristics of the controller are fully consistent with the declared ones. It really pumps up energy, even when connected to a "foreign" inverter through a current sensor. The hybrid inverter, as planned, pumps solar energy into the network (the photo shows that 100 W, and this is half of the 200 W consumed, comes from solar panels. That is, the minimum 100 W will be taken by the controller from the network, and the missing ones will come from sun.This is a feature of the device). Thus, the kit began to pay for itself from the moment of connection. And starting from May, you can count on the full coverage of energy needs with solar panels. The following article will be the final one, it will compare the three solar controllers that I already have.
