MIZAN TEPI UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT: MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

SENIOR PROJECT ON
DESIGN, MANUFACTURING AND ANALYSIS OF AUTOMATIC SOLAR TRACKING
SYSTEM

ADVISOR: Mr. Yohannis Mulgeta

TEPI

July, 2024
 MIZAN TEPI UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLGY
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

SENIOR PROJECT ON

DESIGN, MANUFACTURING AND ANALYSIS OF AUTOMATIC SOLAR TRACKING

SYSTEM

PROJECT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIRMENTS FOR THE

AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

GROUP MEMBERS
NAME..........................................ID NO.
1. Aregaw Alemayehu ..................ETS/028/09
2. Adane Alaro ............................ ETS/012/09
3. Abdisa Dirbisa ..........................ETS//007/09
4. Sisay Lemma ............................ ETS/154/09

ADVISOR: Mr. Yohannis Mulgeta

TEPI, ETHIOPIA
JULY-2024
DECLARATION

We hereby to declare that the work which is presented in this thesis entitled ―”DESIGN,
MANUFUCTURING, AND ANALYSIS OF AUTOMATIC SOLAR TRACKING SYSTEM” is
original work of our own, has not been presented for a degree of any other university and that all
sources of material used for the thesis have been duly acknowledged.

Name Signature

1. Aregaw Alemayehu .............

2. Adane Alaro.........................

3. Abdisa Dirbisa......................

4. Sisay Lemma ......................

 MIZAN TEPI UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

APPROVAL SHEET

This is to certify that the above declaration made by the candidates is correct to the best of our
knowledge.

APPROVAL BOARD

................................ .......................... .................

Department Head Signature Date.

…………………… ……………….. …………

................................ .......................... .................

Project Advisor Signature Date.

ABSTRACT
Solar panel has been used increasingly in recent years to convert solar energy to electrical energy.
In order to maximize the conversion from solar to electrical energy, the solar panels have to be
positioned perpendicular to sun. This project will be a design and implementation of a polar single
axis solar panel tracker. This paper helps for power generation by setting the equipment to get
maximum sunlight automatically. When there is decrease in intensity of light, this system
automatically changes its direction to get maximum intensity of light. It will have a manually
adjustable vertical axis and an automatically adjustable horizontal motor controlled axis. This setup
is similar to an office swivel chair. The tracker will actively track the sun and change its position
accordingly to maximize the energy output. The sensors will compare the light intensities of each
side and rotates the motor to move the panels until the tracker detects equal light on both sides. The
tracking mechanism is driven by power screw and we use two small solar panels as a sensor.

KEY WORDS: SOLAR PANEL, FIXED SYSTEM, TRACKING SYSTEM

I
 TABLE OS CONTENTS

ABSTRACT. ......................................................................................................................................... I
NOMENCLATURE AND ABBREVATION. ........................................................................ III
CHAPTER ONE................................................................................................................................... 1
1 INTRODUCTIO .............................................................................................................................. 1
1.1. Background of the project. ..................................................................................................... 1
1.2. Statement of the problem. ............................................................................................................ 5
1.3. Objectives of the project ........................................................................................................ 7
1.3.1. General objective ............................................................................................................ 7
1.3.2 .Specific objectives ................................................................................................................. 7
1.4. Significance of the project ...................................................................................................... 8
1.5. Scope of the project ................................................................................................................ 8
1.6. Limitation. .................................................................................................................................... 6
CHAPTER TWO ............................................................................................................................... 9
2. LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................................................................. 9
2.1. Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 9
2.2. History of solar panels and sun tracking system ........................................................................ 10
CHAPTER THREE. ........................................................................................................................... 16
3.1. Methodology ............................................................................................................................... 16
3.2. Parts to be designed and manufactured… .............................................................................. 16
3.3. Parts to be purchased…........................................................................................................ 16
CHAPTER FOUR .......................................................................................................................... 18
4. Budget breakdown ...................................................................................................................... 18
CHAPTER FIVE:.................................................................................................................. 19
5. Work plan ............................................................................................................................... 19

REFERENCE. .................................................................................................................................. 20

II
List of figures ........................................................................................................................ Page no

Fig.1.1. Tracking sun path 180º ........................................................................................................... 4

Fig.1.2 Dual axis solar tracking ........................................................................................................... 5

Fig.1.3. Single axis solar tracking ....................................................................................................... 5

List of tables ........................................................................................................................... Page no

Table.4.1 Time schedule............................................................................................................... 18

Table 4.2.Budget breakdown ........................................................................................................... 19
NOMENCLATURE AND ABBREVATION

GHG ------------greenhouse gas

PV --------------photovoltaic
CSP ----------- solar concentrated power
P-n ------------ positive negative junction of diode
TVs ----------- Televisions
SAPHT ---------solar assist plug in hybrid electric tractor
LDR ------------ light detecting sensor
D.C ------------ direct current (A)
RCA ----------- radio corporation of America
NASA --------- National Aeronautic and space Administration
Cds------------ cadmium sulfide
ISS -------------- international space station

III
 CHAPTER ONE
1. INTRODUCTION

Photovoltaic Cells are less productive when not pointed directly at the sun.
The goal of project: “Design a system that maximizes amount of sun being absorbed while
minimizing the cost of operation and maximizing the reliability.

1.1. Background of the project

Our modern technological society is largely defined by our widespread use of electrical energy.
Electricity provides us with light, heat, refrigeration, communication, elevators, and entertainment
etc. We are so dependent on electricity that when it is unavailable for even a few minutes, the word
“crisis” comes to mind. Electrical energy is popular because it is so easily transmitted from one
place to another, and converted into other forms of energy. Starting from ancient time people use
different methods to get heat, light, and other things from conventional energy sources instead of
electrical power.
Conventional energy sources based on oil, coal, and natural gas have proven to be highly effective
drivers of economic progress, but at the same time damaging to the environment and to human
health. Furthermore, they tend to be cyclical in nature, due to the effects of oligopoly in production
and distribution. These traditional fossil fuel-based energy sources are facing increasing pressure on
a host of environmental fronts, with perhaps the most serious challenge confronting the future use
of coal being the Kyoto Protocol greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets. The increasing demand
for energy, the continuous reduction in existing sources of fossil fuels and the growing concern
regarding environment pollution, have pushed mankind to explore new technologies for the
production of electrical energy using clean, renewable sources, such as solar energy, wind energy,
etc. Renewable Energy is energy that flows naturally and repeatedly in the environment.
Among the non-conventional, renewable energy sources, solar energy affords great potential for
conversion into electric power, able to ensure an important part of the electrical energy needs of the
planet (elsevier, 2013).

1
Solar energy refers to sources of energy that can be directly attributed to the light of the sun or the
heat that sunlight generates. Solar energy has experienced phenomenal growth in recent years due to
both technological improvements resulting in cost reductions and government policies supportive of
renewable energy development and utilization. Solar energy has experienced an impressive
technological shift. While early solar technologies consisted of small-scale photovoltaic (PV) cells,
recent technologies are represented by solar concentrated power (CSP) and also by large-scale PV
systems that feed into electricity grids. Solar panels collect solar radiation from the sun and actively
convert that energy to electricity. Solar panels are comprised of several individual solar cells. These
solar cells function similarly to large semiconductors and utilize a large area p-n junction diode. When
the solar cells are exposed to sunlight, the p-n junction diodes convert the energy from sunlight into
usable electrical energy.

The energy generated from photons striking the surface of the solar panel allows electrons to be
knocked out of their orbits and released, and electric fields in the solar cells pull these free electrons
in a directional current, from which metal contacts in the solar cell can generate electricity. The more
solar cells in a solar panel and the higher the quality of the solar cells, the more total electrical output
the solar panel can produce.

The conversion of sunlight to usable electrical energy has been dubbed the Photovoltaic Effect.
Photovoltaic (PV) systems use sunlight to generate electricity. A PV panel is made up of many
individual solar cells, all of which are covered with a protective sheet of glass in a PV module or
panel. The cells are made from silicon, a very common chemical element found in sand. In addition
to the panels, a PV system usually contains an inverter to covert solar power from direct current (DC)
to the alternating current (AC) of the utility grid power transmission and delivery system. Before
installing a PV system on a home or business, it makes sense to make a home or business as energy
efficient as possible so accurate PV sizing can take place. PV systems can be sized and configured to
generate electricity in grid‐ connected or stand‐alone applications. Now days, most PV panels have
an energy conversion ratio of 12-18 %( Ali, July 2013).

2
It is still a challenge to maximize power output of PV systems in areas that don’t receive a large
amount of solar radiation.

We still need more advanced technologies from manufacturers to improve the capability of PV
materials, but improvement of system design and module construction is a feasible approach to make
solar PV power more efficient, thus being a reliable choice for customers. Aiming for that purpose,
this project had been carried out to support the development of such promising technology. One of
the main methods of increasing efficiency is to maximize the duration of exposure to the Sun.
Tracking systems help achieve this by keeping PV solar panels aligned at the appropriate angle with
the sun rays at any time (Vaibvah, februrary2016).

The goal of this project is to build a prototype of light tracking system at smaller scale, but the design
can be applied for any solar energy system in practice. It is also expected from this project a
quantitative measurement of how well tracking system performs compared to system with fixed
mounting method.

A solar tracker is a device that orients a payload toward the sun. The use of solar trackers can increase
electricity production by around a 30%, and some claim by as much as 40% in some regions,
compared with modules at a fixed angle. In any solar application, the conversion efficiency is
improved when the modules are continually adjusted to the optimum angle as the sun traverses the
sky(K, 2016). As improved efficiency means improved yield, use of trackers can make quite a
difference to the income from a large plant.

3
Commercial purpose of solar tracking system:
the energy throughout the day.

Maximize efficiency of the panel. The efficiency increases by 20 to 30%

Fig.1.1 . Tracking sun path 180º

The sun’s position in the sky varies both with the seasons (elevation) and time of day as the sun
moves across the sky (Baroum, 2018).

Hence there are also two types of solar tracker:

Dual Axis Solar Tracker: Double axis solar trackers have both a horizontal and a vertical axle and
so can track the sun’s apparent motion exactly anywhere in the world. This type of system is used to
control astronomical telescopes, and so there is plenty of software available to automatically predict
and track the motion of the sun across the sky. Dual axis trackers track the sun both east to west and
north to south for added power output (approx. 35% gains) and convenience (Needleman, 2015).
Single Axis Solar Tracker: Single axis solar trackers can either have a horizontal or a vertical axle.
The horizontal type is used in tropical regions where the sun gets very high at noon, but the days are
short. The vertical type is used in high where the sun does not get very high, but summer days can
be very long.
4
Since solar tracking implies moving parts and control systems that tend to be expensive, single-axis
tracking systems seem to be the best solution for our project. This selection also considers on the
location of our country. Since our country is located in the equatorial region the revolution of earth
doesn’t make a significant change frequently as a result of dual axis solar tracking mechanism is not
recommended.

Fig.1.2 Dual axis solar tracking

Single axis trackers will usually have a manual elevation (axis tilt) adjustment on the second axis
which is adjusted at regular intervals throughout the year. Solar tracker drives, can be divided into
three main types depending on the type of drive and sensing or positioning system that they
incorporate (abdela, July 2013).

Fig.1.2 Single axis solar tracking

5
 sun’s radiation to heat gases that move the tracker across the sky.
drives and some type of gearing or actuator to movethe
tracker.
stead determine the position of the sun through
prerecorded data for a particular site. Among the introduced solar tracking systems, active solar
tracker is the chosen topic of research for this project, because of its extensive utilization of electrical
and electronic knowledge’s. It is also the most implemented solution for capturing the sunlight of PV
systems. Together with better manufacturing technologies of PV materials, enhancing the operation
of active solar trackers is the most efficient way to better exploit the immense energy
amount of the Sun. Active trackers
measure the light intensity from the sun by using light sensors to determine where the solar modules
should be pointing. The operation of this type of trackers is managed by controller or computer.
Active trackers normally cost more to the system, but provide the best accuracy and efficiency
compared to the other solutions. Light sensors are positioned on the tracker at various locations in
specially shaped holders. If the sun is not facing the tracker directly there will be a difference in light
intensity on one light sensor compared to another and this causes to determine in which direction the
tracker has to tilt with the help of the stepper or dc motor in order to be facing the sun. A solar tracker
also makes adjustments according to the total amount of light received by the sensors. Since it knows
how much light is available, it enables the controller to rotate the panel so that both sensors return to
an equal voltage state. This state signifies that the panel would be at the most perpendicular position
to the sun.

Generally we compare and contrast all of those classifications of solar tracking systems mentioned
above like dual axis tracking with single axis tracking and active trackers with passive trackers, and
Open Loop Trackers and we choose a tracking mechanism of active single axis tracking system.

6
 1.2. Statement of the problem

Conventional solar panel, fixed with a certain angle, limits the area of exposure from sun due to
rotation of Earth. Because of this problem, the power that can be generated is low. Family that uses
more power than usual need should have to install more than one solar panel to produce enough
power. So, this project is to fix the problem that occurs here .In pursuing to get the maximum
energy converted from the sun, an automatic system is required which should be capable to
constantly rotate the solar panel. The automatic solar tracking system solves this problem. A solar
tracker is used in various systems for the improvement of harnessing of solar radiation.
The problem that is posed is the implementation of a system which is capable of enhancing
production of power by 15 to 45%. So, the solar panel that can be generating here is very high
compare to when the solar panel can only stay in one direction. So, the families don’t have to install
more than one solar panel to generate enough power one solar panel is enough to produce a lot of
power. Generally as we have seen in our country there is; not enough energy sources for house hold
utility for peoples who are using fixed solar system to generate electricity.

1.3. Objectives of the project

1.3.1. General objective
The project was carried out to satisfy two main objectives:
, manufacturing and analysis of automatic solar tracking system.
1.3.2 .Specific objectives
based on the intensity of light that tracks the
solar UV light for solar panels.
iciency considerably. The range of increase in
efficiency is expected to be up to 35%.
e sun light for number of solar panels at a time by
increasing the capacity of motor drive only.

7
 well as we will make it easy to manually change
the direction of the solar panel since it is required due to seasonal change.
m solar system or comparing the difference between solar
system with tracking system and without tracking system.
minimizing energy cost.

1.4. Significance of the project

The finding of this project will be benefit for the society who uses solar in different manner:
crease power generated from the solar system.
rease the power, as a result of this this project
minimizes the cost of the user.
his project is used as reference for the future work.

1.5. Scope of the project

The scope of this project work is to the design and developing the prototype of solar energy tracking
system. This work includes design and selection of every component in the process of the system.
The solar project was implemented using a motor. The design is limited to Single Axis tracking
because the use of a dual axis tracking system would not add much value for our country. Ethiopia
has coordinates of 1.2833⁰S, 36.8167⁰E and therefore the position of the sun will not vary in a
significant way during the year. In the tropics, the sun position varies considerably during certain
seasons.
The goal of this project is to build a prototype of light tracking system at smaller scale, but the
design can be applied for any solar energy system in practice. It is also expected from this project a
quantitative measurement of how well tracking system performs compared to system with fixed
mounting.

1.6. Limitation

doesn’t work throughout the day. This means the tracking system stops its
work during night time, and cloudy days.
regions.

8
 CHAPTER TWO

2. LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1. Introduction

Energy comes in different forms. Light is a form of energy. Often, one form of energy can be turned
into another. This fact is very important because it explains how we get electricity, which we use in
so many ways. Electricity is used to light streets and buildings, to run computers and TVs, and to
run many other machines and appliances at home, at school, and at work. One way to get electricity
is to burn a fuel like oil or coal. This makes heat. The heat then makes water boil and turn into
steam. The steam runs a machine called a turbine that produces electricity. Often, this electricity
then goes into a public power system that sends it out, through wires, to homes, schools, and
businesses over a wide area.
This method for making electricity is popular. But it has some problems. Our planet has only a
limited supply of oil and coal. They are not renewable fuels. Once they are used, they are gone
forever. Also, they give off gases when they are burned. These gases may make the air dirty, or
polluted, and some of them may change Earth’s climate.
Another way to make electricity uses sunlight. Sunshine is free and never gets used up. Also, there
is a lot of it .The sunlight that hits the Earth in an hour has more energy than the people of the world
use in a year. A little device called a solar cell can make electricity right from sunlight (“solar”
means having to do with the Sun). A solar cell doesn’t give off any gases. It doesn’t even make any
noise. A solar panel is a group of solar cells that work together. The use of solar cells is growing
fast in the United States and many other countries. Solar panels supply the electricity used by this
“rover” as it explores the planet Mars (al p. e., 2006). Solar panels convert solar energy into DC
(district current) electricity which enters an inverter.
The inverter turns DC electricity into AC (alternating current) electricity needed by home
appliances or lights. When more solar energy is produced than the amount needed, it can be stored
in a battery as DC electricity. A solar tracker is a device for orienting a solar photovoltaic panel, day
lighting reflector or concentrating solar reflector or lens toward the sun. Solar power generation
works best when pointed directly at the sun, so a solar tracker can increase the effectiveness of such
equipment over any fixed position. The solar panels must be perpendicular to the sun's rays for
maximum energy generation. Deviating from this optimum angle will decrease the efficiency of
energy generation from the panels. A few degrees of misalignment will only cause 1% to 5% of
energy loss, while larger angles of 10° to 30° will significantly decrease the energy generation of up
to 40 %( al p. e., 2006). Although, this loss is also dependent on the material and pattern of the
protective glass that covers the solar panel

9
 2.2. History of solar panels and sun tracking system

Already in the seventh century BCE, humans used magnifying glasses to concentrate sunlight and
hence to make fire. Later, the ancient Greeks and Romans used concentrating mirrors for the same
purpose.
In the 18th century the Swiss physicist Horace-Benedict de Saussure build heat traps, which are a
kind of miniature green houses. He constructed hot boxes, consisting of a glass box, within another
bigger glass box, with a total number of up to five boxes. When exposed to direct solar irradiation,
the temperature in the innermost box could rise up to values of 108°C; warm enough to boil water
and cook food. These boxes can be considered as the World’s first solar collectors.
In 1839, the French physicist Alexander-Edmond Becquerel discovered the photovoltaic effect at an
age of only 19 years. He observed this effect in an electrolytic cell, which was made out of two
platinum electrodes, placed in an electrolyte. An electrolyte is an electrically conducting solution;
Becquerel used silver chloride dissolved in an acidic solution. Becquerel observed that the current
of the cell was enhanced when his setup was irradiated with sunlight.
In the 1860s and 1870s, the French inventor Augustan Mouchot developed solar powered steam
engines using the World‟s first parabolic trough solar collector. Mouchot`s motivation was his
believe that the coal resources were limited. At that time, coal was the energy source for driving
steam engines.
However, as coal became cheaper, the French government decided that solar energy was too
expensive and stopped funding Mouchet`s research.
In 1876, the British natural philosopher William Grylls Adams together with his student Richard
Evans Day demonstrated the photovoltaic effect in a junction based on platinum and the
semiconductor selenium, however with a very poor performance. Seven years later, the American
inventor Charles Fritts managed to make a PV-device based on a gold- selenium junction. The
energy conversion efficiency of that device was 1%(Gerroj.Prinsloo, 2014).
In 1887, the German physicist Heinrich Hertz discovered the photoelectric effect. In this effect,
electrons are emitted from a material that has absorbed light with a wavelength shorter than a
material dependent threshold frequency.
In 1905 Albert Einstein published a paper in which he explained the photoelectric effect with
assuming that light energy is being carried with quantized packages of energy .which we nowadays
call photons.
In 1918 the Polish chemist Jan Czochralski invented a method to grow high-quality crystalline
materials. This technique nowadays is very important for growing mono crystalline silicon used for
high quality silicon solar cells. The development of the c-Si technology started in the second half of
the 20th century.

10
In 1953, the American chemist Dan Trivich was the first one to perform theoretical calculations on
the solar cell performance for materials with different band gaps. The real development of solar
cells as we know them today, started at the Bell Laboratories in the United states.
In 1954, their scientists Daryl M. Chapin, Calvin S.Fuller,and Gerald L. Pearson, made a silicon-
based solar cell with an efficiency of about 6% . In the same year, D. C. Reynolds et al. reported on
the photovoltaic effect for cadmium sulfide (CdS), a II-VI semi-conductor .
In the mid and late 1950s several companies and laboratories started to develop silicon based solar
cells in order to power satellites orbiting the Earth. Among these were RCA Corporation, Hoffman
Electronics Corporation but also the Unites States Army Signal Corps. In these days, research on
PV technology was mainly driven by supplying space applications with energy.
For example, the American satellite Vanguard 1, which was launched by the U.S. Navy in 1958,
was powered by solar cells from Hoffman Electronics. It was the fourth artificial Earth satellite and
the first one to be powered with solar cells. It was operating until 1964 and still is orbiting Earth.
In 1962 Bell Telephone Laboratories launched the first solar powered telecommunications satellite
and in 1966 NASA launched the first Orbiting Astronomical Observatory, which was powered by a
1 kW photovoltaic solar array.
In 1968, the Italian scientist Giovanni Francia built the first concentrated solar power plant near
Genoa, Italy. The plant was able to produce 1 MW with superheated steam at 100 bar and 500°C.
In 1970, the Soviet physicist Zhores Alferov developed solar cells based on a gallium arsenide
hetero-junction. This was the first solar cell based on III-V semiconductor materials.
In 1976, Dave E. Carlson and Chris R. Wronski developed the first thin-film photovoltaic devices
based on amorphous silicon at RCA Laboratories.
In 1978, the Japanese companies SHARP and Tokyo Electronic Application Laboratory brought the
first solar powered calculators on the market. Because of the 1970s oil crisis, which lead to sharply
rising oil price, the public interest in photovoltaic technology for terrestrial application was
increasing in the1970s.
In that time, PV technology moved from a niche technology for space application to a technology
applicable for terrestrial applications. In the late 1970s and 1980s many companies started to
develop PV modules and system for terrestrial applications. Solar cell still are very important for
space applications, which shows a solar panel array on the International Space Station (ISS)
(Tudorache, 2012).
In 1980 the first thin film solar cells based on a copper-sulfide/cadmium-sulfide junction was
demonstrated with conversion efficiency above 10% at the University of Delaware.
In 1985, crystalline silicon solar cells with efficiencies above 20% were demonstrated at the
University of New South Wales in Australia.

12
From 1984 through 1991 the World’s largest solar thermal energy generating facility in the world
was built in the Mojave Desert in California. It consists of 9 plants with a combined capacity of 354
Megawatts.

In 1991 the first high efficiency Dye-sensitized solar cell was published by the École poly technique
fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland by Michael Grätzel and coworkers. The Dye-sensitized solar
cell is a kind of photo-electrochemical system, in which a semiconductor material based on
molecular sensitizers is placed between a photo anode and an electrolyte.
In 1994, the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, demonstrated a
concentrator solar cell based on III-V semiconductor materials. Their cell based on a indium-
gallium phosphide/gallium-arsenide tandem junction exceeded the 30% conversion limit.
In 1999, the total global installed photovoltaic power passed 1 GWP. Starting from about 2000,
environmental issues and economic issues started to become more and more important in the public
discussion, which renewed the public interest in solar energy. Since 2000, the PV market therefore
transformed from a regional market to a global market. Germany took the lead with a progressive
feed-in tariff policy, leading to a large national solar market and industry.
Since about 2008, the Chinese government has been heavily investing in their PV industry. As a
result, China has been the dominant PV module manufacturer for several years now. In 2012 the
worldwide solar energy capacity surpassed the magic barrier of 100 GWP. Between 1999 and 2012,
the installed PV capacity hence has grown with a factor 100. In other words, in the last 13 years, the
average annual growth of the installed PV capacity was about 40%. P. Roth et al., (2004),
Renewable Energy Vol. 29, PP.393-402 describes design and construction of an electromechanical
system to follow the position of the sun. It allows the automatic measurement of direct solar
radiation with a pyrheliometer. It operates automatically, guided by a closed loop servo system.
A four-quadrant photo detector senses the position of the sun and two small DC motors move the
instrument plat form keeping the sun’s image at the center of the four-quadrant photo detectors.
Under cloudy conditions, when the sun is not visible, a computing program calculates the position
of the sun and takes control of the movement, until the detector can sense the sun again. It is
possible to use this type of tracker with larger and heavier systems, like solar panels and
concentrators. Other cheaper tracking sensors could be used. Digital control should be used to get
higher resolution and better response (al p. e., 2004).
B. J. Huang et al., (2007), Energy Conversion & Management 48, 1273-1280 has presents a PV
design, called “one axis three position sun tracking PV module’’ with low concentration ratio
reflector.
A design analysis of the one axis three position sun tracking PV module is covered in his study. The
analytical results show that the optimal stopping angle β is about 50°, and the optimal switching
angle, which controls the best time for changing the altitude of the PV module is half of the
stopping angle, i.e. θH = β/2, and both values are independent of the latitude.

13
The power generation increases by approximately 24.5% as compared to a fixed module for
latitudes θ< 50°.
S. Abdallah Desalination ELSEVIER 220(2008) 669-676 has presented a computerized sun
tracking device for rotating the solar still with the movement of the sun. A comparison between
fixed and sun tracked solar stills showed that the use of sun tracking increased the productivity to
around 22%, due to the increase of overall efficiency by 2%. It showed that the sun tracking is more
effective than fixed system and is capable of enhancing the productivity. Using the sun tracker
increases the water temperature while it decreases thermal capacity of the water. This increases the
evaporation rate and hence the distillation rate.
David D Needelman in his US patent No. 0009284 A1 [2009] narrates a method, apparatus, process
of manufacture for determining the attitude of a spacecraft having at least one star sensor.
The method comprises of the steps of selecting a first reference star sensor from among the star
sensors; designating two stars observed by the first reference star sensor as a primary star pair;
identifying a candidate star pair corresponding to the primary star pair, wherein the candidate star
pair is selected from a star catalog having a plurality of entries; estimating an inertial orientation of
the first star sensor at least in part from the identified candidate star pair; and determining the
spacecraft attitude from the estimated inertial orientation of a reference star sensor selected from a
group comprising the first star sensor.
Nader Barsoum [2010], Global Journal on Technology, Vol.01, 1985-9406 states that research has
proved that solar tracking system with single-axis freedom can increase energy output by
approximately 20%, whereas the tracking system with double axis freedom can increase the output
by more than 40%.
Therefore this work was to develop and implement a solar tracking system with both degree of
freedom and which detects the sunlight using sensors. This Peripheral Interface Controller was the
brain of the entire tracking system, and it was programmed to detect the sunlight through the
sensors and then actuate the motor to position where maximum sunlight could be illuminate the
surface of the solar panel. This is programmed to detect the sunlight using the photocells and then
actuate the motor to position the solar panel where it can receive maximum sunlight (Xiel's, 2010).
Hossein Mousazadeh et Al., (2012s), Journal of Solar Energy Engineering, Vol.133 studied and
investigated maximization of collected energy from an on-board PV array, on a solar assist plug-in
hybrid electric tractor (SAPHT). A sun-tracking system was designed and installed. Considering the
mobile structure above the SAPHT, designing a time and date independent sun-tracker was desired.
Using four light dependent resistive sensors a sun-tracking system on a mobile structure was
constructed and evaluated.
The experimental tests using the sun-tracking system showed that 30% more energy was collected
in comparison to that of the horizontally fixed mode. The overall surface area of the PV array was
approximately 6 m2 and the peak output power was 540 WP. Four LDR sensors were used to sense
the direct beams of sun. Each pair of LDRs was separated by an obstruction as a shading device.

14
A microcontroller based electronic drive board was used as an interface between the hardware and
the software. For driving of each motor, a power MOSFET was used to control the actuators. The
experimental results indicated that the designed system was very robust and effective. Typically,
test results in April illustrated that sun-tracking system as compared to the horizontally fixed mode,
enhanced collected energy by about 30%.
L. Kancevica et al., (2014), Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, Vol. 2012, noted that a cause
of sun tracking device, solar radiation were continuously striking perpendicular on the flat plate
collector, which ultimately produced average 1.4 times more heat energy in comparison with
stationary collector of the same size.
Ashraf Balabel et al., (2016), International Journal of Control, Automation and Systems 26 2165–
8285, reports on design and testing of control system to achieve optimal operational efficiency of
solar photovoltaic module using a mathematical analysis. The proposed solar tracking system
design was tested, based on calculated data of the altitude angle at Taif city, Saudi Arabia. The
obtained system response results show the simplicity, accuracy and applicability of design in
meeting different operational conditions. It is shown that the sun tracking algorithm can be
classified into closed-loop and open-loop systems, according to its control mode. Each system
acquires relative advantages/disadvantages which strongly affect their performance (H.Dold, 2007).

By reviewing all the above documents which have been done by different peoples, at different
countries, and at different times. Most of the designs expressed in the literature review are highly
depend on their country location and seasonally variable sunshine location effect. Most of them are
deal with dual axis solar tracking system since their countries are located in the polar region.
However our country location doesn’t matter of this problem. Therefore we consider designing a
tracking system which is simpler, efficient and easily installed that fit with our country location.

15
 CHAPTER THREE

3.1 Methodology

This project involves the design and practical work in workshop. We will do this project by
referring previous different materials like books, different website, and asking the people who use
solar for generating electric power. In addition to this, we will use different software like SOLID
WORK and Microsoft office to design and to analysis our design. After this the next step is to select
proper material and we will make a prototype of our project.

3.2. Parts to be designed and manufactured

We planned to design and produce the following parts

 Upper frames
 Standing frame
 Shaft drive frame
 Housing frame
 Base frame
 Sensor frame
 Shaft
 Clamp
3.1. Parts to be purchased

The following should be purchased with its required standards

 Bearings Pin
 Bolt and nut
 Motor
 Gear
 Relay and sensor
 Solar panel

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 CHAPTER FOUR

4.1 Cost breakdown

Cost analysis is a detailed analysis of the actual cost of manufacturing parts, equipment’s, and
materials to determine the optimum cost of the tracking mechanism.

Table 4.1 cost analysis

Part name Requirement Price of Manufacturing Manufacturing Quantity Total

s material hour cost per hour cost(birr)
(birr)
Upper frames 460 2 50 5 960
Standing 350 2 50 2 570
frame
Shaft drive 300 1 50 1 350
frame
Frame
Housing 200 0.25 60 2 230
frame
Base frame 560 0.25 100 1 585
Sensor frame 150 0.5 40 1 170
Shaft 750 0.25 120 1 780
Clamp 450 0.3 60 5 550
Bearings on 2 700
shaft
Bearings Bearings on 1 250
and its screw
house Pin bearing 1 200
Housing for 1 230
bearing
Screw 1 450
Housing 1 250
Pin 2 30
Bolt and 20 140
nut
Motor 1200

Gear Driving gear 500

Driven gear 500
Relay and Relay 400
sensor Sensor 450

17
Solar panel 1 1400
Printing 5 26 130
project
proposal
Printing 5 90 450
final paper
Total cost(birr) 11,475

18
 WORK PLAN

No Activities Implementation Period (2010 E.C)

Remark
May
Nov

Agu
Mar

July
Dec

Apr
Sep

Feb
Oct

Jun
Jan
1 Selection of project topic x

2 submission project topic x

3 Collection of Review of related x X

literature

4 Project proposal preparation x x

5 Submission of final Project proposal x

6 Data collection Instrument x x

preparation

7 Data collection x x

8 Data analysis x

9 Part drawing x x

10 Assembly drawing x
10 Submission of final paper and x
publishing

19
 REFERENCE

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albeteanu, d. l. (2015). Tracking system for photovoltaic panel.

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<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/photovoltaic.>.

Boriqa, M. A. (2016). Computer aided machine design.

einstain, A. (1905). method to grow high quality crystalline material.

elsevier. (2013). simple tracking system to monitor solar pv panel. journal

homepage:www.elsevier.com/locate/enconman .
Gerroj.Prinsloo. (2014, august). Retrieved fromhttp://www.researchgate.net/publication/265056463.

H.Dold, R. (2007). two axis solar tracker capable of with standing weather condition.

J.K.GUPTA, R. (2005). text book of machine design.

K, V. (2016, July 27). Retrieved from Designing of solar tracking system for maximum power.

Needleman, D. D. (2015, July 27). Retrieved from http://www.solar tracking .com/.

tracker, d. o. (1012, September 11). Retrieved from www.google.com.

Tudorache, T. (2012). performance of solar tracking panel.

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Xiel's, Q. (2010). solar collector.

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