Experimental investigation and construction of PV solar tracker control system using image processing

Finding energy sources to satisfy the world's growing demand is one of society's foremost challenges for the next half-century. The challenge in converting sunlight to electricity via photovoltaic solar cells is dramatically reducing $/watt of delivered solar electricity. In this context the sun tracking system of a solar panel based on computer image processing of a shadow is investigated. This is done by using a camera to obtain the picture of a shadow on a screen by solar panel displacements. This system is independent respect to geographical location of the solar panel and periodical alignments such as daily or monthly regulations. The collected energy was measured and compared with that on a fixed surface tilted at 33 degree towards the South. The results indicate that the measured collected solar energy on the moving surface was significantly larger (up to 33%) compared with the fixed surface. The tracking system developed in this study provides easy installation, simple mechanism and less maintenance. Furthermore, the operation of the system is independent respect to the initial configuration and the start time situation.