Design and Analysis of Solar Tracking System for Multipurpose Domestic Applications

Now-a-days the field of applied mechanical systems opens new horizons for the use of orientation mechanisms. The opportunity to use mechanisms with a “sustainable purpose” leads to new approaches in the development of renewable energy systems design. The evaluation of the existing products shows that the tracking mechanisms for solar energy conversion systems may improve the efficiency of the solar energy conversion systems up to 30% to 50%. Applications of solar energy for domestic and industrial heating purposes have been becoming very popular. However the effectiveness of presently used fixed flat plate collectors, PV panels and parabolic collector are low due to the moving nature of the energy source.The presents research was carried out in the field of increasing the efficiency of the solar energy received by the solar collectors like PV panels, Flat plate collectors, Cylindrical Parabolic collectors using tracking systems by changing the position of the solar collectors correlated to the sun position for getting maximum radiation use of beam radiation falling on the solar collector. Two main aspects are taken into consideration, one optimizing the interaction between the mechatronic system components by integrating the analog electronic system by using a 555 timer in the mechanical model, and secondly by reducing the cost & time for the design process. The research work was carried out for location in chickballapur district at BGS R&D centre in Karnataka State, India.The results obtained in work is 24% increase in tracking efficiency of experimental model of flat plate collector, 30% increase in tracking efficiency in working model flat plate collector, 39 % increase in tracking efficiency of cylindrical parabolic collector and 36% increases in tracking efficiency of the Photovoltaic panel is found when compared to the non-tracking systems respectively. This paper presents the results of PV panel collector in detail for increasing the efficiency of the PV panel collector by tracking system with comparison of non-tracking system.Copyright © 2013 by ASME