PLC Based Dual Axis Solar Tracking System

Electronics and Tellecommunication

Sun is a low cost source of electricity and instead of using the generators; solar panel can convert direct sun rays to electricity. Conventional solar panel, fixed with a certain angle, limits there area of exposure from sun due to rotation of Earth. 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. There are single axis trackers and dual axis trackers. In this paper we will discuss PLC based dual axis tracker. Dual axis trackers have two degrees of freedom that act as axes of rotation. PLC based I/O configuration is used as the hardware along with the comparison unit of photosensitive resistance for detecting the ray strength and shift the panel towards the maximum output from the sun. Stepper motor arrangement is used to rotate the panel to the desired position. The system tracks by comparing the intensity of light falling on the sensors. Based on the sensors output the motor can rotate the solar panel to meet the sun’s maximum position. Thus, solar panel can be driven by the motor which in turn gets the input signals from the PLC. Precise control of the stepper motors is possible by using the PLC. By giving a suitable delay between each step, the time for rotation of the solar panel to a particular position can also be controlled. This is a Hybrid power generation system in which the power is generated from solar and wind. In case the solar is not generating sufficient power than the wind plant will be activated and comparator will compare the power of solar and wind and sift the load to the power generated maximum from.

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