Microcontroller Based Dual Axis Sun Tracking System for Maximum Solar Energy Generation

Dual –Axis sun tracker, ATmega 328 Microcontroller, photo -voltaic, solar energy, maximum power point /><meta name=description content=Solar energy is becoming a promising renewable energy technology. Conventional fixed solar panel with a certain angle limits there area of sun exposure due to rotation of Earth. The automatic solar tracking system solves this problem. In this paper a dual axis solar tracker is designed and implemented to track the sun in both azimuth and altitude axes by using an AVR microcontroller. The implemented system consists mainly of the ATmega 328 controller, DC motors, light sensors and relays. The results show that the designed low cost sun tracker increases the output power generation efficiency by 25-30 % as compared with the fixed panel systems. The effect of temperature and panel covering by colored cellophane, on the performance of the designed system is also studied. The temperature and the colored cellophanes decrease the output power of the solar panel.