Development of a machine vision dual-axis solar tracking system

The main solution for modern societies is to resort to renewable energies. This imperative became more serious following the 1970's energy crisis. Solar energy has been recently in the spotlight as a renewable energy, which can be directly converted into electricity through solar panels. The power output of photovoltaic systems is directly dependent upon the amount of solar irradiation received. Therefore, these panels should be perpendicular to solar irradiation in order to harvest the maximum possible power. Thus accurate solar trackers are central to the performance of solar systems. This study proposes a dual-axial tracker that works based on processing images of a bar shadow. The system was composed of a shadow casting object, a webcam, electronic circuits, computer controls, and stepper motors. The webcam was used to capture images of the shadow. The study results showed that the tracker system followed the sun with an accuracy of about +/- 2 degrees and maintained the panel perpendicular to the irradiation direction. This system works independent of its initial settings and can be used in any geographical regions. It managed to hold the panel perpendicular to irradiation to receive the maximum solar energy and thus generate the highest power output.