Rotating Solar Panel Using Arduino: Efficient And Smart Energy Harvesting

Challenges with Solar Energy

Energy demands in the recent years have been recorded to be growing at an exponential rate by the commercial and as well as domestic markets (Pospischil, Furchi & Mueller, 2014). While the non-renewable resources are rapidly getting depleted, it leaves no other option but to use renewable resources to produce usable energy. One of these resources, the Solar energy is the most abundant and easy to harness resource through Solar panels. Solar energy is not just a replacement for the traditional mode of energy production but instead is emerging as the choice because of the benefits offered by it (Li et al., 2015). The benefits offered by the solar energy includes low maintenance of the solar devices, maintaining environmental health, offers diverse application and similarly several others. However, the solar energy with so many perks to offer is still not the most dominant source of energy because of the challenges that are offered by it. The most prominent challenge is the efficiency of the solar energy (Jin, 2016). A solar energy set-up consumes a lot of space and the output from it is not sufficient enough. The reasons for the discussed challenge may be associated with the weather dependent nature, static nature of solar panels and its disruptive nature which offers a lot of gaps that needs to be filled.

Hence, the proposed work is aimed at ensuring that the solar panels output is increased and to attain the discussed objective the focus has been laid on the static nature of the solar panels that restricts it from leveraging the complete solar energy received by it. The discussed challenge could be understood by the fact that with earth’s rotation the solar energy from the sun does not directly falls on the panels which reduces the photovoltaic plates from absorbing energy and providing output (Yu et al., 2017). The photovoltaic plates are at their maximum efficiency when they are directly exposed to the sunlight however, due to the earth’s rotation the panels do not get direct sunlight that limits their absorbing capability and leads to low output. The resolving of the discussed challenge will not just increase the output from a solar panel but will also reduce the space consumed by the solar panels which in turn will reduce the cost (both purchase and maintenance) (Amankwah-Amoah, 2015).  Hence, a solution to the discussed is desperately needed and one potential solution to this challenge is a rotating solar panel that will rotate according to the earth’s rotation and in the process will leverage most of the solar energy from the sun.

The Rotating Solar Panel: Solution to Challenges

The proposed paper is aimed at developing a rotating solar panel that is capable of rotating along with the rotation of the earth so that the panels at an angle to leverage the solar energy. To attain the discussed objective, the rotation will be controlled by Arduino Atmega328 microcontroller which will be mounted on a PCB. The microcontroller will be connected to the servo motor that will control the direction of the solar panel based on the intensity of the solar energy from the sun. Th developed system will be concluded with a feasible system capable of charging a 12 VDC battery.

The following sections have discussed different aspects of the proposed paper that includes background which is dedicated to identifying the current status of knowledge that is available on the topic in discussion. Followed by the scope of the research which will discuss the work that had been completed and the work that will be undertaken in the future to attain the objective of the paper. The next section will detail the methodology of the proposed work which will detail the research plan and tools. A planned schedule will also be discussed before summarising the paper to conclude.

The discussed section is aimed at detailing the identified knowledge from the secondary sources. The journals and article for the discussed measure have been collected through Google Scholar and summarised into different sections to offer most relevant findings.

The earth is a body that revolves around the sun and on its own axis as well which leads to change in seasons and days & night. The time consumed by the earth to rotate on its own axis is 23 hours and 56 minutes which makes a solar day (Leconte et al., 2015). The rotation is carried on an imaginary axis that starts from the northern pole of the earth and completes at the southern pole of the earth. The rotation of the earth decides the intensity of the sun over an area.

The understanding of the earth’s rotation will enable the readers and the author as well to understand the fact of why the sol.ar panel needs to be rotating. The rotation of the earth is responsible for the change in intensity of solar energy in an area. So to leverage the solar panel by harvesting maximum solar energy the solar panel should also rotate accordingly

The solar radiation from the sun is directed in earth through three means direct radiation, diffused radiation and reflected radiation (Bisi et al., 2016). The energy from the sun enters earth’s atmosphere through electromagnetic induction. The intense temperature along with the high pressure at the core of the sun leads to solar fusion (Tey & Mekhilef, 2014). This leads to conversion of protons into the helium atom which leads to releasing of gamma rays which are absorbed and re-emitted by the particles in the sun.

Background

Stefan and Boltzmann has estimated the total power of the sun as

P=4πr² σεT⁴W

The T represents temperature that is around 5800K (Kelvin), r is sun’s radius, σ is Boltzmann constant, ε represents emissivity of the surface and W is work done (Benoit et al., 2015).

The understanding of the solar energy will assist in understanding the process of development of the solar energy and its constituents that will assist in better understanding of the processes of the solar panel and in the process usefulness of the and scope of solar energy harvesting.

It has been identified above that sunlight is an electromagnetic wave. The light could be measured with luminosity function that will define the wavelength of the light and depending on the wavelength the photovoltaic process occurs in a solar panel (Xu et al., 2016). Understanding of the sunlight is crucial but more important is the understanding of the angles that defines the angle of a solar panel. Elevation angle is the angle that could be defined as the angular height of the sun measured horizontally. On the contrary the angle between the sun and vertical is the Zenith angle. There exists a relationship between Zenith angle and elevation angle (Skouri et al., 2016). The relation between the two is that their sum is 90 degrees. The image attached below represents the discussed angles.

The intensity of the sun is highest when it is near 45 degrees horizontally and hence, the common solar panels are placed at an elevated angle around 45 degrees (Karafil et al., 2015). It also enables collection of the most sunlight which is latter converted into DC (Direct Current) through photovoltaic process at solar panel.

Solar energy system considered to be the cleanest form of energy is a renewable energy system that harvest the sunlight and with the help of solar panels that are based on the photovoltaic principles (Lewis, 2015). The system most prominently consists of a solar photovoltaic cell and solar panel. The cell stores the energy that is produced by the solar panel by harvesting the solar energy from the sun (Wegertseder et al., 2016).

The understanding of the solar energy system has cited the needs of the system and what are its constituents. It will assist in development of the system in discussion.

The review of the literature work could be summarised to state that solar power is one of the vast sources of energy and could be leveraged to fulfil the energy needs at a global level. The review has most prominently discussed different aspects of the solar energy and the factors that affect the solar power for common use. The earth’s rotation, generation of the solar energy and other crucial facts have been discussed. All the discussion above has contributed towards the understanding of the solar energy and how it impacts the solar energy system. The understanding will assist in better understanding of the system and accordingly in the development of the system.

Scope of Research

The project has been pursued with and till the data the initial work has been done that includes establishment of the background. That includes identification of the requirements, planning on the steps that needs to be adopted, collecting ideas from the preliminary review of the literature and other similar measures. The draft of the project has also been outlined and the discussed report is the documentation of the daft. The following steps will include the development of the prototypes, testing, and execution, post which the system in discussion will be ready for presentation. The table attached in the timeline section reflects the timeline of the project and activities that have been completed are marked yellow.

The discussed section is dedicated towards discussion over the methods and approaches that will be adopted towards attaining the objective of the paper that is the development of a rotating solar panel using the Arduino. To detail the method and approach different sub-sections has been discussed which includes the approach and techniques, the tools that will be used along with the testing that will be done to ensure that the output of the study work is suitable and reliable. Finally, a concussed summary will be offered with all the discussion of all the that had been done in the discussed section.

The most primary source for gathering of the knowledge will be the secondary sources. The secondary sources here will refer to the research work that had earlier been conducted on the topics that are relevant or associated with the proposed system. The secondary sources here refer to the scientific journals, articles, dissertations and other similar sources that have been published on the similar topics. The topics that had been referred in the above section includes solar panels, research on the types of servo motors that can be used, sensors, capacitors and other similar needs. The discussed attempt will be adopted so that the developers could get a proper understanding of the needs and in the process will utilise the requirements of the system with adequacy. To summarise the findings from the secondary sources ground theory approach will be adopted through which the author will identify patterns and accordingly summarise the findings to be relevant with the discussed work.

Post completion of the review of the literary work, the next step will involve development of a prototype and to attain the discussed approach OMD (Object Modelling diagrams) will be developed. The OM diagrams will replicate the processes that will be part of the process such as showing the flow of data, the sequences that will be part that will reflect on the activities that will complete the process (Jeong et al., 2016). Additionally, a concept design will also be drafted using the CAD (Computer-Aided Designing) model that will resemble the solar panel structure. The discussed model will be 3D in nature and will be assembled together for the development of a prototype (Xiao et al., 2015). The prototype will then be tested and the findings of the tests will ensure whether or not the software is working properly. If the findings from the test are adverse, then necessary changes will be made so that the software cites the desired output.

Methodology

After completion of all the above mentioned steps the final step will be to attain the primary objective of developing a rotating solar panel with assistance of Arduino. A block diagram of the proposed model along with the requirements that have been analysed from different sources have been listed below to offer an insight into the needs of the system.

Block Diagram

The image attached below reflects the core components and an overview of the connections between them. 

Hardware Specifications

The discussed sub-section has listed all the hardware requirements of the proposed project (Fang, Fan & Mcintosh, 2014).

1. Arduino Uno R3
2. Servo Motor

• Solar Panel

1. Solar Panel Mount
2. LCD’s
3. Resistors

• Capacitors
• Transistors

1. Cables & Connectors
2. Diodes
3. PCB

• LED’s
• Transformer/Adapter
• Push Button

Software Specifications

The discussed sub-section has listed all the software requirements of the proposed project.

1. Arduino Compiler
2. Programming Language: C

The tools that will be required for the successful completion of the proposed project has been listed below along with a block diagram that reflects the core components and their connections. However, it should be noted that additional tools may be adopted as part of the project to enhance the performance of the developed system or mitigate any error and if done it will be credited in the final report.

Different tests will be conducted to ensure that the output of the solar cell is as it has been expected out of the developed system. The most prominent test will be that of the efficiency test and the efficiency of the solar power is determined through the fraction of the incident power which is then converted into the electrical power (Ahn et al., 2015). The definition is

P_max = V_OC*I_SC*FF

η = V_OC*I_SC*FF/ P_IN

V_OC = Open Circuit Voltage

I_SC = Short-Circuit Current

FF = Fill Factor

η = Efficiency

The output from the solar panel will be initially measures before integrating it with the Arduino and converting it in a rotating device.

Another Test that will be part of the testing will be the Photocell Resistance testing which will be done in three conditions that being the dark light condition, average light condition and bright light condition (Richie et al., 2015).

Algorithm for Motor Control will also be tested and ensured. The algorithm description for the required project will be

1. The input of the voltage should come from two Light dependent resistors (LDRs).
2. The inputs will be analogous which needs to be converted in digital format.

• A comparison and contrasting between the two digital value needs to be done to identify the difference.

1. Error Proportional Angle is the difference that will be obtained and the motor will be rotated accordingly.
2. In case the difference that is the error proportional angle is zero the motor will be stopped and kept static. On the contrary, if the error proportional angle is non-zero, the motor will rotate until the value of the angle becomes zero.

The algorithm is the most crucial part and needs to be properly processed so that the chances of error is nullified and the output is desirable. The algorithm will be developed using the C language that will be loaded into the Atmega328 microcontroller.

Other tests will be done on the functionality of the equipment that are part of the system to ensure that they are functional and proper. The basic digital testing equipment that is the digital multi-meter will be used.  

Summary

The discussed section is dedicated to the timeline of the project and the table below reflects on the activities.

Task Name	Duration	Start	Finish	Predecessors
Development of a Rotating Solar Panel	95 days	Mon 01-10-18	Thu 07-02-19
Development of a Rotating Solar Panel	95 days	Mon 01-10-18	Thu 07-02-19
Phase 1: Initialisation	17 days	Mon 01-10-18	Mon 22-10-18
Topic selection	2 days	Mon 01-10-18	Tue 02-10-18
Background establishment	5 days	Wed 03-10-18	Mon 08-10-18	4
Brainstorming	2 days	Tue 09-10-18	Wed 10-10-18	5
Preliminary review	4 days	Thu 11-10-18	Tue 16-10-18	6
Basic model	2 days	Wed 17-10-18	Thu 18-10-18	7
Deciding Project Objectives	2 days	Fri 19-10-18	Mon 22-10-18	8
Phase 2: Planning	9 days	Tue 23-10-18	Fri 02-11-18
Timeline	5 days	Tue 23-10-18	Mon 29-10-18	9
Requirement Collection	3 days	Tue 30-10-18	Thu 01-11-18	11
Draft Completed	0 days	Thu 01-11-18	Thu 01-11-18	12
Proposal Submission	1 day	Fri 02-11-18	Fri 02-11-18	13
Phase 3: Execution	59 days	Mon 01-10-18	Wed 19-12-18
OM Diagram development	3 days	Mon 01-10-18	Wed 03-10-18
Testing Equipment & Software	7 days	Mon 05-11-18	Tue 13-11-18	14
Literature Review	5 days	Wed 14-11-18	Tue 20-11-18	17
Primary Literature Review	2 days	Wed 21-11-18	Thu 22-11-18	18
Summarising Review	5 days	Fri 23-11-18	Thu 29-11-18	19
Development of the Algorithm	3 days	Fri 30-11-18	Tue 04-12-18	20
Prototype Development	6 days	Wed 05-12-18	Wed 12-12-18	21
Prototype Testing	5 days	Thu 13-12-18	Wed 19-12-18	22
Phase 4: Analysis	25 days	Thu 20-12-18	Wed 23-01-19
Summary of the Testing and deciding on Changes	6 days	Thu 20-12-18	Thu 27-12-18	18,21,23
Final Model	10 days	Fri 28-12-18	Thu 10-01-19	25
Concluding	4 days	Fri 11-01-19	Wed 16-01-19	26
Report Development	5 days	Thu 17-01-19	Wed 23-01-19	27
Report Completed	0 days	Wed 23-01-19	Wed 23-01-19	27,28
Phase 5: Closure	11 days	Thu 24-01-19	Thu 07-02-19
Submission of Report and Model	1 day	Thu 24-01-19	Thu 24-01-19	28
Oral Presentation	10 days	Fri 25-01-19	Thu 07-02-19	31

Conclusion

The draft in discussion could be summarised to state that the discussed project will offer assistance in leveraging the solar energy harvesting. The project is aimed at development of a rotating solar panel using Arduino that will rotate according to the intensity of the solar energy so that maximum power can be harvested. The draft has detailed a preliminary review of the literature and have even detailed the requirements for the development. The detail of the current progress and the future work in context with the project has also been detailed to offer an insight into the progress. Finally, the methodology section has detailed the requirements, tools, approaches and the testing that will be done which is succeeded by the timeline of the project before summarising all the details to conclude.

References

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