Development of mechanical solar tracker design

Ignatio Madanhire, Tauyanashe Chikuku, Liberty Nyahunda, Charles Mbohwa

Research output: Contribution to journalConference articlepeer-review

Abstract

The research study investigated the prospect of coming up a design of a mechanical solar tracker, which would minimize human effort during operation. The affordable design would be compatible with different solar panel configurations for both domestic and industrial purposes. The mechanism would enable the panel to be placed at the best angle of exposure to sunlight for collection of energy as the sun moves across the sky throughout the day, as it incorporates the solar arrays to keep the array pointed towards the sun. It would have a provision for fitting solar panels to ensuring that the maximum amount of sunlight strikes the panels throughout the day. The system would be mounted on a pole 2.5 metres high, with a 2m by 1.5m panel to increase surface area for absorption of radiation. The set up is expected to generate about 20 - 25% more power when compared to a static solar model that are commercially available. It was established that installing the solar panels on a tracking base increases efficiency of the solar panels to 80%.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3738-3743
Number of pages6
JournalProceedings of the International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management
Volume2019
Issue numberMAR
Publication statusPublished - 2019
Event9th International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management, IEOM 2019 - Bangkok, Thailand
Duration: 5 Mar 20197 Mar 2019

Keywords

  • Collection
  • Design
  • Efficiency
  • Radiation
  • Solar panel
  • Solar tracker
  • Sunlight

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Strategy and Management
  • Management Science and Operations Research
  • Control and Systems Engineering
  • Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

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