DOMINANT TECHNOLOGIES IN “INDUSTRY 4.0”
Design a tracking system for optimum solar energy
Environmental and economic problems caused by over dependence on fossil fuels have increased the demand and request for green energy produced by alternative renewable sources. Solar energy systems have emerged as a viable source of renewable energy over the past two or three decades, and are now widely used for a variety of industrial and domestic applications. Such systems are based on a solar collector, designed to collect the sun’s energy and to convert it into either electrical power or thermal energy. Solar energy is predictable to play a great role in the infrastructure as a distributed source, due to the fact that it is an easily available renewable source of energy. In Jordan, natural conditions for solar are excellent, with an intensity of direct solar radiation with 5 to 7 kWh/m². The main purpose of the present study to estimate the performance of a solar tracking photovoltaic (PV) panel of dual axis type, through designing, construction and testing of a solar tracking system which automatically searches the optimum PV panel position with respect to the sun by means of a DC motors controlled by Arduino Mega board that receives input signals from dedicated Light Dependent Resistor (LDR), and compare the results with fixed PV panel. The results showed that the use of the Dual-Axis Tracking System can produce about 37.37% gain of power output, compared with a fixed system inclined at 30° to the horizon.