Description:Field of Invention
The present invention relates to controlling the solar panel according to the direction of the sun and the amount of solar energy captured by the solar panels. The maximum solar energy absorption by the solar panels results in the efficient solar energy generation.
The objectives of this invention
The objective of this invention is to improve the output generation by the solar panels by using sun tracking solar panels such that maximum amount of power would be generated by the panel and generates maximum power throughout the day.
Background of the invention
With the unavoidable shortage of fossil fuel sources in the future, renewable types of energy have become a topic of interest for researchers, technicians, investors, and decision makers all around the world. New types of energy that are getting attention include hydroelectricity, bioenergy, solar, wind and geothermal energy, tidal power, and wave power. Because of their renewability, they are considered as favorable replacements for fossil fuel sources.

Among those types of energy, solar photovoltaic (PV) energy is one of the most available resources. This technology has been adopted more widely for residential use nowadays, thanks to research and development activities to improve solar cells’ performance and lower the cost. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), worldwide PV capacity has grown at 49% per year on average since the early 2000s. Solar PV energy is highly expected to become a major source of power in the future. However, despite the advantages, solar PV energy is still far from replacing traditional sources on the market. It is still a challenge to maximize power output of PV systems in areas that don’t receive a large amount of solar radiation. We still need more advanced technologies from manufacturers to improve the capability of PV materials, but improvement of system design and module construction is a feasible approach to make solar PV power more efficient, thus being a reliable choice for customers.

US8946608B2 discloses an automated method that causes a terrestrial solar cell array to track the sun. The solar cell system includes motors that adjust a position of the array along different respective axes with respect to the sun, wherein a first motor adjusts the inclination angle of the array relative to the surface of the earth and a second motor rotates the array about an axis substantially perpendicular to that surface. The method includes (a) using a software algorithm to predict a position of the sun at a future time; (b) using a computer model to determine respective positions for the motors corresponding to the solar cell array being substantially aligned with the sun at the future time; and (c) activating and operating the motors at respective particular speeds so that at the future time the solar cell array is substantially aligned with the sun. The future time may correspond to any time during operation. An initial future time may correspond to a startup time after sunrise at which point the solar cell is to begin tracking the sun.

US7705277B2 discloses a system which is provided for maximizing solar energy utilization by moving a solar panel to track movement of the sun from sunrise to sunset. Preferably, the solar panel is inclined from the horizontal plane by a fixed angle of about ten degrees. And, movements of the solar panel are accomplished, daily, in accordance with a programmed schedule of consecutive cycles. In this schedule, each cycle has a start time (i.e. sunrise) and a start point that is determined by the sun's direction from the solar panel.

EP2564128A1 discloses a solar tracking system comprising a bed rotatable about a turntable, the bed supporting at least one post structure, the post structure supporting a solar panel assembly, the solar panel assembly being pivot able to the post structure about a horizontal axis, and direct drive means to rotate the bed and pivot the solar panel assembly, whereby ball and socket linkages secure the solar panel assembly to the post structure and a lever arm coupled to the solar panel assembly through ball and socket linkages imparts drive to cause the solar panel assembly to pivot about a horizontal axis and a floating drive is positioned between the bed and the turntable so that the tracking system can absorb twisting deflections.

Description of Prior Art
As this is a universal problem there are many others who worked on this project but in a different way.
Use of Solar Tracking System for Extracting Solar Energy. (International Journal of Computer and Electrical Engineering, Vol.4, No.1, February 2012 by Gagari Deb and Arijit Bardhan Roy). In this invention the source of solar energy is assumed as numeric value in Lab view software.Two sensors placed in two directions are joined with the input values with the help of wire. Here two thermometers are used as a sensor. The outputs of the thermometers are connected to metres which show the intensity of two directions.The output of the thermometer is multiplied with a value of 2400. After measuring the intensity of two directions, then it compares the intensities and moves the panel accordingly to achieve maximum power output.
Sun Tracking Solar Panel. (International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056 Volume: 05 Issue: 03 | Mar-2018 by Arbaj N, Sanket G, AsifAli). In this invention, the sun tracking system is developed based on an 89C51 microcontroller. The components used in this idea are 89C51 Microcontroller, Dummy Solar Panel, Stepper Motor, Voltage Regulator, Diodes, Relay driver IC, Transformer. The microcontroller 89C51 based circuit is used in this system with a minimum number of components and the use of stepper motors which enables accurate tracking of the Sun.
Design of a Solar Tracker System for PV Power Plants (Acta Polytechnica Hungarica ( An international peer-reviewed scientific journal of. Archive, 2005),Vol. 7, No. 1, 2010 by Tiberiu Tudorache,Liviu Kreindler. This invention deals with the design and execution of a solar tracker system dedicated to the PV conversion panels. The proposed single axis solar tracker device ensures the optimization of the conversion of solar energy into electricity by properly orienting the PV panel in accordance with the real position of the sun. The operation of the experimental model of the device is based on a DC motor intelligently controlled by a dedicated drive unit that moves a mini PV panel according to the signals received from two simple but efficient light sensors. The performance and characteristics of the solar tracker are experimentally analyzed.
Summary of the invention
Aiming for the purpose of maximum power generation, As we know solar panels are now-a-days used even at homes as an extra hand for power consumption and in some places panels are installed above the street lights such that the power generated by the panel is used for the working of street light individually , this in short scenario may look as an small amount but in an long run of power consumption this may be a part of decreasing load on the grid so if we manage to produce the maximum solar energy through the panels already installed (or) panels that are going to be installed, all the time during the day this may be a solution to power shortage problem in many cases as we can also send the extra power which could not be stored by the batteries to the grid, this may also be helpful not up to a large extent but could be utilized to manage the demand when marked up to a higher scale .

The proposed idea comes into play as a solar panel at a constant angle could not generate the maximum amount of energy all the time throughout the day as the direction of the sun changes all the time throughout the day so when we tilt the panel according to the direction of the sun we could acquire the maximum amount of sun rays and generate the maximum voltage that could be generated by the panel.
Detailed description of the invention
With the unavoidable shortage of fossil fuel sources in the future, renewable types of energy have become a topic of interest for researchers, technicians, investors, and decision makers all around the world. New types of energy that are getting attention include hydroelectricity, bioenergy, solar, wind and geothermal energy, tidal power, and wave power. Because of their renewability, they are considered as favorable replacements for fossil fuel sources.
Aiming for the purpose of maximum power generation, As we know solar panels are now-a-days used even at homes as an extra hand for power consumption and in some places panels are installed above the street lights such that the power generated by the panel is used for the working of street light individually , this in short scenario may look as an small amount but in an long run of power consumption this may be a part of decreasing load on the grid so if we manage to produce the maximum solar energy through the panels already installed (or) panels that are going to be installed, all the time during the day this may be a solution to power shortage problem in many cases as we can also send the extra power which could not be stored by the batteries to the grid, this may also be helpful not up to a large extent but could be utilized to manage the demand when marked up to a higher scale .
In this Sun tracking solar panel mechanism each and every component plays an important role . LDR sensors play a prominent role in the working model as the inputs given by the LDR sensor are considered by the Arduino Nano (Arduino with ATmega328P microcontroller) and necessary alignment of the panel is done so maximum illumination can be received by the panels. Voltage Sensor Module in this working model is used because all the components used in this circuit are of 5 volts each and could not withstand any higher voltages thus a voltage sensor is used to check and with the help of voltage regulator the voltage flow is maintained to all the components. The main use of the L293D motor drive is to control the 2 DC motors, one placed in combination with the panel and one which acts as a Load. This motor drive IC interconnected with the Arduino Nano helps in the movement of the panel in the required manner (in required direction).
A Rectifier diode is used in this working model because if there occurs a situation where input voltage fluctuations occur then the rectifier diode makes sure that the alternating voltage is converted into direct voltage. The use of the LCD display on this working model is to indicate the voltage generated by the solar panel and show if the loads are connected or not we have used a DC motor of 5rpm and an DC light strip to act as an load as all the requirements are in advance coded in the microcontroller when the load gets connected it displays in the LCD screen , and also the LCD screen is interlinked with the voltage sensor and panel thus when the voltage is generated then it is displayed on the LCD (how much voltage is generated.
In order to control all the equipment used an ATmega328P microcontroller is used.2 DC motors are used in this working model, one (10 rpm DC motor) is coupled with the solar panel and the other (5 rpm DC motor) and DC lights act as the load. The whole circuit is supplied voltage by Solar panel the solar panel used in this is of 10.80 volts (5 watts). So as to determine the panel movement by the microcontroller , this is carried out with the help of coding. The code is written in C-programming and using the Arduino software to simulate the code.
3 Claims & 3 Figures
Brief description of Drawing
Figure 1 Block Diagram of the Overall Structure of the present Invention
Figure 2 Flow Diagram of Arduino Code
Figure 3 Hardware Implementation
Detailed description of the drawing
From the figure 1, When the light rays of sun fall on the solar panel the panel starts producing the electrical energy and store them in the battery and when the direction of the sun changes and the intensity of the light falling on the solar panel decreases as described in the figure 2 the microcontroller compared the intensity of the light based on the inputs received by the LDRs and if the light intensity is less than the maximum intensity the ATmega328P microcontroller governs the DC motor using L293D motor drive thus there would be a change in the direction of the solar panel accordingly . , Claims:We claim the following from our invention,

Claim:
1. The sun tracking solar panel system comprising :

a) A microcontroller is provided to move the panel according to the inputs from the user interface.

b) A motor drive is mounted on the circuit board to control the movement of the panel.

c) A set of LDRs are used to give inputs of light intensities according to the sun rays falling on the panels.

2. According to claim 1, the microcontroller with the help of LDRs compares the light intensities and governs the direction of the panel.

3. According to claim 1, the motor drive controls the direction of the solar panel with the inputs given by the microcontroller.