An Open-Loop Solar Tracking for Mobile Photovoltaic Systems

Global Positioning System (GPS) data determines Earth location in global coordinates. It offers the same information relative to Sun. By adding attitude and heading information from the mobile mechanics, a dynamic solar tracking algorithm can accurately calculate solar azimuth and elevation using a microprocessor controller. This paper introduces a dynamic solar tracking for photovoltaic control. A simple algorithm is formulated using the astronomy physics of solar orbit to calculate an accurate azimuth angle and elevation angle toward solar radiation. An Arduino microprocessor is used to collect GPS and RM-G144 messages to control a dual-axis servo mechanism for solar tracking. By on-board calculation, the proposed solar tracking can be efficiently implemented on microprocessor for different conditions. The proposed dynamic solar tracking system integrates sensors and controllers to verify its performance for mobile PV applications.