2018 4th International Conference on Science and Technology (ICST), Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Stepper Motor Driven Solar Tracker System

for Solar Panel
Rachmana Berlindo Citra Lestari
Singgih Hawibowo Imadudin Ala Department of Nuclear Engineering and
Department of Nuclear Engineering and Department of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics
Engineering Physics Engineering Physics Universitas Gadjah Mada,
Universitas Gadjah Mada, Universitas Gadjah Mada, D.I. Yogyakarta, Indonesia
D.I. Yogyakarta, Indonesia D.I. Yogyakarta, Indonesia
singgih@ugm.ac.id

Fahmy Rinanda Saputri

Department of Nuclear Engineering and
Engineering Physics
Universitas Gadjah Mada,
D.I. Yogyakarta, Indonesia
fahmyrs@yahoo.com

Abstract— Solar power plant is one of energy converters that
are essential to sustain human life in the future where fossil fuel
supplies will be depleting. It is also very useful for areas where
electricity supply is not available. Generally, solar panels are
fitted on a structure with a static direction. The generated
electric energy will be optimal if the direction of the panel can
follow the movement of the direction of incoming solar rays. This
research is aimed to study the use of a solar tracker and driver
system of a solar panel on its technical and economic aspects of.
The system consists of LDR sensors, two stepper motors, and a
microcontroller. The experimental results showed an error of
1.30⁰ at the east-west direction and of 0.85⁰ at the north-south
direction. A life cycle cost analysis shows that the use of the solar
tracker system will be economical for solar panels with a capacity
of 200 or more Wp.
Keywords— solar panel, solar tracker, life-cycle cost analysis
I. INTRODUCTION
Energy plays an important role in human civilization. The
greatest one is electricity. The generation of electrical energy
can use the unrenewable energy sources such as fossil fuels or
renewable energy sources. Solar energy is one of the
renewable energy sources that can be converted to electricity
using photovoltaic (PV) modules. One of the questions about
PV solar panels is the optimization of the electricity
generation. Solar panels will get the maximum solar radiation
when its surface is perpendicular to the direction of the
incoming sunlight. When the sunlight direction curve an angle
of θ, the panels will receive solar radiation less than an upright
position to the factor of cos θ.
The research of Cipriani et al [1] deal with the method of
calculating the estimated increase in electricity generation
which should be guaranteed by the photovoltaic generator
dynamic so that its realization can be more profitable than a
static photovoltaic power value of the same output. The
economical index developed for this research is the payback
period and net present value.
Sumant Malav et al [2] was doing research on a single axis
solar tracking system using a stepper motor. The control
algorithm for the system allows the movement of the panels
into east-west direction. Meikap et al [3] did a design of a
single axis solar tracking system based on Arduino. The
components used in the study include DC motor, a
microcontroller Arduino, RTC and mechanical structure
containing gearbox and ancillary equipment. The research
aims to know the minimum price for a solar tracking system.
Research on the solar tracking system is also carried out by
Ray et al [4]. They designed and created a prototype of solar
tracking system using LDR sensor. The sensor and
microcontroller Atmega8 are programmed to detect the
sunlight and then it enables the DC motor L293D to drive the
the solar panels toward the direction of the incoming sunlight.
Adhi Cahyo Wijaya [5] experimented with solar tracker
system to identify the performance of using LDR sensor and
the effect of tracking period. Zulfah Mahmudah [6] examines
the use of an east-west single axis solar tracker for a solar
home system. The study compared the increase of energy
generation and the energy consumption of the solar tracker
system.
This study is aimed to examine the use of stepper motor in
the dual axis design of solar tracker system. The stepper motor
is chosen in this study because there are many advantadges of
utilizing the stepper motor, i.e., good transient response,
excellent torque holding with low power, requires low speed
but high precision, low power consumption, long lifetime, and
good torque at low speed. The solar tracker system consists of
two stepper motors, two light sensors, and a microcontroller.
The performance of the solar tracker system will be studied by
measuring the energy consumption of the tracker system and
the additional electrical energy production of the solar panel

978-1-5386-5813-0/18/$31.00 ©2018 IEEE

 2018 4th International Conference on Science and Technology (ICST), Yogyakarta, Indonesia
by using the solar tracker system. An economic analysis of the
solar tracker system will also be discussed in this paper by
considering the investment and operation cost of the system.
II. MATERIAL AND METHOD
The experimental work of this study used the following
components: solar panel, solar power meter, DC power supply,
stepper motor, stepper motor driver, LDR sensor, Arduino
Uno R3 microcontroller, flashlight as a light source, digital
multimeter.
The general block diagram of solar tracker system is
shown in Fig. 1. In this study, the control system of the panel
direction consists of two LDR sensors, two stepper motors,
and an Arduino Uno R3 microcontroller.
The LDR sensors convert light intensity to the value of
electric resistance. The microcontroller converts voltage value
(0 to 5 volt) to digital value (0 to 1023 bit). The stepper motor
Nema 17 is used as an actuator for driving the solar panel
direction. Fig. 2 shows the flowchart of solar tracker system
used in this study. Fig. 3 shows the developed electronic
system of the solar tracker.
Fig. 1. The solar tracker system block diagram [7].
Fig. 2. The flowchart of solar tracker system.
Fig. 3. The electronic system of the solar tracker.
The performance of the solar tracker system will be tested
based on its capability to drive the panel direction to follow
the direction of incoming light. The testing will be conducted
for the east-west direction and the north-south direction.
The energy which is consumed by the solar tracker system
is calculated based on the measured voltage and current. The
result will be used for calculating the operation cost of the
solar tracker system. It determines whether the use of the solar
tracker system will be economically beneficial.
III. RESULT AND DISCUSSION
The testing of the solar tracker system is conducted by
using a flashlight. The angle of the incoming light to the LDR
sensor is varied from 50o to 130o with an increment of 10o.
The mechanical load of the solar tracker system is varied from
0 to 500 gr. The results of the testing are given in the Table 1
and 2. Table 1 shows the average direction error of the system
for the east-west direction and the Table 2 for north-south
direction.
The evaluation of the economical aspect of the solar
tracker system is based on the surplus of energy generation of
the dynamic PV panel which using solar tracker system in
comparison with the static one. Use the method of life cycle
cost analysis which includes the initial (see Table 3 and 4), the
operation cost of the solar tracker system, and the surplus of
electrical energy generation as the result (see Table 5 and 6) of
the optimized PV panel’s direction.
Static means that solar panel didn’t move while the sunlight
direction was changing. In other hand, dynamic means that the
solar panel position follow the sunlight direction by using
stepper motor.
2018 4th International Conference on Science and Technology (ICST), Yogyakarta, Indonesia

TABLE I. ANGLE AT THE EAST-WEST DIRECTION

The angle of the motor (⁰) Error (⁰)

Radiance angle
(⁰) Load Load Load Load Load Load
Without load Without load
100gr 200gr 500gr 100gr 200gr 500gr
50 52 52 52 52 2 2 2 2
60 62 62 62 62 2 2 2 2
70 71 71 71 71 1 1 1 1
80 82 81 82 82 2 1 2 2
90 91 90 90 90 1 0 0 0
100 102 101 102 101 2 1 2 1
110 111 111 111 111 1 1 1 1
120 121 121 121 122 1 1 1 2
130 130 132 131 131 0 2 1 1
Error average (O) 1,33 1,22 1,33 1,33

TABLE II. ANGLE AT THE NORTH-SOUTH DIRECTION

The angle of the motor (⁰) Error (⁰)

Radiance angle
Load Load Load Load Load Load
(⁰) Without load Without load
100gr 200gr 500gr 100gr 200gr 500gr
110 111 112 111 111 1 2 1 1
100 100 101 102 101 0 1 2 1
90 90 90 90 90 0 0 0 0
80 82 81 80 80 2 1 0 0
70 72 71 71 71 2 1 1 1
Error average (O) 1 1 0,8 0,6

TABLE III. ESTIMATED INITIAL COST OF PANEL SYSTEM 20 WP

Type Total cost (thousand IDR)

Dynamic 2,831.03
Static 1,734.68
Difference 1,096.35

TABLE IV. ESTIMATED INITIAL COST OF PANEL SYSTEM 200 WP

Type Total cost (thousand IDR)

Dynamic 5,392.15
Static 4,003.30
Difference 1,388.85

TABLE V. ESTIMATED ENERGY PRODUCTION OF PANEL SYSTEM 20 WP

Energy production
Type Power output (watt)
watt hour/year thousand IDR/year
Dynamic 6.08 22,617.60 70.97
Static 4.54 13,250.96 52.98
Difference 1.54 9,366.64 18.00
 2018 4th International Conference on Science and Technology (ICST), Yogyakarta, Indonesia

TABLE VI. ESTIMATED ENERGY PRODUCTION OF PANEL SYSTEM 200 WP

Energy production
Type Power output (watt)
watt hour/year thousand IDR/year
Dynamic 90.44 264,084.80 1,055.76
Static 67.20 196,224.00 784.47
Difference 23.24 67,860.80 271.29

The estimated energy consumption of the solar tracker [8] Lestari, Rachmana B. C. “Analisis Kinerja Energi dan Ekonomi pada
Sistem Solar Tracker Sumbu Ganda Menggunakan Motor Stepper dan
system is 578.53 watt hour/year or 2.31 thousand IDR/year.
Sensor LDR Berbasis Arduino Uno R3”. Skripsi, Fakultas Teknik,
The evaluation using annual worth method showed that the Universitas Gadjah Mada. 2017.
use of the solar tracker system is profitable for the PV panel [9] S.R. Wenham, Ed. Applied photovoltaic. 2nd ed. London; Sterling. VA:
capacity of 200 Wp. Earthscan, 2007.
[10] Anonim. How Does a Solar Panel Works. Accessed from
www.solarpower.com, July 12, 2016.
IV. CONCLUSION
In this research, an experimental evaluation of a dual axis
solar tracker system which consist of two static mounted LDR
sensors, two motor steppers, and a microcontroller has been
conducted. The results showed that the system is able to track
the solar rays’ direction with an error of 1.30⁰ at the east-west
direction and of 0.85⁰ at the north-south direction. An
evaluation using life-cycle cost analysis showed that the use of
the solar tracker system will be economical for solar panels
with a capacity of 200 or more Wp.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We would like to thank the Renewable Energy Laboratory
at the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering
Physics, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada for
any kind of support for this research.

REFERENCES
[1] G. Cipriani, V. Di Dio, D. La Manna, F. Massaro, R. Miceli dan G.
Zizzo. “Economic Analysis on Dynamic Photovoltaic System in New
Italian ‘Feed in Tariffs’ Context”. 2013 International Conference on
Clean Electrical Power (ICCEP). 584-590, 2013.
[2] Malav S., Vadhera, S.” Hardware Implementation of Solar Tracking
System Using a Stepper Motor”. IEEE, 2015.
[3] Meikap, S., Dey S. “Development of a Low-Cost Optimum Power
Tracking Prototype for Solar Energy”. IEEE, 2016.
[4] Ray, S., Tripathi, A.K. “Design and Development of Tilted Single Axis
and Azimuth-Altitude Dual Axis Solar Tracking Systems”. IEEE
International Conference on Power Electronics, Intelligent Control and
Energy System (ICPEICES-2016).
[5] Wijaya, Adhi Cahyo. “Rancangan Sistem Sensor dan Optimasi Sistem
Solar Tracker Melalui Modifikasi Metode Penjejakan”. Skripsi.
Fakultas Teknik, Universitas Gadjah Mada. 2016.
[6] Mahmudah, Zulfah. “Analisis Potensi Penggunaan Solar Tracker
Terhadap Kinerja Solar Home Syatem (SHS) di Puskesmas Purwosari,
Kabupaten Gunungkidul”. Skripsi, Fakultas Teknik, Universitas Gadjah
Mada. 2016.
[7] Ala, Imadudin. “Perancangan Penjejak Matahari (Solar Tracker)
berbasis Mikrokontroler untuk Pengaturan Arah Panel Surya”
Perancangan Penjejak Matahari (Solar Tracker) berbasis
Mikrokontroler untuk Pengaturan Arah Panel Surya. Skripsi. Fakultas
Teknik, Universitas Gadjah Mada. 2017.