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Smart sun tracking system

Conference Paper · December 2015

DOI: 10.1109/IRSEC.2015.7455033

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Chogueur Djilali Said Bentouba

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 Smart Sun Tracking System
Djilali Chogueur*, Said Bentouba
Sustainable Development & Computing Laboratory, LDDI
Adrar University
Adrar, Algeria
chog_dji@yahoo.fr, bentouba_s@yahoo.fr
Abstract— Southern Algeria is the favorite field of solar energy
in general and photovoltaics in particular. More energy is
produced by tracking the solar panel to remain aligned to the sun
at a right angle to light rays [1]. This paper describes a smart
prototype for solar tracking system based on a PIC16F877A
microcontroller and an extremal servo-control. Because the sun
does not dramatically change its vertical position during the day,
this system is designed with one degree of freedom to detect the
sunlight using a photovoltaic cell. Driven by a smart algorithm,
the PIC16F877A microcontroller is programmed to detect
sunlight through photovoltaic cells by moving the photovoltaic
panel to the optimum position with maximum sunlight.
Keywords- PIC; sun tracking; photovoltaic cell component
I. INTRODUCTION
Generally, under various conditions, photovoltaic panels are
installed according to a fixed slope and orientation. The
orientation is selected towards the south or the north according
to the geographical location of the site to the equator.
Therefore, the panel can absorb maximum of energy around
midday, where the height of the sun is with the zenith and the
values of the illumination to the solar radiation are maximum.
In addition, to be able to answer energy requirements, the panel
must on one hand have a large surface and on the other hand
have the best physical characteristics. However, nowadays, the
cost of solar equipment and materials is very high which
induces more research to optimize methodologies to gain
efficiency in generating energy at lower cost without
incidences on performances of the system. Among these
parameters, slope and orientation of the field of sensors are
most important. One of the best suggested solutions is to direct
the panel towards the south and to incline its structure
according to a pre–optimal angle calculated for considered site.
However, this method remains limited, without additional
contribution for the first and the last hours of the day [1,10].
Another methodology to overcome this drawback is
tracking systems to minimize incidence angle between the solar
radiation and the surface. In solar applications using plane
panels, using a solar tracker allows to increase the equipment
output. Economically, these systems are beneficial if additional
costs relating to the tracker mechanism (e.g. motor, circuits,
maintenance, etc.) are lower than the new global cost so it does
not lead to the same power production as a fixed system [3,8].
978-1-4673-7894-9/15/$31.00 ©2015 IEEE
Amraoui Merouane
Department of Electrical Engineering
Biskra University
Biskra, Algeria
hotmar3@gmail.com
II. POSITION OF THE SUN [4]
Any solar application requires knowledge of the apparent
movement of the sun for a given point of the earth surface,
which is characterized by its latitude (positive for the northern
hemisphere) and longitude (defined relative to the Greenwich
meridian, positive eastward).
The angular coordinates of the sun represent the apparent
direction of the sun on its trajectory, for a fixed observer on the
Earth, in a given moment. These coordinates are expressed in
azimuth and height, respectively noted A and H. The azimuth
A is the angle of the sun azimuth plane with the meridian plane
of the place forms, if one defines the azimuth plane of the sun
like the vertical plane (orthogonal to the local horizontal plane)
containing the presumed specific sun and the point of
observation. The azimuth is measured starting from the
direction of the South (azimuth 0 or solar midday - the sun
passes in the meridian line of the place), positively towards the
West and negatively towards the East [9]. The height H of the
sun is the angle, which forms the apparent direction of the sun
with the horizontal plane of the place in the azimuth plan of the
sun. It varies between the height at sunrise and sunset
(intersection of the place horizon plane with the celestial
sphere), and the maximum height, depending on the latitude of
the observation. The variables considered are the latitude,
which depends on the place, the variation which depends on
the day, and the time angle. During the day, the moment when
the sun passes by the meridian line of the place of the observer,
i.e. where it is in the south in our hemisphere is “true” midday.
For one unspecified moment, time angle AH is the angle,
projected in the field of the equator, between the sun and true
midday; it is worth 15° par hour (360°/24:00). It is null at solar
midday the true (12h TSV), negative morning (-90° to 6:00
TSV), positive the afternoon (-90° to 18:00 TSV).
Several parameters can be calculated such as the apparent
direction of the sun for the moment, the day and the place
considered, the height to midday, and the azimuth with the
sunrise and sunset for the day, and the considered latitude as
well. These three last data are sufficient to determine the
apparent day trajectory of the sun and the latitude. They indeed
allow to determine three points on the celestial sphere (sunrise,
culmination and sunset) which are enough with the geometrical
or analytical characterization to the circular trajectory to the
sun for the day and the considered latitude.

Figure 1. Azimuth A and height H of the sun
III. THE SOLAR PANORAMA
The solar panorama is a Cartesian representation of
apparent trajectories of the sun for a given latitude. The
azimuths are carried there in X-coordinates and heights in Y-
coordinates; this representation allows an immediate reading of
angular coordinates of the sun for a given date and a moment.
Calculation are carried out within PVSYST software.
Figure 2. Trajectories of the sun in Adrar (27°52′N, 0°17′W) solar time.
IV. OPERATING PRINCIPLE
Our system is composed of a voltage regulator, a sensor,
oscillator, a PIC microcontroller, an amplifier, a protection
circuit, an H bridge, and a DC motor.
The system measures the voltage delivered by the
photovoltaic cell and converts it into a digital value. According
to the developed program, it will decide which direction will be
followed by the motor. A reset button is used to reinitialize the
system.
Photovaltaïc PIC
cell microcontroller Motor
Figure 3. Schematic of voltage regulator
V. PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS [6]
The sun tracker uses a photovoltaic cell for light detection.
Photovoltaic cells are devices that directly produce electricity
from sunlight. Many photovoltaic cells are assembled together
to form a solar array also known as solar panel. These cells
convert light into electricity by converting energy resulting
from photons from sunlight knock electrons into a higher state
of energy, within the cell itself. Photovoltaic cells are
composed of layered materials that include two types of
silicon, an anti-reflective coating, and a glass cover.
Absorption of a photon by a semiconductor generates a pair
of electron hole when its energy is higher than that of the
prohibited bandwidth of material. The internal electric field
with the junction, then involves the hole towards the area P and
the electron towards the area N.
By din of the semi-conductor of area of type P and N, the
solar cell is thus a junction P-N with various parts represented
on the diagram of Figure 4.
Figure 4. Operating principle of a PV cell [2]
When a photon comes to strike the zone of transition, it
tears off an electron with the silicon atom, which will move
with dimensions NR. While the “hole” thus created by this
wrenching will move with dimensions P. Therefore, it appears a
as a voltage at the boundaries of the device. If one closes the
cell on an external circuit, a current circulates. This cell, which
behaves as a battery, which is sensitive to photons, is called
photovoltaic cell.
The circuit of Figure 5 may schematically represent a
photovoltaic cell.
Ip
ID
Iph Vp
Figure 5. Equivalent model of a PV cell
Ip: current from a photovoltaic cell (A)
Iph : the photo current (A)
ID: current diode (A)
Vp : photovoltaic cell voltage (V)
 VI. THE MICROCONTROLLER CIRCUIT[3] Containing all these components ensures a long life span at
The choice of a PIC microcontroller is directly related to the minimum current leakage.
considered application. The ULN2003 is able to run out a maximum current of
500mA by transistor and can afford a maximum voltage of
 Is necessary in the first time to determine the number
50V. Thus, we can directly easily connect relays needed for the
of inputs/outputs necessary for the application. This
application.
number of inputs/outputs gives us a first family of PIC.
 Is necessary then to determine if the application
requires an Analog-to-digital converter (ADC) which
will yields more specific choices within PICs families.
 Calculation time is an important feature, which can be
checked from datasheet of the PIC microcontroller to
ensure compatibility between the selected PIC and the
assembly.
 Internal RAM and EEPROM.
 Length of the application program determines the
memory size of the required PIC.
According to the above requirements, we used the
PIC16F877 microcontroller. The PIC16F877, in addition to its
simple programming, contains an analog-to-digital converter, Figure 7. Pinout of the ULN2003
which is practical during measurements achieved on the
photovoltaic cell. Figure 6 illustrates the used PIC16F877 as a VIII. THERMAL RELAYS (H BRIDGE)
DIL case DIL with 40.
To drive the direction of rotation of a motor with D.C.
current or step-by-step, polarity should be inverted. Moreover,
it is generally advisable to be able to vary the engine speed.
The solution is to use an H bridge [2].

Figure 6. Pinout of the PIC 16F877

 RA0 to RA5 are inputs/outputs of port A.

 RB0 to RB7 are inputs/outputs of the port B. Figure 8. Principle of the H bridge
 RC0 to RC7 are inputs/outputs of the port C.
 Individually, each pin of the ports A, B and C cannot In diagrams of Figure 8, the rotation direction of the
output more than 20 mA or absorb more than 25 mA. The engine: on diagram A; the engine is stopped .On diagram B; it
total of output intensities by the port cannot exceed 50 mA turns in the opposite direction of that of diagram C, and finally
and 100 mA for port B. The total of received intensities by on diagram D; it is braked [2].
the port cannot exceed 80 mA and 150 mA for port B.
 OSC1/CLOCKIN and OSC2/CLOCKOUT are pins of the TABLE I. TABLE OF THE VARIOUS SEQUENCES
clock. Quartz or RC circuits can be used as complementary
IN1 IN2 Motor state
circuits for the clock. Quartz circuits are preferred for their
0 0 STOP
better precision than RC oscillators.
0 1 direction 1
VII. MOTOR DRIVER [2] 1 0 direction 2
1 1 STOP
The ULN2003 allows us to drive thermal relays. It
comprises two transistors, two diodes and two resistances.
 IX. VOLTAGE REGULATOR illustrates a block diagram of the developed project while
The PIC16F877 requires a regulated 5V supply voltage, Figure 11 provides a complete hardware schematic of the
which has been provided by a LM7805 voltage regulator. The project.
circuit shown in Figure 8 converts an unregulated supply of 12
volts to 5 volts.

Figure 10. Hardware Block Diagram

Figure 9. Schematic of the voltage regulator

X. SIMULATION AND ROUTING

Firstly, we checked operating of the program we developed
before transferring it into the microcontroller. That will enable
us to save time and increase the lifespan of our PIC. Figure 10

Figure 11. Hardware Schematic Diagram

 XI. SYSTEM OPERATION
Once the tracker has set its initial position to the sun, the
device seeks the optimal position and delivers a signal to the
panel driving system, which corrects the orientation and
continue tracking the sun. First, the tracker measures light
intensity at its present location. It then moves left, the position
reached and then exceeded a prefixed angular value α. The
drive direction is then changed, the device returns to the other
direction by the maximum position and the angular position
exceeds a value -α. This process is repeated continuously. If
any of the values are equal, the tracker will return to the center
position and check again later. The tracker will wait the sun to
move one degree, which corresponds to 4 minutes, before
checking the next positions again. Once the tracker has moved
180 degrees, which corresponds to 9 hours, it will return to its
starting point and enter into sleep mode [3][7].
The actuators for the repair panel position are activated
whenever the angular deviation θ reaches the set value θC as
illustrated in in Figure 12.
a) The orientation is correct; the sensor oscillates
between either sides of the sun position;
b) The sun being virtually moving westward, the panel
axes and the sensor are at an angle θ.
Soon as θ value reaches θC, the driving motor is activated
by establishing a contact in the supply circuit of the solar panel,
which is thus reoriented. Figure 13 shows the software flow
diagram.

Figure 13. Software Flow Diagram

Cnt: counter of steps;

Memo, RA: registers;
MVB: move backward one step procedure;
MVF: move forward one step procedure;
Thr: Threshold;
Figure 12. Panel position relative to the sun (a) correct, (b) deviation of θ° XII. CONCLUSION
The high cost of the photovoltaic generators can justify the
addition of additional equipment, even sophisticated, making it
possible to increase the output of solar systems. Several studies
show that solar tracker systems operate during the year with
great energetic and economic performances definitely higher
compared to a fixed slope.
The traditional sun tracker systems are often disorientated
when there is an imbalance between the sensor constituent
elements [7]. Because of the obstruction partial or total surface
of the sensor. Natural impurities can easily distort the stability
of the traditional systems [5]. Our system has the advantage of
being practically insensitive to these impurities.
 Only the maximum voltage generated by the photovoltaic
cell is considered to generate the control signal of the sun
tracker.
It can be very useful in the distant sites where maintenance
is not frequent.
To ensure a good follow-up of the sun, it is necessary that
the mobile system swivels on two axes, the first ensures a
follow-up in azimuth and the second in height but as the
movement in this last is far from variable during the day, it is
enough to change it manually.
[6] A. Hill, “What are Photovoltaic Cells?,” C. Wilborn. 2015., in press.
[7] A. Chermitti, B. Benyoucef , “Dispositif d’Orientation de Panneaux
Solaires,” Rev. Energ. Ren. Vol. 5.pp 129-138, 2002.
[8] D.Chogueur, S.Bentouba and O.Chogueur, " Identification and
correction of a solar tracking system". ICESD14 Conf , Adrar
University, Algeria , 2014.
[9] Gerro Prinsloo, "Practical Solar Tracing Design". eBook, ISBN : 978-0-
620-61576-1 , Feb 2015.
[10] Gerro Prinsloo, "Combined Solar Heat and Power With Microgrid
Storage and Layered Smartgrid Control Towards Supplying Off-Grid
Rural Villages". Energy Sience and Engineering, Jan 2015.

REFERENCES

[1] Nader Barsoum and Pandian Vasant, “Design Of A Traditional Solar

Tracking System,” . AIP Conf. Proc. 1239, 151 ,2010.
[2] H. Ben Jaffel and A. Riahi, “ Design and realization of a sun tracker,”
Project Graduation, ISET Siliana, Tunis, 2009.
[3] Bill Lane, “Solar Tracker,”. DECE. Cleveland State University. Ohio,
April 30, 2008.
[4] John A. Duffie, William A. Beckman, “Solar Engineering of Thermal
Processes,”. Jhon Wiley and sons.inc; New Jersey. 4th edition, pp. 3–5,
April, 2013.
[5] D. Chogueur, T. Boussoukaia et A.Chikh, " Realization of an automatic
guidance device solar panels," STEMA’03 conf, Polytechnic military
school in Bordj El Bahri, Algeria, March 23-24, 2004.

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