Exploring the effectiveness of using devices that follow the Sun

¹ Faculty of Mechanical Engineering UTP in Bydgoszcz, Department of Vehicle Engineering, Al. Prof. S. Kaliskiego 7, 85-796 Bydgoszcz, Poland
² Khmelnitsky National University, Instytutska Street, 11, Khmelnytskyi, 29000, Ukraine

^* Corresponding author: Lukasz.Muslewski@utp.edu.pl

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the effectiveness of devices that follow the Sun. For this purpose, the construction of a two-axes tracker with an automatic system of steering the solar panels on azimuth during the light period of the day and with the possibility of manually adjusting the angle of rotation of the solar panels on the zenith, depending on the season is designed. For the proposed construction, the calculation of the angles of the zenith is made and the optimal angles are selected for manual adjustment of the seasonal positions of the system. The photo modules, which are installed stationary on the developed tracker system, are selected. Structural and electrical principle diagram of the stand was developed for determining the efficiency of solar power station, equipment was selected and its manufacture made. A solar power station monitoring system has been developed, which enables to automatically visualize parameters, perform data processing in real time, create databases and perform a comparative analysis of their operational efficiency in an automatic mode. Experimental researches have been carried out on determination of the generated electric energy by static and dynamic solar power stations, on the basis of which the efficiency of tracker systems of rotation of solar panels is confirmed. The use of dynamic systems compared to static allows to increase the production of electricity by 33% under the same conditions. But with poor illumination of the panels (rain, fog, cloudy weather), the tracker's effectiveness decreases and it does not exaggerate 5% when fully covered with the sky. Therefore, the use of tracking systems in the absence of direct sunlight on the surface of photo modules is not feasible.