IOT Project Report
on
Solar Panel Monitoring System
In partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree
of
BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
IN
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Submitted by:
Anushka Shah [19100BTIT06541]
Isha Bam [19100BTIT06566]
Khushi Agrawal [19100BTIT06572]
Under the guidance of
PROF. RICHA JAIN
DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
SHRI VAISHNAV INSTITUTE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
SHRI VAISHNAV VIDYAPEETH VISHWAVIDYALAYA, INDORE
JAN - JUNE 2022
Contents
[Link]. Title Page No.
1. INTRODUCTION 4
2. COMPONENTS 5
3. BLOCK DIAGRAM 9
4. CIRCUIT DIAGRAM 10
5. WORKING 11
6. FUTURE SCOPE 12
7. CONCLUSIONS 13
8. REFERENCES 13
2
ABSTRACT-
A Solar tracker is an automated solar panel which actually follows the sun to get maximum
power. The primary benefit of a tracking system is to collect solar energy for the longest period
of the day, and with the most accurate alignment as the Sun’s position shifts with the seasons.
Solar tracking is the most appropriate technology to enhance the electricity production of a PV
system. In this project, we are going to show you how to make an Arduino Based Solar Tracker
Using LDR & Servo Motor. The Solar Panel Tracker is designed to follow the sun movement
so that maximum light intensity hits on the solar panel, thus increasing the power efficiency.
We have designed a single-axis solar tracking system. In this system, the whole solar panel
moves from east to west in a day to point in the direction of the sun. The use of a solar tracker
circuit in the field of energy production will increase its efficiency. This system can also be
successfully implemented in other solar energy-based projects like water heaters and steam
turbines.
3
INTRODUCTION-
A typical solar panel converts only 30 to 40 percent of the incident solar irradiation into
electrical energy. Thus to get a constant output, an automated system is required which
should be capable to constantly rotate the solar panel. The Sun Tracking System (STS)
was made as a prototype to solve the problem, mentioned above. It is completely
automatic and keeps the panel in front of sun until that is visible. The unique feature of
this system is that instead of taking the earth as its reference, it takes the sun as a guiding
source. Its active sensors constantly monitor the sunlight and rotate the panel towards the
direction where the intensity of sunlight is maximum. With the rapid increase in
population and economic development, the problems of the energy crisis and global
warming effects are today a cause for increasing [Link] energy is one of the primary
sources of clean, abundant and inexhaustible energy, that not only provides alternative energy
resources, but also improves environmental pollution. The most immediate and
technologically attractive use of solar energy is through photovoltaic conversion. The
physics of the PV cell (also called solar cell) is very similar to the classical p-n junction diode.
The PV cell converts the sunlight directly into direct current (DC) electricity by the
photovoltaic effect. A PV panel or module is a packaged interconnected assembly of PV
cells. In order to maximize the power output from the PV panels, one needs to keep the panels
in an optimum position perpendicular to the solar radiation during the day. As such, it is
necessary to have it equipped with a Sun tracker. Compared to a fixed panel, a mobile PV
panel driven by a Sun tracker may boost consistently the energy gain of the PV panel
4
COMPONENTS-
a) System Interface
ATmega328p Microcontroller:-
The high-performance Microchip picoPower 8-bit AVR RISC-based microcontroller
combines 32KB ISP flash memory with read-while-write capabilities, 1024B
EEPROM, 2KB SRAM, 23 general purpose I/O lines, 32 general purpose working
registers, three flexible timer/counters with compare modes, internal and external
interrupts, serial programmable USART, a byte-oriented 2-wire serial interface, SPI
serial port, a 6-channel 10-bit A/D converter (8- channels in TQFP and QFN/MLF
packages), programmable watchdog timer with internal oscillator, and five software
selectable power saving modes. The device operates between 1.8-5.5 volts.
b) User Interface
It should be the connector between the various systems and the system or between
other parts or unit of the system.
c) Hardware Interface
Solar Panel:-
Solar panel refers to a panel designed to absorb the sun's rays as a source of energy for
generating electricity or heating. Photovoltaic modules use light energy (photons) from the
Sun to generate electricity through the photovoltaic effect. The majority of modules
use wafer-based crystalline silicon cells or thin-film cells. The structural (load carrying)
member of a module can either be the top layer or the back layer. Cells must also be
protected from mechanical damage and moisture. Most modules are rigid, but semi-
flexible ones are available, based on thin-film cells. The cells must be connected
electrically in series, one to another. Externally, most of photovoltaic modules use MC4
connectors type to facilitate easy weatherproof connections to the rest of the system.
Arduino UNO Microcontroller:-
Arduino Uno- is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega328P. It has 14 digital
input/output pins (of which 6 can be used as PWM outputs), 6 analog inputs, a 16 MHz
quartz crystal, a USB connection, a power jack, an ICSP header and a reset button. It
contains everything needed to support the microcontroller; simply connect it to a
computer with a USB cable or power it with a AC- to-DC adapter or battery to get
started. You can tinker with your UNO without worrying too much about doing
something wrong, worst case scenario you can replace the chip for a few dollars and
start over again.
LDRs :-
A Light Dependent Resistor (LDR) or a photo resistor is a device whose resistivity is a
function of the incident electromagnetic radiation. Hence, they are light sensitive devices.
They are also called as photo conductors, photo conductive cells or simply photocells.
They are made up of semiconductor materials having high resistance. A photoresistor is
made of a high resistance semiconductor.
6
Servo Motors:-
A servomotor is a rotary actuator or linear actuator that allows for precise control of
angular or linear position, velocity and acceleration. It consists of a suitable motor
coupled to a sensor for position feedback. It also requires a relatively sophisticated
controller, often a dedicated module designed specifically for use with servomotors.
Servomotors are not a specific class of motor although the term servomotor is often
used to refer to a motor suitable for use in a closed-loop control system.
A servomotor is a closed-loop servomechanism that uses position feedback to
control its motion and final position. The input to its control is a signal (either
analogue or digital) representing the position commanded for the output shaft.
More sophisticated servomotors use optical rotary encoders to measure the speed of the
output shaft and a variable-speed drive to control the motor speed. Both of these
enhancements, usually in combination with a PID control algorithm, allow the
servomotor to be brought to its commanded position more quickly and more precisely,
7
with less overshooting.
d) Software
Interface Arduino
IDE:-
A program for Arduino may be written in any programming language for a compiler
that produces binary machine code for the target [Link] Arduino project
provides the Arduino integrated development environment (IDE), which is a cross-
platform application written in the programming language Java. It originated from the
IDE for the languages Processing and Wiring. It includes a code editor with features
such as text cutting and pasting, searching and replacing text, automatic indenting,
brace matching, and syntax highlighting, and provides simple one-click mechanisms to
compile and upload programs to an Arduino board. It also contains a message area, a
text console, a toolbar with buttons for common functions and a hierarchy of operation
menus.
A program written with the IDE for Arduino is called a sketch. Sketches are saved on
the development computer as text files with the file extension .ino. Arduino Software
(IDE) The Arduino IDE supports the languages C and C++ using special rules of
code structuring. The Arduino IDE supplies a software library from the Wiring
project, which provides many common input and output procedures.
8
e) Operation
1. LDRs are used as the main light sensors. Two servo motors are fixed to the
structure that holds the solar panel. The program for Arduino is uploaded to the
microcontroller. The working of the project is as follows.
2. LDRs sense the amount of sunlight falling on them. Four LDRs are divided into
top, bottom, left and right.
3. For east – west tracking, the analog values from two top LDRs and two bottom
LDRs are compared and if the top set of LDRs receive more light, the vertical servo
will move in that direction.
4. If the bottom LDRs receive more light, the servo moves in that direction.
5. For angular deflection of the solar panel, the analog values from two left LDRs and
two right LDRs are compared. If the left set of LDRs receive more light than the
right set, the horizontal servo will move in that direction.
6. If the right set of LDRs receive more light, the servo moves in that direction.
BLOCK DIAGRAM-
9
CIRCUIT DIAGRAM
The circuit diagram for the Arduino Based Solar Tracker Using LDR & Servo
Motor is given below. Assemble the circuit as shown below.
WORKING
Two LDR’s (Light Dependent Resistor) LDR1 & LDR2 are connected to Analog
pins of the Arduino. A solar plate is attached in parallel to the axis of the servo
motor and both the sensors are kept on the solar plate as shown in the figure above.
The design & the arrangement is done in such a manner that the movement of the
sun is from LDR1 to LDR2, as shown in the image below.
11
There are three cases that are to be followed:-
Case 1: Sun is in the left side
Light on LDR1 is high because the shadow of barrier falls on LDR2 so solar plate
moves clockwise.
Case 2: Sun is in right Side
Light on LDR2 is high because the shadow of barrier falls on LDR1 so solar plate
movie anticlockwise.
Case 3: Sun is in the Center
Light on both LDR’s is equal so, plate will not rotate in any direction.
FUTURE SCOPE-
It can be used for small and medium scale power generations.
It can be used for power generation at remote places where power lines are
not accessible.
It can be used for domestic and industrial power backup sytem.
Solar radiation Tracker has played a vital role in increasing the efficiency of
solar panels in recent years, thus proving to be a better technological
achievement. The vital importance of a dual axis solar tracker lies in its
better efficiency and sustainability to give a better output compared to a fived
solar panel or a single axis solar tracker. The tracking system is designed such
that it can trap the solar energy in all possible directions
Street Lightning system can also be replaced by this tracking system which
would store enough energy throughout the day and be used at night. Efforts
should be taken to implement this on a large scale for future purpose so as to
meet increasing energy requirements.
12
CONCLUSION-
An Arduino solar tracker was designed and constructed in the current work. LDR
light sensors were used to sense the intensity of the solar light occurrence on the
photo-voltaic cells panel. Conclusions of this project is summarized as ,the existing
tracking system successfully sketched the light source even it is a small torch light,
in a dark room, or it is the sun light rays. The cost and reliability of this solar
tracker creates it suitable for the rural usage. The purpose of renewable energy
from this paper offered new and advanced idea to help the people.
REFERNCES-
1. Arifianto, Deni, “Kamus Komponen Elektronika”, Kawan Pustaka,
[Link], Albert Paul, “ElektronikaKomputer Digital”, edisikedua, Erlangga,
1989.
2. Arduino Board
Uno,([Link] 14 Mei
2014) 3. Elkablog. 2007. Buzzer. ([Link] diakses 17 Mei
2014)
4. Minarni. 2004. Klasifikasi Sidik Jari Dengan Pemrosesan Awal Transformasi.
([Link] diakses pada tanggal 7 Mei
2014)
[Link].p and [Link],” Parameter Estimation And Classification Using
Gaussianmixture Model”, International Journal of Innovations in Scientific and
Engineering Research (IJISER),vol2,no.4,pp73-76,2017. 6. Arunkumar, N.,
Venkataraman, V., Thivyashree, Lavanya ‘A moving window approximate entropy
based neural network for detecting the onset of epileptic seizures’ (2013)
International Journal of Applied Engineering Research, 8 (15), pp. 1841-184
13
