Smiya Johnson Puthiri, NSS College of Engg

Sun tracking solar paneled EV

Abstract--The greatest challenge faced by the present world is

energy crisis. We prefer non- conventional energy sources to
overcome this crisis. Solar panels have been increasingly used in
recent years to convert solar energy to electrical energy. The
solar panel can be used either as a stand-alone system or as a
large solar system that is connected to the electricity grids. This
work plans to provide the extracted energy from the sun to be
used in an electric vehicle. This project tries to consume more
energy from the sun using solar panel. In order to maximize the
conversion from solar to electrical energy, the solar panels have
to be positioned perpendicular to the sun. This is most required
in an electric vehicle since the position of an electric vehicle
changes most often. Thus the tracking of the suns location and
positioning of the solar panel are important.
This project aims to design an automatic tracking
system, which can locate the position of the sun and provide this
energy to an electric vehicle. The tracking system will move the
solar panel so that it is positioned perpendicular to the sun for
maximum energy conversion at all time. The system mainly
consist of a light sensing system, microcontroller, gear motor,
solar panel and an electric vehicle. This system will provide an
output up to 40% more energy than solar panels without
tracking system to the electric vehicle used.

I. INTRODUCTION
nergy is the prime factor for the development of a nation.
An enormous amount of energy is extracted, distributed,
converted and consumed in the global society daily. 85% of
energy production is dependent on fossil fuels. The resources
of the fossil fuels are limited and their use results in global
warming due to emission of greenhouse gases. To provide a
sustainable power production and safe world to the future
generation, there is a growing demand for energy from
renewable sources like solar, wind, geothermal and ocean
tidal wave.
The sun is the prime source of energy, directly or indirectly,
which is also the fuel for most renewable systems. Among all
renewable systems, photovoltaic system is the one which has
a great chance to replace the conventional energy resources
[1].

Solar energy as a large amount of renewable energy

has been widely distributed. In recent decades, solar power
technology has been rapidly developed [2]. Solar panel
directly converts solar radiation into electrical energy. Solar
panel is mainly made from semiconductor materials. Si used
as the major component of solar panels, which is maximum
24.5% efficient [1].
Solar photovoltaic (PV) system uses photo-voltaic modules
composed of several PV cells to convert solar radiant energy
directly in to an electrical energy. Several solar cells are
connected together in either series or parallel configuration
(to form a solar PV module or PV panel) to increase output
voltage or current respectively. Individual PV modules are

connected in array called solar PV array to further enhance

the output. The major components of solar PV system are PV
array, power converter, battery, AC / DC load etc. (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1. Components of Solar Photovoltaic System

But, there are still some problems, such as high system cost
and low efficiency of the PV system. Furthermore, the actual
power is influenced by light intensity, air temperature and
other environmental factors [2].
Increasing the cell efficiency, maximizing the power output
and employing a tracking system with solar panel are three
ways to increase the overall efficiency of the solar panel.
Improvement of solar cell efficiency is an ongoing research
work and people throughout the world are actively doing
research on this. Maximizing the output power from solar
panel and integrating solar tracking system are the two ways
where electronic design methodology can bring success [1].
Considering solar trackers available solar trackers in the
market are much costly to integrate with solar panel system
[1]. In the developing countries cost is one of the major
issues. Solar power systems in autonomous robotic vehicles
have been often used for some years [6].
Microprocessor based automatic sun tracker has
been developed in 1991
.The proposed tracking system
resulted in a considerable saving in energy. Tracking system
is not constrained by the geographical location of installation
of the solar panel. The temporal changes in environment
condition at a distance where panel is mounted do not affect
proper direction finding. But in this method the relative
change in the elevation angle of sun has been neglected and
but adjustments of the tilt angle is necessary every month
[11].
Then microcontrollers were introduced in solar
tracking with a paper presenting a means of tracking the
suns position with the help of microcontroller. Specially, it
demonstrates a working software solution for maximizing
solar cell output by positioning a solar panel at the point of
maximum light intensity. The prototype represents a method
for tracking the sun both in normal and bad weather
condition. But this is only a miniature system and it has
limitations in hardware areas like photo resistors used and the
panel rotated [1].

Studies then lead to the design of an efficient and

cost-effective solar tracking system for small photovoltaic
panels such as those used in domestic applications like water
heating has developed. It includes the development of a
microcontroller based single axis tracking system. It was a
viable solution for increasing the power output from even
small scale PV systems .But the Position tracking system was
tested using torch light to emulate sunlight [12].
Then automatic Solar Tracker Robot (STR) which is
capable to track maximum light intensity was introduced. The
efficiency of the solar energy conversion can be optimized by
receiving maximum light on the solar panel. But this system
was not waterproof which prevented it to be used on rainy
days [15].
Later a proposal was introduced that includes the
construction of a solar tracker mechanism based on mobile
PV panels aimed at increasing system energy. This
mechanism is capable of tracking maximum light intensity.
This solution does not attempt to achieve high charging times
or great operating times [6].
A solar tracker is an electro-mechanical system used
on behalf of orienting a solar photovoltaic panel in the
direction of the sun, used in many applications such as the
transportation signalling, lighthouses etc. The solar tracker is
realized to detect maximum power from sunlight and the
position of the maximum power detection is stored in the
memory. It tracked the sun all the day and 95% efficiency was
achieved [13].
From these literatures it is evident that sensing of
sun light, providing initial position of the solar panel and
power consumption of the motor for the tracker are the major
challenges of the solar tracking system. The sharp curves that
usually exist on the road also affect the tracking system badly.
So we decided to proposed suitable solar tracking
system for an electric vehicle which is not affected by the
sharp turns that occur on the path of the electric vehicle.
II. SUN TRACKING TECHNOLOGY
Another way to enhance the performance of a solar
panel is to increase the intensity of light falling on it. Solar
panel gives maximum power output at the time when sun is
directly aligned with the panel. Solar trackers are the most
appropriate and proven technology to increase the efficiency
of solar panels through keeping the panels aligned with the
suns position. Automatic solar tracker increases the
efficiency of the solar panel by keeping the solar panel
aligned with the rotating sun. Solar tracking is a mechanized
system to track the suns position that increases power output
of solar panel 30% to 60% than the stationary system. Solar
trackers get popularized around the world in recent days to
harness solar energy in most efficient way. This is far more
cost effective solution than purchasing additional solar panels
[1].
Solar tracker is a device used to orient a solar panel
towards the sun . Solar tracker is used to track the maximum
amount of light produced by the sun. It is discovered that the
instantaneous solar radiation collected by the photovoltaic
modules, assembled in a tracking system, is higher than the

critical irradiance level for longer hours than in fixed

systems. Besides, it is estimated that the yield from solar
panels can be increased by 30 to 60 percent by utilizing a
tracking system instead of a stationary array. Up to 40% extra
power can be produced per annum using a variable elevation
solar tracker .Nowadays, there are many types of solar
trackers invented but the two basic categories of trackers that
are widely-used are single-axis and dual-axis tracker. Singleaxis tracker can either have a horizontal or a vertical axis,
while dual-axis tracker have both horizontal and vertical axis,
thus making them able to track the sun's apparent motion
almost anywhere in the world.[17]

Fig.3 Single-axis and Dual-axis Solartracker

III. METHODOLOGY
A. Block Diagram
The block diagram of the proposed solar tracking system
model is shown in figure. The intensity of sunlight is detected
using LDRs. The LDRs are fixed in both axes of the solar
panel. The difference in intensity in sunlight is obtained from
the LDR output which is then given to the microcontroller.
The microcontroller produces an output corresponding to the
direction in which maximum intensity is obtained. This
output is provided to a driver IC which turns ON the gear
motors. The gear motor rotates the solar panel to the direction
where maximum intensity of sunlight is obtained. The power
obtained from the solar panel is given to a battery for storage
purpose. The power that is stored in this battery is then
provided as the supply power for the electric vehicle. The
power obtained from the solar panel is given to a battery for
storage purpose. The power that is stored in this battery is
then provided as the supply power for the electric vehicle.

Fig.3 Block diagram of the system model

Fig.4 Circuit diagram

B. Circuit Diagram
The circuit diagram of the proposed model is shown in
figure. Three LDRs are fixed for the control of a single axis.
Here to obtain the control on both axes we use six LDRs. The
LDR produces a change in resistance according to the change
in the intensity of sunlight obtained. This change in
resistance is converted to a corresponding voltage output by
using a voltage divider circuit.
Three LDRs are consequently placed in a single line inside
a slit on an axis. The system is stable and needs no change if
the intensity of sunlight is maximum in the LDR that is
placed in the middle. If the intensity of sunlight is maximum
in an LDR in any edge then the panel has to be rotated in that
direction. For this the change in resistance that is converted
to a voltage is provided as input to a microcontroller. The
microcontroller then decides the motor to be turned ON and
provides the trigger to turn ON that motor through a driver
IC.A single gear motor controls the movement in a particular
axis. Here we use two gear motors for the overall control. The
H-bridge provided in the driver IC can make a gear motor
rotate in both directions.

C. Program Logic
The logic of the program used in the microcontroller is
explained here. When the intensity of sunlight is maximum in
the LDR placed in the middle then the system is stable and
there is no need for tracking. Initially both the motors are
considerd to be OFF. The output of the LDRs placed in X-axis
is taken in an order as xa0,xa1 & xa2.The value of xa0 is
taken as x1value1 which is again observed after a delay as
x1value2.If there is a drastic change between x1value1 and
x1value2 then the no tracking is done since this change might
be due to an immediate turning of the vehicle or any
unfavorable condition. When this change is small the values
of other two LDRs are also measured. When the value of the
LDR in the middle is greatest i.e., if xa1 is greater than xa0
and xa2 then no change is caused to the system. But if xa2 is
greater motor1 is rotated in clockwise direction towards the
direction of that LDR. And if xa0 is greater motor1 is rotated
in clockwise direction towards the direction of that LDR. The
clockwise rotation of motor1 is indicated as motor11 and the
anticlockwise rotation of motor1 is indicated as motor12.
The same logic is taken in the control of Y-axis. The flow
char t for the logic used in X-axis is shown in fig.6 and that
of Y-axis is shown in fig.7

Fig.7 Logic for the control of Y-axis

Fig.5 Initialisation logic

Fig.6 Logic for the control of X-axis

D. Hardware Description
The sunlight is received by the solar panel. A green
LED indicates that a power is obtained from the solar panel.
The LDRs placed inside the slit on the panel detects the
intensity of sunlight. In horizontal axis the LDRs xo, x1 and
x3 detects the sunlight. In the vertical axis the LDRs yo, y1
and y3 senses the sunlight intensity. The difference in
resistance generated in the LDR with the change in sunlight
intensity is converted to a corresponding output voltage by a
voltage divider circuit. If the intensity of sunlight is
maximum in x1 and y1 both the motors 1 and 2 remains off.
If intensity of sunlight is maximum in x0, motor 1
rotates in clockwise direction. If intensity of sunlight is more
in x2, motor1 rotates in anticlockwise direction.
Similarly in the vertical axis motor2 rotates in
clockwise direction if the intensity of sunlight is maximum in
y0 and in anticlockwise direction if the intensity of sunlight is
maximum in y2.
The output voltage from the panel is stored in a
battery which is used as a power source for the electric
vehicle. Another battery is used to provide the power for the
components used in the tracking system.

Fig.9 Output voltage obtained from the central LDR

E. Observational Results
Analyzed the results of the system model by obtaining the
waveforms of the voltage output from each component of the
system. The output of the solar panel is a steady dc voltage of
about 7.93V (Rated output of the panel is 8.86V).

Fig.8 Output voltage of the solar panel

Next the output voltages obtained from the LDRs placed n

Y-axis was observed. The output voltages obtained from the
LDRs in a single axis (y-axis) is obtained as shown in fig.
Here the output of the LDR in the middle position has the
greatest output and so both the inputs to the motor controlling
Y-axis remain turned OFF.

Fig.10 Output voltage obtained from the LDR in the left

The corresponding output voltage obtained from the LDRs

in a single axis (x-axis) is obtained as shown in fig. Here the
output of the LDR in the middle position has the greatest
output and so both the inputs to the motor controlling X-axis
remain turned OFF.

Fig.11 Output voltage obtained from the LDR in the right.

remains high while the output to motor2 remains low when

there is a change in X-axis and vice-versa.

Fig.12 Output voltage obtained from the LDR in the right.

Fig.15 Output voltage of microcontroller during change in X-axis

Fig.13 Output voltage obtained from the LDR in the middle.

Fig.16 Output voltage of microcontroller during change in Y-axis

IV. CONCLUSION AND FUTURE WORKS

Fig.14 Output voltage obtained from the LDR in the left

Now if a change arises ie, if the output of any LDR other

than the middle one becomes greater motor gets turned ON in
that particular direction. The output obtained from the
microcontroller was observed. Since the change occurred in a
single axis the motor controlling that particular axis gets
turned ON by the trigger pulse from the microcontoller. We
obtain a voltage of about 5V from the microcontroller to turn
on the motor which is given to the driver IC and this is seen
is fig 12 and fig 13.As seen in the graph the output to motor1

Energy crisis and pollution is the major problem

encountered by the present world. Implementation of solar
electric vehicle can be a small solution for these problems.
High system cost and low efficiency of the PV system are the
challenges while using a solar panel. Furthermore, the actual
power is influenced by light intensity, air temperature and
other environmental factors. Increasing the cell efficiency,
maximizing the power output and employing a tracking
system with solar panel are three ways to increase the overall
efficiency of the solar panel. Improvement of solar cell
efficiency is an ongoing research work and people throughout
the world are actively doing research on this. Maximizing the
output power from solar panel and integrating solar tracking
system are the two ways where electronic design methodology
can bring success.
Here a solar tracking system for an electric vehicle is
modeled. The efficiency of the panel rises almost by
40%.Unlike in ordinary tracking systems here the tracker
wont change for the drastic changes in intensity of sunlight
which might be caused due to the steep turnings or

unfavorable conditions that might occur in an electric vehicle.

The panel used for providing supply to the electric vehicle
can be efficiently used by this system.
However, optimum tracking positions can be
obtained in future by improved logic and more expensive
LDRs.
V.

REFERENCES

[1] Md. Tanvir Arafat Khan, S.M. Shahrear Tanzil, Rifat Rahman, S M Shafiul

Alam, Design and Construction of an Automatic Solar Tracking System 6th

International Conference 2010, 18-20 December 2010
[2] Amod Kumar,D. S. Karanjkar, S. Chatterji and Shimi S. L.,Real Time
Simulation and Analysis of Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT)
Techniques for Solar Photo-Voltaic System Proceedings of 2014 ieee
conference,06-08 march,2014
[3] YUAN Yuan LIU Tian-qiLI Qian, ZHOU Xiao-yan,A New Maximum
Power Point Tracking Algorithm for Solar Vehicle, 2012
[4]Yang Chen and Keyue Ma Smedley,Cost Effective Single Stage Inverter with
Maximum
Power
Point
Tracking,ieee
transactions
on
powerelectronics,vol,19,no:5,September 2004,pp.1289-1294
[5]Peter Wolfs and Quan Li, Hardware Implementation and Performance
Analysis of a Current-Sensor-Free Single Cell MPPT for High Performance
Vehicle Solar Arrays, IEEE transactions on energy conversion, vol.23,
no.2.june2008.
[6]Tomas de J.Meteo Sanguino and E.Gonzalez Ramos, smart host
microcontroller for optimal battery charging in a solar powered robotic vehicle,
IEEE/ASME Transactions on mechatronics,vol.18,no.3,june2013.
[7]Ashish Pandey ,Niveditha Dasgupta and Ashok kimar Mukerjee,high
performance algoritms for drift avoidance and fast tracking in solar
MPPT,IEEE Transactions on energy conversion,vol.23,no.2.june 2008
[8] Wernher Swiegers and Johan H.R. Enslin, An Integrated Maximum Power
Point Tracker for Photovoltaic Panels, 1998 IEEE pp.40-44
[9] Ismail Nakir, Ali Durusu, Enes Ugur, Mudeem Tanrven, Performance
Assessment of MPPT Algorithms for Vehicle Integrated Solar Systems,2 nd ieee
conference 2012.
[10]Quan Li and Peter Wolfs, Experimental Evaluation of the MPPT Hardware
for Vehicle Solar Arrays with Silicon Junction Cells.
[11] A. Konar, A.K. Mandal, Microprocessor based automatic sun tracker ieee
proceedings-a, vol. 138, no. 4, july 1991,pp-237-248
[12] Aneesh Kulkarni,Tushar Kshirsagar,Akash Laturia, "An Intelligent Solar
Tracker for Photovoltaic Panels"
[13] A.Kassem(IEEE Member),M.Hamad(IEEE Member),"A MicrocontrollerBased Multi-Function Solar Tracking System"
[14] Eftichios Koutroulis, Kostas Kalaitzakis, Member, IEEE, and Nicholas C.
Voulgaris Development of a Microcontroller-Based, Photovoltaic Maximum
Power Point Tracking Control System IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER
ELECTRONICS, VOL. 16, NO. 1, JANUARY 2001
[15] A.B. Afarulrazi, 2W. M. Utomo,K.L. Liew and M. Zarafi Solar Tracker
Robot using Microcontroller 2011 International Conference on Business,
Engineering and Industrial Applications (ICBEIA)
[16]F. Khoucha, A. Benrabah, O. Herizi, A. Kheloui An Improved MPPT
Interleaved Boost Converter for Solar Electric Vehicle Application 4th
International Conference on Power Engineering, Energy and Electrical Drives
Istanbul, Turkey, 13-17 May 2013
[17] Wang Meng-Hui, Jen-Cheng Yang, Xiu-Hong Li Application of extension
method to selecting of solar power systems Computer Communication Control
and Automation (3CA), 2010 International Symposium , IEEE Conference
Publications .

[18] Fan Zhang, Kary Thanapalan, Andrew Procter, Stephen Carr, and Jon
MaddyAdaptive Hybrid Maximum Power Point Tracking Method for a
Photovoltaic System.