Design and Control of an Actuated Solar Panel for Solar Tracking Windows

While photovoltaics are one of the most crucial forms of sustainable energy generation, limited available land and the frequent utilization of high-rise building roofs are limiting factors, particularly in urban areas. Therefore, building integrated photovoltaics can tackle this issue by employing available surfaces of a building for energy generation. This paper focuses on the development of a building integrated photovoltaics frame, capable of orienting a photovoltaics panel. The aim of the proposed system is to optimize the utilization of vertical surfaces and enable the panels to track the movement of the sun, thus enhancing power generation efficiency. The device consists of two frames that allow the photovoltaic module to be aligned in two degrees of freedom using closed-loop control. The motion of the sun at a certain location and date is used as an input for the panel motion. In addition, sensors that can identify environmental factors and respond accordingly are integrated in the design. The device continuously transmits and receives data to and from mobile devices via a wireless network connection. This enables users to control the panel and get performance and sensor data in a user-friendly way. The proposed prototype was tested in a real-world environment. Tests on a rooftop displayed, that the device is capable of following the sun’s motion and thereby generating 30% more power than using it in a fixed position. This shows that the proposed prototype can not only optimize the use of vertical surfaces for energy generation but also shows great potential to be intelligently automated and monitored.