SMART ARDUINO-BASED SOLAR TRACKING SYSTEM FOR ENHANCED PV EFFICIENCY AND SUSTAINABLE POWER GENERATION

With rising global energy demands and heightened environmental concerns, renewable energy has emerged as crucially significant alternative energy sources in contrast to the conventional power plants. The sector of renewable energy is one of the key industries of growth for most countries due to its eco-friendly and financial benefits. Out of all renewable resources, solar power is perhaps the most valuable resource, particularly for rural areas where access to the conventional sources of power could be weak. The aim of this project is to create a real-time solar tracking system using an Arduino Uno for the purpose of attaining the highest energy harvesting. The system tries to make efficiency optimal by managing the position of the solar panel, which moves dynamically according to the movement of the sun. The project has two broad stages: hardware development and software development. In the hardware component, two light-dependent resistors (LDRs) are used to detect maximum light intensity and position the solar panel to receive maximum energy. A servo motor, as instructed by the Arduino, places the panel according to LDR input. The system efficiency has been tested and compared with a stationary solar panel to find out its performance.