A prototype of solar panel position control system based on image processing

Abstract

The position of the solar panel towards sunlight is very influential on the electrical energy production. The solar panel orthogonal to the sunlight is the best position to produce electrical energy. The aim of this research is creating a prototype of the solar panel position control system. The expected position of the system is solar panels are always perpendicular to the sun. In this research, we used image processing to control the solar panel position. We used a webcam to capture a shadow image of a 4cm bolt that placed on a flat plane. Then, the image from the shadow is processed to get the angle of the sun. We use trigonometric formulas to convert bolt shadows into angles. After that, the angle used as input for the solar panel drive motor. Thus, the solar panel can be adjusted to follow the angle of the sun. So that the positions are orthogonal to each other. The research finding discovered that the prototype can always follow the direction of incoming sunlight with an accuracy rate towards the center point is 95% for azimuth (X-axis) and 96% for altitude (Y-axis).