Solar Tracker Sensing and Feedback for Row-Level Shading Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional solar tracking systems are inadequate in optimizing energy conversion from solar panels due to suboptimal sun angles, leading to reduced power output and inefficiencies caused by shading from adjacent modules.
Innovation Solution
A tracking system for solar panels that uses sensing and feedback devices to adjust the angle of solar modules based on local conditions, such as sloping hills and changing ground cover ratios, to maximize energy capture, featuring a network of trackers with a controller device, drive devices, and irradiance sensors for optimal positioning and power generation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional solar tracking mechanisms are used to follow the sun, then solar panels can capture more sunlight throughout the day, but adjacent modules cast shadows on each other reducing overall efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic backtracking by continuously adjusting the tilt angle of solar module rows based on real-time irradiance sensor feedback. When sensors detect reduced light intensity indicating shadowing, the system dynamically modifies the tracking angle to prevent adjacent rows from casting shadows, thereby maintaining optimal energy conversion efficiency throughout the day.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs irradiance sensors mounted on each solar module to continuously monitor light intensity. This feedback is processed by a controller that compares actual irradiance levels against expected values, and when shadowing is detected, the controller automatically adjusts the module angles to eliminate the shading effect, creating a closed-loop control system for optimal performance.
2Adaptability or versatility
If solar panels are fixed at a single angle, then the system structure is simple and stable, but the panels cannot adapt to changing sun positions and environmental conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms fixed-tilt solar arrays into dynamically adjustable systems where each row can independently modify its angle. The tracking mechanism incorporates motors and controllers that enable continuous adjustment of module orientations based on sun position calculations and environmental sensor data, allowing the system to adapt to changing conditions while maintaining structural stability through controlled movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters of solar modules by dynamically adjusting their tilt and azimuth angles. Based on input from irradiance sensors, temperature sensors, and sun position algorithms, the controller modifies the physical orientation parameters of each module to optimize energy capture under varying environmental conditions throughout the day and across different seasons.
3Power
If solar modules are positioned to maximize individual energy capture, then each module performs optimally, but shading from adjacent modules increases reducing total system output
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality optimization by enabling each solar module row to have independent angle control based on its specific local conditions. Irradiance sensors on each module provide localized feedback about shadowing conditions, and the controller adjusts each row's angle individually to maximize that local module's performance while considering the impact on neighboring modules, creating a distributed optimization approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The system converts the harmful effect of shadowing into a beneficial control signal. When irradiance sensors detect reduced light intensity caused by adjacent module shading, this harmful condition is transformed into feedback that triggers automatic angle adjustments. The shadowing problem itself provides the information needed to optimize the system configuration, turning a negative effect into a useful control mechanism.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system optimizes power output by ensuring each solar module receives maximum sunlight without shading, improving energy conversion efficiency and adapting to varying environmental conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a controller device coupled to each tracker apparatus and configured to control the operation of the drive devices and to receive information from the irradiance sensors
Data Source
AI summary
A solar tracker system comprising a plurality of on sun trackers and a plurality of off sun tracker. Each tracker is selectively adjusted to achieve a desired power output of the solar power plant system in an example.