SolarTrakTM controller developments for today´s applications

The SolarTrak^TM array tracking controller, originally developed and licensed by Sandia National Laboratories as a low-cost, high-accuracy, reliable controller for photovoltaic (PV) concentrator arrays, has undergone significant development to make tracking accessible to a much broader segment of the PV market. Hardware and software improvements: (1) reduce power consumption for PV/battery-powered applications; (2) enable the controller to connect directly with low-cost, off-the-shelf, television satellite dish actuators; (3) enable onsite setup without an additional input board; (4) increase clock accuracy by providing daily and weekly adjustments to the onboard clock; and (5) include a low-cost wind stow sensor. The result is a stand-alone tracking system, sufficiently low cost and reliable to make 1 kW tracking systems practical for flat-plate and concentrating solar cell arrays. Results of a year of testing are presented showing that a clock accuracy better than a minute per year can be maintained