Improved position controlled solar photovoltaic system for a single phase RL load

The primary sources used for electrical energy generation are fossil fuels which cannot be replenished and hence the need for renewable energy sources is growing. The abundant availability of solar energy makes it reliable renewable energy source. The proposed work puts forward proficient approach to track the solar energy for the efficient operation of the photovoltaic based systems. An automatic single axis position control of the solar panel to track the sun from morning to evening which is connected to an AC load through a relay mechanism has been presented in this work. The position of the solar panel is changed using a stepper motor controlled by ATmega328p microcontroller. This position controlled solar panel has been used to charge a battery which is connected through a relay to a backup inverter supplying an AC load. The developed tracking system is tested and the experimental results are compared and analyzed for the static and dynamic operations of the solar panel.