Sun-Tracking vs. Stationary Solar Panel

Presenter Information

John Burt, Minnesota State University - Mankato
Tina Alaei, Minnesota State University - Mankato
Dan Schmitz, Minnesota State University - MankatoFollow

Location

CSU Ballroom

Start Date

21-4-2014 10:00 AM

End Date

21-4-2014 11:30 AM

Student's Major

Integrated Engineering

Student's College

Science, Engineering and Technology

Mentor's Name

Mohammad Habibi

Mentor's Department

Integrated Engineering

Mentor's College

Science, Engineering and Technology

Description

Solar energy is one of the solutions to satisfy the world’s growing demand for energy. However, cost, efficiency and dependability on weather condition are the major drawbacks of solar energy. The daily and seasonal movement of earth affects the radiation intensity on solar systems and accordingly generated electric power. The efficiency of solar panels can be improved by using sun-tracking devices. Sun-trackers move the solar systems to compensate for the daily and seasonal movement of earth, keeping the best orientation relative to the Sun. The aim of this study is to evaluate the cost and reliability of sun-tracking versus stationary solar panels. This project was completed by Iron Range Engineering students in fall 2013 and Spring 2014. The faculty mentor and three Iron Range Engineering students finalized the design and prototyped an efficient sun-tracking system and then studied the associated cost, reliability and sustainability.