Sudan University of Science and Technology College of Graduate Studies Department of Electrical Engineering

PV 
Photovoltaic
 
CSP 
Concentrating Solar Power 
EHPs 
Electron Hole Pairs 
LDR 
Light Dependent Resistor 
ALU 
Arithmetic Logic Unit 
VRM 
Variable Reluctance Motor
PMSM 
Permanent Magnet Stepper Motor
HSM 
Hybrid Stepper Motor 
RAM 
Random Access Memory 
EPROM 
Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory 
EEPROM 
Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory 
I/O 
Input/Output 
RTD 
Resistance Temperature Detector 
USART 
Universal Synchronous Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter 
ADC 
Analog-To-Digital Converter 

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CHAPTER ONE 
INTRODUCTION 
General background:
Solar energy is clean and available in abundance. Solar technologies use the 
sun for provision of heat, light and electricity. These are for industrial and 
domestic applications. With the alarming rate of depletion of depletion of major 
conventional energy sources like petroleum, coal and natural gas, coupled with 
environmental caused by the process of harnessing these energy sources, it has 
become an urgent necessity to invest in renewable energy sources that can power 
the future sufficiently. The energy potential of the sun is immense. Despite the 
unlimited resource however, harvesting it presents a challenge because of the 
limited efficiency of the array cells. The best efficiency of the majority of 
commercially available solar cells ranges between 10 and 20% [1], [2]. This 
shows that there is stillroom for improvement. This project seeks to identify a 
way of improving efficiency of solar panels. Solar tracking is used. The tracking 
mechanism moves and positions the solar array such that it is positioned for 
maximum power output. Other ways include identifying sources of losses and 
finding ways to mitigate them.
When it comes to the development of any nation, energy is the main driving 
factor. There is an enormous quantity of energy that is extracted, distributed, 
converted and consumed every single day in the global society. Fossil fuels 
account for around 85 percent of energy that is produced. Fossil fuel resources 
are limited and using them is known to cause global warming because of 
emission of greenhouse gases. There is a growing need for energy from such 
sources as solar, wind, ocean tidal waves and geothermal for the provision of 
sustainable and power. Solar panels directly convert radiation from the sun into 

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electrical energy. The panels are mainly manufactured from semiconductor 
materials, notably silicon. Their efficiency is 24.5% on the higher side. Three 
ways of increasing the efficiency of the solar panels are through increase of cell 
efficiency, maximizing the power output and the use of a tracking system. 
Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) is the process of maximizing the 
power output from the solar panel by keeping its operation on the knee point of 
P-V characteristics. MPPT technology will only offer maximum power, which 
can be, received from stationary arrays of solar panels at any given time. The 
technology cannot however increase generation of power when the sun is not 
aligned with the system. 
Solar tracking is a system that is mechanized to track the position of the sun 
to increase power output by between 30% and 60% than systems that are 
stationary. It is a more cost effective solution than the purchase of solar panels. 
There are various types of trackers that can be used for increase in the amount 
of energy that can be obtained by solar panels. Dual axis trackers are among the 
most efficient, though this comes with increased complexity. Dual trackers track 
sunlight from box axes. They are the best option for places where the position of 
the sun keeps changing during the year at different seasons. Single axis trackers 
are a better option for places around the equator where there is no significant 
change in the apparent position of the sun. 
The level to which the efficiency is improved will depend on the efficiency 
of the tracking system and the weather. Very efficient trackers will offer more 
efficiency because they are able to track the sun with more precision. There will 
be bigger increase in efficiency in cases where the weather is sunny and thus 
favorable for the tracking system. 

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