Researchers in Thailand have developed a ZigBee-based wireless monitoring solution for off-grid PV installations capable of tracking the sun across the sky, tilting the panel hourly. The elevation for the setup is adjusted manually once per month for optimum energy collection. The prototype is controlled by a local Arduino Uno board, along an H-bridge motor driver to actuate the motor and a 12V battery that’s charged entirely by solar power.
The system features a half-dozen sensors for measuring battery terminal voltage, solar voltage, solar current, current to the DC-DC converter, the temperature of the power transistor of DC-DC converter, and the tilt angle of solar panels according to the voltage across the potentiometer.
