Development of a Low-Cost Optimum Power Tracking Prototype for Solar Energy

India is facing colossal energy paucity nowadays. Most of the energy comes from conventional sources. As these sources are limited, renewables can play a pivotal role. Among them, solar energy is more convenient to use and available in huge amount. PV cells (Solar panels) are used to convert this energy into electrical energy. But, as the sun is not fixed at a particular place, the conventional fixed solar panels cannot generate optimum power. Here, in this paper, a design methodology of a single axis Arduino based solar tracker has been presented. It consists of a DC geared motor, Arduino microcontroller board, an RTC and mechanical structure comprising of a gearbox and supporting structure. Geared motor is used to steer the panel along the direction of the sun while RTC, to feed the present date and time. The aim of this project was to develop a low-cost optimum power tracking prototype for the solar panel. It is seen that power extracted by this method is 20% greater than that of conventional fixed solar panels.