Hybrid solar trough and solar cell system I

• Main Author: Cheng, Lee Hong.
• Other Authors: Choo Fook Hoong
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Electrical and electronic engineering::Power electronics
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/40700
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The solar trough and solar cell with tracking system is served the purpose of converting clean energy into electricity at higher efficiency utilizing the concept of focused light beam. The system consisted of solar cell, reflector and trough, and the tracking system. The parabolic reflector concentrated the light beams onto the focal point where the solar cell was placed. Thus, the cell received much greater solar energy. The trough was made to rotate on single axis at a total angle of around 157o. Due to the changing sun’s position, it was installed with a sensor that tracked down the location of the sun and position the solar trough facing the sun directly. At the point when it reached the position with highest intensity of light, the trough remained stationary for a short period before the tracking process repeat again. This was to wait for the sun to go out of alignment and then the tracker will drive the motor to rotate until it reached the optimum point again. Two types of solar tracking circuits were designed and the LED Solar Tracker II would be used. The major material used to construct the structure was aluminium in the forms of angles and sections. This was because aluminium is rust free and it has a reflective surface that can avoid it from absorbing excessive heat. Both students outsourced around Singapore such as visiting Mitsubishi Electric and Bok Seng Hardware for information and materials regarding the system development.