An Implementation of an optimized dual-axis solar tracking algorithm for concentrating solar power plants deployment
Eric Tutu Tchao
(The Brew-Hammond Energy Centre, Kwame Nkrumah Univ. of Science and Tech., Ghana; Department of Computer Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah Univ. of Science and Tech., Ghana; Corresponding author at: Computer Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, KNUST Avenue, Kumasi, Ashanti, Ghana)
Simon Atuah Asakipaam
(Department of Telecommunication Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah Univ. of Science and Tech., Ghana)
Yesuenyeagbe Atsu Kwabla Fiagbe
(Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah Univ. of Science and Tech., Ghana)
Bright Yeboah-Akowuah
(Department of Computer Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah Univ. of Science and Tech., Ghana)
Emmanuel Ramde
(Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah Univ. of Science and Tech., Ghana)
Andrew Selasi Agbemenu
(Department of Computer Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah Univ. of Science and Tech., Ghana)
Benjamin Kommey
(Department of Computer Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah Univ. of Science and Tech., Ghana)
A recent assessment of a pilot concentrating solar power plant in Ghana noticed the failure of the tracking system to accurately align the multifaceted heliostats toward the sun and focus the sunbeams onto the target. A further review of solar tracking systems revealed the limitation of concentrated solar power tracking systems to simultaneously improve accuracy and reduce operational cost. In this paper, a computer vision-based solar tracking system, comprising a vision controller, webcam, light sensor, Arduino microcontroller, two stepper motors, a stick, and a transparent plate, is proposed and implemented. The light sensor indicates the presence or absence of sunlight, the webcam captures the image of the stick's shadow on the plate and the vision controller reads this data from the webcam and processes it to extract the solar angles. The angles are sent to the microcontroller which uses them to orient the heliostat appropriately through the stepper motors. The proposed system is location independent and can be installed in each heliostat or a group of heliostats. the preliminary tests show it tracks the sun accurately and exhibits minimal operation cost.
Eric Tutu Tchao, Simon Atuah Asakipaam, Yesuenyeagbe Atsu Kwabla Fiagbe, et al. (2022). "An Implementation of an optimized dual-axis solar tracking algorithm for concentrating solar power plants deployment". Scientific African. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2022.e01228