Design and Implementation of a Dual Axis Solar Tracking System using ATmega32

Abstract

This work presents the design and development of a cost-effective and effective Dual Axis Solar Tracker system based on the ATmega32 microcontroller. Unlike conventional fixed or single-axis trackers, the dual-axis tracker maximizes the collection of solar energy by tilting the panel in the azimuth (horizontal) and elevation (vertical) axes. Four Light Dependent Resistors (LDRs) arranged in a quadrant are utilized to calculate the direction of maximum sunlight. Based on the analog input from the sensors, the ATmega32 compares and processes light intensities to generate PWM signals that drive two servo motors that are used for real-time panel positioning. A comparative study with a fixed panel under the same conditions indicates a 20–35% increase in energy output. This paper stresses the feasibility of constructing an intelligent, autonomous sun tracking solution utilizing low-cost elements, showing much promise for household, business, and rural electrification systems.

Introduction

The growing environmental concerns and depletion of fossil fuels have accelerated the demand for sustainable energy solutions, with solar energy being a leading eco-friendly option. The efficiency of solar panels significantly depends on their orientation relative to the sun. Fixed panels are simple but inefficient, as they cannot adjust to the sun's movement. Solar tracking systems improve energy capture by adjusting panel angles throughout the day.

Single-axis trackers follow the sun’s east-west movement but neglect seasonal vertical changes. Dual-axis trackers, however, adjust both azimuth (horizontal) and elevation (vertical) angles, maintaining optimal perpendicular alignment to the sun and enhancing energy efficiency.

This paper presents a cost-effective dual-axis solar tracker based on the ATmega32 microcontroller. The system uses four Light Dependent Resistors (LDRs) arranged in a cross to sense light intensity from different directions. The microcontroller processes this data and controls two servo motors via Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) to align the panel dynamically.

Previous works showed improvements but had limitations like single-axis tracking, lack of vertical alignment, and no real-time monitoring. This project addresses these by implementing a closed-loop control system with real-time analog sensing, scalable design, and potential IoT integration.

The hardware includes the ATmega32 microcontroller, LDR sensors, two servo motors for azimuth and elevation control, and a regulated power supply. The software, programmed in embedded C, reads sensor inputs via ADC, compares intensities, and commands servo movement accordingly.

Testing and observations demonstrate that the system effectively adjusts panel orientation throughout the day—tilting eastward in the morning, reaching maximum tilt at solar noon, and following the sun westward in the afternoon—maximizing solar energy capture compared to fixed panels.

Conclusion

The constructed Dual Axis Solar Tracker using ATmega32 successfully demonstrates an efficient and real-world means of optimizing solar energy harvesting by maintaining the solar panel aligned with the sun\'s position at every instant. By employing four LDR sensors for detecting sunlight intensity and servo motors for controllable panel movement, the system cleverly maximizes solar exposure throughout the day. The project not only exhibits the combination of analog sensing (via LDRs) and digital control (via ATmega32\'s ADC and PWM modules), but also exhibits an affordable solution with simple electronic components, thus being able to be afforded by low-cost industrial applications as well as educational use. Real-time feedback from the LCD interface provides an additional level of usability and diagnostic capability for the system. With experimental testing and simulation in Proteus, the tracker was proven to increase solar panel orientation efficiency significantly compared to fixed-angle panels. The system optimizes adaptation to changing directions of sunlight, minimizes human effort, and optimizes energy production with minimal power consumption.

References

[1] C. K. Das, M. Sanaullah, H. M. G. Sarower, and M. M. Hassan, “Development of a Microcontroller Based Automated Sun Tracking System,” Proceedings of the International Conference on Electrical and Computer Engineering (ICECE), Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2006. [2] D. S. Pillai and N. Rajasekar, “A comprehensive review on solar tracking systems,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 82, pp. 2661–2678, 2018. [3] S. M. Said and M. S. H. Bakar, “Development of a Two-Axis Solar Tracking System,” 2015 IEEE Student Conference on Research and Development (SCOReD), Kuala Lumpur, 2015. [4] A. Patel, “Design and Implementation of Dual Axis Solar Tracking System using Microcontroller,” International Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology (IJETT), vol. 23, no. 5, May 2015. [5] A. Hussein and M. A. El-Khazali, “Maximum Power Point Tracking using Fuzzy Logic Control for Photovoltaic System,” International Journal of Engineering Research and Applications, vol. 3, no. 5, pp. 1245–1250, 2013. [6] P. T. Krein, Elements of Power Electronics, Oxford University Press, 2nd ed., 2014. [7] J. P. Holman, Heat Transfer, McGraw-Hill Education, 10th ed., 2010 – used for calculating solar irradiance and efficiency. [8] H. A. Sher, A. F. Murtaza, and K. E. Addoweesh, “A New Sensor-less Dual-Axis Solar Tracker,” IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 1080–1092, April 2011. [9] Datasheet - ATmega32 Microcontroller, Microchip Technology Inc., https://www.microchip.com/en-us/product/ATmega32 [10] Proteus Design Suite by Labcenter Electronics – https://www.labcenter.com – for simulation of embedded circuits and real-time behavior testing. [11] J. A. Duffie and W. A. Beckman, Solar Engineering of Thermal Processes, John Wiley & Sons, 4th ed., 2013 – for solar angle and irradiance calculations. [12] M. T. Khan and M. A. Hannan, “A Review of Sun Tracking Control for Photovoltaic Systems,” Smart Grid and Renewable Energy, vol. 3, no. 1, 2012. [13] Arduino Project Hub, “Dual Axis Solar Tracker using LDR and Servo Motor,” https://create.arduino.cc/projecthub [14] M. Mekhilef, S. Mekhilef, and R. Saidur, “Performance analysis of solar tracking systems with different control strategies,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 15, no. 8, pp. 3874–3889, 2011. [15] A. A. Babu and S. S. Kumar, “Microcontroller Based Solar Panel Tracking System,” International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research, vol. 4, no. 6, pp. 225-229, June 2013. [16] K. S. Sudhakar and D. S. Pillai, “Modeling and performance assessment of a dual-axis solar tracker,” Renewable Energy, vol. 89, pp. 18–27, April 2016. [17] A. Sahin, “Design and Implementation of a Dual-Axis Solar Tracker Based on PID Control,” International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 2249–8958, October 2019. [18] S. N. Singh and S. N. Singh, “Automatic solar tracker for efficient energy conversion,” International Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering (IJECE), vol. 3, no. 6, pp. 791–798, 2013. [19] T. Esram and P. L. Chapman, “Comparison of Photovoltaic Array Maximum Power Point Tracking Techniques,” IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 439–449, June 2007. [20] M. A. Elobaid, S. Mekhilef, and M. Mubin, “Sensorless Dual Axis Solar Tracker Based on Artificial Neural Network,” Solar Energy, vol. 174, pp. 556–567, 2018. [21] G. V. Nikhil and A. B. Khare, “Design and Implementation of Solar Tracking System Using Microcontroller,” International Journal of Innovative Research in Electrical, Electronics, Instrumentation and Control Engineering, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 97–100, April 2015. [22] M. A. Baloch, H. Yang, and H. Lu, “Design and Development of Intelligent Sun Tracking System Based on Image Processing,” Energy Reports, vol. 6, pp. 345–356, 2020. [23] P. Sharma and D. C. Jain, “Development of a Low-Cost Dual-Axis Solar Tracker Using AVR Microcontroller,” International Journal of Renewable Energy Research (IJRER), vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 1800–1806, 2018. [24] N. P. Gudadhe and P. D. Porey, “Comparative Study of Single Axis and Dual Axis Solar Trackers Using MATLAB,” Procedia Computer Science, vol. 152, pp. 368–373, 2019. [25] A. A. Hassan and T. H. Mahmood, “Design and Implementation of an Intelligent Dual Axis Solar Tracking System,” Indonesian Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 1691–1700, March 2021.

Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Pravin Gawande, Arti Mhaske, Swayam Gurnule, Manish Somwanshi. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.