Desenvolvimento de um protótipo de seguidor solar de baixo custo e análise de viabilidade do projeto

Abstract

Photovoltaic energy is a sustainable energy source that has been constantly improved and applied. The number of studies developed on sustainable energy generation methods is increasing and, along with wind energy, investment in solar energy has been growing considerably. Brazil posses a high average insolation throughout its territory, mainly in the semi-arid region, which highlights the potential for photovoltaic energy generation that the country have. This work aims to contribute to the topic of photovoltaic energy with the construction of a low-cost solar tracker prototype. The tracker built is of the polar type, with one axis and works autonomously. The tracking method developed operates in two different modes: one performs the calibration, tracing the best route and stores it; and the other is the normal mode of operation, where it moves the panel in the positions stored in the calibration at each time interval. The MPU-6050 sensor was used for the panel positioning, an accelerometer, which provides accurate inclination information. Additionally, a PI controller was implemented to move the panel. The project used the Arduino platform, taking advantage of the vast library and its modules. The prototype showed good results, with improvements in generation of more than 30% on sunny days with few clouds. Finally, an economic feasibility analysis of the project was conducted, where the paybacks and the internal rate of return of the prototype were calculated, which demonstrated a financial return in 14.9 years, in a fixed system scenario, it would be in 7.7 years. At the end of the work, future improvements were suggested that could be made by reusing the devices used in the prototype.