فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

As demand for clean energy grows, improving PV efficiency in residential systems becomes increasingly important. While dual-axis solar tracking effectively enhances energy capture, its adoption in residential applications remains limited due to high costs, mechanical design complexity, and space constraints. This study addresses these challenges by investigating a cost-effective and compact dual-axis tracking solution suitable for residential use. In this study, an automatic, cost-effective residential dual-axis solar tracking system was designed, fabricated, and tested under two distinct climatic conditions in New Zealand. DC gearmotors and an Arduino MEGA 2560 R3-based control system, integrated with four light-dependent resistors (LDRs) for real-time sun tracking, were implemented. To enhance safety and motion control, limit switches were installed at motion boundaries, and an H-bridge motor driver enabled bidirectional movement, allowing precise tracking in both east-west and elevation directions. To assess its performance, the system was experimentally compared with a fixed PV panel on a typical sunny day in April and a semi-cloudy day in June. On a typical sunny day in April, the automatic solar tracking system produced a total power output of 49.37 W, compared to 30.97 W produced by the fixed PV panel, while on a typical semi-cloudy day in June, the total power output from the automatic solar tracking system was 30.4 W, compared to 19.28 W generated by the fixed PV panel. The results reveal that the improved tracking system demonstrated a significant energy gain of approximately 59.4% on a typical sunny day in April and 57.7% on a typical semi-cloudy day in June, compared to the fixed PV panel. The system features an energy-efficient actuation mechanism, requiring limited motor operation per day, which extends its operational lifetime and minimizes energy losses. These findings confirm that the proposed dual-axis solar tracking system is a practical, durable, and scalable solution for enhancing residential PV performance under diverse New Zealand climatic conditions. The analysis indicates that the system is both durable and economically practical, particularly when integrated into multi-panel installations.