International Journal of Science, Engineering and TechnologyAuthors: Ayush Satyam, Shuktika Mallaya, Riddhi Tambi
Abstract: The orientation of a photovoltaic panel with respect to incident sunlight affects the amount of light received by its surface. A fixed panel cannot remain optimally aligned as the apparent position of the Sun changes. This paper describes the design of a low-cost, dual-axis solar-tracking control prototype based on four light-dependent resistors (LDRs), an Arduino Nano, and a virtual instrument developed in NI LabVIEW. The LDRs are arranged in opposing pairs to sense relative illumi-nation in the horizontal and vertical directions. Their voltage-divider outputs are acquired through the Arduino’s analog inputs and communicated to LabVIEW using the LINX toolkit over a USB serial connection. LabVIEW calculates the differences between opposing sensor readings and applies a threshold-based decision rule to select an increase, decrease, or no-change correction for each axis. Numerical indicators and shift registers are used to display measurements and retain the calculated angle-related values. The implemented work demonstrates sensor acquisition, graphical programming, threshold-based decision logic, and microcontroller–computer interfacing. Physical servo positioning, solar-panel integration, and quantitative tracking-efficiency evaluation are identified as further development rather than completed experimental outcomes.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23724647
