Estudo e comparação do potencial de geração de energia elétrica para sistemas solares fotovoltaicos utilizando espelhos e rastreador solar

Abstract

The optimization of the use of photovoltaic panels is a relevant topic in scientific research. One of the simplest ways to increase the use of available sunlight is to install the panels at ideal angles for the most diverse latitudes across the globe. This research sought to improve the energy generation efficiency of photovoltaic solar panels using two mechanisms. One of them made use of an Arduino microcontroller to achieve an efficient solar tracking system, both in the axial axis and in the azimuth axis. Tracking is responsible for following the position of the sun in the sky during the course of the day, which increases the use of available energy. Another one had a mirror fixed to a structure next to a fixed photovoltaic panel, the mirrors increase the time of direct sunlight on the panels. A third panel was also directly exposed to sunlight, in order to allow a comparison between the mechanisms. For the results, a gain of 36% was obtained for the panel with a tracker in relation to the third one, called the white one, used only for comparison purposes. As for the panel that made use of the mirror, we obtained an increase of only 0.6%.