Tracking of Photovoltaic Facilities Based on Omnidirectional Sensor
Abstract
This work describes an omnidirectional sensor that tracks the celestial vault and determines the direction of maximum solar irradiance from instantaneous measurements. For that purpose, the sensor incorporates an ex professo algorithm that considers the directions for which inter-shading between collectors would occur. Additionally, the sensor has been developed with free software and hardware, thus contributing to open science. In that way, the omnidirectional sensor presented is a low-cost device that can work as a position server for dual-axis solar trackers in photovoltaic facilities, optimizing the trajectory of the trackers and the radiative capture and energy production of the PV plant.