Solar Tracking Systems

Increase your solar panel systems power output by following the Sun

The required accuracy of the solar tracker depends on the application. Concentrators, especially in solar cell applications, require a high degree of accuracy to ensure that the concentrated sunlight is directed precisely to the powered device, which is at (or near) the focal point of the reflector or lens. Typically concentrator systems will not work at all without tracking, so at least single-axis tracking is mandatory. Very large power plants or high temperature materials research facilities using multiple ground-mounted mirrors and an absorber target require very high precision similar to that used for solar telescopes.

Non-concentrating applications require less accuracy, and many work without any tracking at all. However, tracking can substantially improve both the amount of total power produced by a system and that produced during critical system demand periods (typically late afternoon in hot climates) The use of trackers in non-concentrating applications is usually an engineering decision based on economics. Compared to photovoltaics, trackers can be inexpensive. This makes them especially effective for photovoltaic systems using high-efficiency (and thus expensive) panels.

For low-temperature solar thermal applications, trackers are not usually used, owing to the high expense of trackers compared to adding more collector area and the more restricted solar angles required for Winter performance, which influence the average year-round system capacity.