Development of an AVR MCU-based Solar Tracker

An embedded two-axis solar tracking system was developed by using AVR micro controller for enhancing solar energy utilization. The system consists of an Atmega128 micro controller, two step motors, two step drive modules, CdS sensors, GPS module and other accessories needed for functional stability. This system is controlled by both an astronomical method and an optical method. Initial operation is performed by the result from the astronomical method, which is followed by the fine controlled operation using the signals from Cds sensors. The GPS sensor generates UTC, longitude and latitude data where the solar tracker is installed. A database of solar altitude, azimuth, and sunrise and sunset times is provided by UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter).