12 Volt Actuator Increases Solar Panel Efficiency 200%!

[oliver]

Hey everyone,

We wrote our own Do-It-Yourself blog post on how a 12 volt actuator increases the efficiency of a solar panel.

Mod note
If you wish to advertise contact user Jason

[Naptown]

30% I would believe
200% is too far out there to believe.

[Mike90250]

Hey everyone,

We wrote our own Do-It-Yourself blog post on how a 12 volt actuator increases the efficiency of a solar panel.

Actually, is DOES NOT. What it does do, is a solar tracking function to keep the pane properly aimed all day, increasing the HARVEST. Panel is still only 14% efficient.

You will need two 12 Volt Actuators, a Solar Panel, a sensor capable of detecting light intensity plus any mounting hardware that is necessary. With these you will be able to construct a “Sun Tracking Solar Panel”.

(engineering (wind load) design not included) !

in the end however, you are likely to find that panel prices are so low, that trackers and their accompanied mechanical problems, are not generally worth the effort.

[john p]

Tests we did at work gave results of 12 to 14% increase averaged during panel harvest between 8am to 11 am and 2pm to 5pm. Between the hours of 11am to 2pm increase average is about 3%..
The is no possible way any tracker can give 200% increase. ..
If the fixed panels are mounted correctly with regard to facing the sun then you will only get very tiny increases with a tracker during peak harvest times.. This is why for "ordinary" panels trackers are to expensive and unreliable. If you are using concentrated magnifiers over the cells designed for that then trackers are necessary. But such cells are not in normal residential or commercial use.

[russ]

You guys destroyed the poor fellow's BS sales pitch! Nothing worse for scam artists than truth.

[john p]

Naptown 30%is a wild dream. You were way to generous in saying that you could believe 30%.

[Naptown]

John
What is your latitude

[john p]

latitude

28 deg S. Brisbane , Australia

[Naptown]

28 deg S. Brisbane , Australia

I wonder if the harvest effect is greater the farther you are off the equator?
At abut 40⁰ estimates are about 30% on an annual basis.

[john p]

Naptown (Rich) You would be correct. But I still think 30% would be more than I would expect.
With my roof mounted solar panels in Philippines I think I would be lucky to get at any time even 10% improvement as the sun is almost overhead as far as the panels are concerned from 9am to 4pm.Even from 8am to 9am they produce about 50% of output same for 4 to 5pm.
I know its usually stated that no one gets more than about 5 to 5and a half hours .But I have measured the output many times and there is not much difference anytime between 9am and 4pm.. But where I live there is only about 10 deg N ...So summer and winter days almost identical in length.Day temp all year 28 to 38 deg C and night 22 to 30 deg C.

[Naptown]

Well since I don't have a fixed and tracking systems side by side I can't say more exactly. I do remember reading something in a NABCEP Text book.