Simulation and Development of a Sun Tracking Solar Power System for Electrical Engineering Technology Laboratory

Fast development of renewable energy technology results in increasing demand for higher education. The National Science Foundation Transforming Undergraduate Education in STEM (TUES) program from May 2012 to April 2016 funds this project. The overall project goal is to increase the number of college graduates with renewable energy and power engineering knowledge and skills to create a sufficient workforce for the future. As part of the project objectives, researchers designed and developed a sun tracking solar power system as a teaching tool for the laboratory. This paper describes the design and simulation of a sun tracking solar power system for a MATLAB/Simulink platform. The simulation consists of four modules: solar tracking cells, signal conditioning circuits, controller and motor. Detailed construction of the simulation for each module is described. The modules are then integrated into the system. The simulation provides an excellent platform for undergraduate engineering technology students to study the design and theory of a sun tracking solar power system. After the simulation, a team of senior design students and a graduate student built a prototype solar tracker The simulation reduces the amount of time for tuning and testing and provides theoretical guidance for implementation. Pre- and post-tests were conducted to evaluate impact. solar tracker.