A hybrid cost effective dual axis tracking system for enhanced solar yield in Ethiopia

Abstract

This research work presents the design and experimental validation of a novel, cost-effective dual axis solar tracker (DAST) with GPS and a gyroscope. This study evaluates the integration of a solar position algorithm (SPA) with a low-power 8-bit ATmega328P microcontroller, a NEO-7M GPS module, and an MPU6050 IMU to implement a closed-loop hybrid GPS–IMU proportional feedback control architecture. The GPS module provides latitude, longitude, and precise time data necessary for the real-time SPA computation of solar azimuth and elevation angles, while the MPU 6050 gyroscope delivers continuous panel orientation feedback for closed loop proportional correction. Across all 15 experimental days, the DAST demonstrated an average daily energy yield improvement of 45.53% compared to a fixed-tilt installation and 29.12% compared to single axis solar tracker. The tracker energy overhead represents only 3.71–4.37% of the harvested energy. Preliminary economics analysis indicates a favorable payback period when scaled to larger PV installations, subjected to sensitivity analysis of cost and energy assumptions. These findings are based on a limited prototype evaluation period and long-term validation, extended reliability testing, and comprehensive economic sensitivity analysis are required before scalable deployment recommendation can be confirmed. The irradiance-normalized performance metrics were not computed due to the absence of pyranometer data; all comparisons are based on absolute energy yield measured under simultaneous identical conditions.