Pyramidal solar trackerWe, the Italian group of this Erasmus Project, joined a group in our school to build this device that would help in making the good use of solar energy, moved both by the coming of this project, and by our love of science, and of ecology.We are Edoardo, Marco, Alessio, Piero, Santi, Moreno and Francesco, and with other guys from the Richard Feynman group (of our school, lyceum scientific Ernesto Basile), after a lot of hard work, ended up finally with a working device.

Here you can see the device working, aiming towards a lamp (but obviously it was a test: should work on sun only)

In details, it is an azimuth–altitude dual axis tracker that uses the luminosity differences that invests the three faces of a triangular based pyramid, each one with its light sensor, and after equalizing all the luminosity over each face, the pyramid will aim towards the light source (which is, in this case, a lamp, or could be the Sun)

The structure is due to parallel solar panels, in order to boost their efficiency in producing electricity, thanks to the more light they absorb

Our idea is simple, and uses economic materials: there aren’t any similar ideas elsewhere, that cost less, and provide good efficiency.

The device, due to the materials we used for it (plywood),although perfectly working, is so heavy that it requires two motors to get the azimuthal movement (and the two motors might not always be synchronized) and it makes the making of the program for the software harder. Using lighter materials for the structure, i.e. PMMA or fiberglass, would sort out the issue, and require maybe only one motor. But in order to be ecologically okay, we want those materials to be as much biodegradable as possible and that’s why we prefer Wood for the structure

The faces of the pyramid could allow solar cells to beimplemented, so that the device could not only help other Solar panels to take the best out of the sun, but also produce some electricity itself, and that’s something we plan to add in the future.

How the pyramid works (reference to the picture down below):The pyramid, supported by arm D that moves around the pin E and is blocked by the wheels G, turns the edge of the intersection of A and B in a parallel direction to the semicircular leads F, anchored to the circular base H, on which they are free to turn around the wheels G (in height).From the difference of the light that invests the faces A and B, the software memorized in the control unit M, placed under the base H, directs the commands to the motors that set going the wheels L, until they get the right azimuthal alignmentAfter that, it confronts the light that invests face C with the one that was calculated in A and B, with a consequent activation of the motor that moves the wheels G In order to get the alignment in height.

Our device is simple to create, requires cheap materials, and the program of the device is customizable to the different

atmospheric conditions, latitudes, in order to optimize and speed up the aiming process.

The italian group, for the Erasmus project

Edoardo Alaimo, Santi Macaluso, Marco Benigno, Moreno Fragapane, Piero Guzzetta, Alessio Tinaglia, Francesco Casisa

Working along with all the guys in the Feynman group (here’s their site: www.gruppofeynman.com )