Great job! I really like the simplicity. I'm pretty constrained at my place and my existing solar gain using 3.5kW of fixed panels is coming up about 4kWh a day, short. I'm working on a tracker plan for the last available spot I've got. Your build has got me thinking. Cheers!
Luv ya work mate, that has to be the best example of linear actuator use I’ve seen thus far, I built a duel axis tracker (still in operation) 9 years ago but with a duel slew drive, most people commenting on these have no conception of the energy produced, in my case I could of just got with panels on a roof but wanted to be different, I think these have a very good case use for peoples that live in valleys or where they don’t get much sunshine through the winter months or live in isolated areas, we get every bit of sunshine from sun up to sundown. Hi from sunny Western Australia 🇦🇺
Thanks for the comment. In summer months here in northern Alberta, the sun rises in the NE and sets in the NW. On June 21st, we get about 17 hours of daylight. With my first array, being that it can only be adjusted for seasonal variation (almost flat in summer and vertical in winter), it really does not do well in summer. My best month of production was March when it usually clear and cold (sometime -25C) and the sun rises in the SE and sets in the SW. This addition really chunks out the power when the first array is barely producing. If one was closer to the equator, the tracker probably wouldn’t matter so much.
@@atlantisdiving1 Biggest problem for us normies is the space requirement (and in that sense, tools/machines of course). It is incredibly frustrating having to throw away stuff only to later need it and having to find/buy it again.
You are correct. I have to dispose of some things as well. Sure enough, a month after you dispose of something, it would be the perfect component for a project!
How would you adjust it when the foundation shifts or sinks? The look of that dirt appears to be susceptible to sub structure flow during heavy rain events and strong winds over time. Also could've primed those rust spots, might fall apart in a year or so.
The “training wheel” casters are adjustable. In preparation for the cementing the axle that the hub assembly, I augered a 10 inch hole, 8 feet deep and cemented it it with rebar to reinforce it. Then I built the square box that holds up the training wheel assembly and poured cement. The soil can erode so I will be landscaping with a clay gravel mix. I did paint since making the video to reduce corrosion.
This month it is coming in at 26% more than just having the seasonal adjustment. The sun in summer is rising in the NE and setting in the NW. My first array does good when the sun is East - West. Prior to this upgrade, my best month was March, not June!
What is your cost on this? The spinning design is interesting though I'd probably use less metal to do something more like the 400$ ecoworthy kit that just tilts on two axes instead of rotating on the x. Then again I don't have the expertise to overdo it like this :) I have about 9kw of old panels installed flat but I want to do something like this eventually, putting up about 2-4kw of bifacial panels that will give me some more intense solar throughout the day to smooth out my production.
The metal was from my scrap yard. I ordered the casters from Amazon for $25 CDN and $120 CDN for the solar tracker complete with a wind sensor and remote control from Amazon as well. The linear actuators came from old satellite dishes. Cement cost was about $40 for doing both trackers. The bifacial panels on the tracker really increase my output especially in the morning and evening. Also having 1860 watts DC to go with the 1500 W QS1A inverter clips exactly at 1500 W when the sun intensity is lower really helps.
From what I have calculated over the past month, I am getting 26% more than the seasonally adjustable ground mount that my 6 KW system is using. From what I read, the dual axis trackers are between 30% more efficient than a fixed mount. In the last two years, my June production averaged 810 KWH. I made it to 1530 KWH this month. 810 x 1.5=1215 expected. 1530/1215 = 1.259 (26%). To be fair, the new panels are bifacial and have more output on the DC side, so that is helping as well.
