A Review of Time-Based Solar Photovoltaic Tracking Systems

Solar energy is the cleanest and most abundant form of energy that can be obtained from the Sun. Solar panels convert this energy to generate solar power, which can be used for various electrical purposes, particularly in rural areas. Maximum solar power can be generated only when the Sun is perpendicular to the panel, which can be achieved only for a few hours when using a fixed solar panel system, hence the development of an automatic solar tracking system. Over the years, different solar tracking systems have been proposed and developed, and a few have been reviewed in the literature. However, the existing review works have not adequately provided a comprehensive survey and taxonomies of these solar tracking systems to show the trends and possible further research direction. This paper aims to bridge these gaps by extensively reviewing these time-based solar tracking systems based on axis rotation and drive types. Lessons learned from the comprehensive review have been highlighted and discussed. Finally, critical open research issues are identified and elaborated.