Drives and Methods of Tracking the Suns' Movement–An Overview

Abstract

In this study, a review of published techniques for photovoltaic tracking drives and methods of tracking the sun is presented.
Solar trackers are broadly classified based on their movement and degrees of freedoms as single axis and dual axis solar trackers. Solar tracking drives can be broadly classified as active or passive. Passive drives are mechanical while active drives are electrical.
Active drives are shown to be more efficient when compared with the passive drives. However, in terms of flexibility and cost, passive drives are more viable than active drives.