How do solar tracking systems follow the Sun's movement?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Diagram of a solar cell showing labeled layers, including a front electrical contact grid, antireflection layer, absorber layer, back junction layer, and back electrical contact layer, with arrows indicating light entering and terminals connecting to a circuit. — solar cell A commonly used solar cell structure. In many such cells, the absorber layer and the back junction layer are both made of the same material.

A solar tracker follows the Sun's movement by positioning solar panels to remain perpendicular to the Sun's rays, which maximizes energy absorption.1

These systems utilize two primary methods to determine the Sun's location:

Computer-based algorithms: These systems use computers to process complex algorithms that calculate the Sun's position based on its daily east-to-west path and seasonal north-to-south shifts.1
Sensor-based tracking: Systems can also use sensors to detect the Sun's location. When these sensors are integrated with a simple circuit board, they can facilitate tracking without the need for a computer.1

By maintaining a perpendicular orientation, solar trackers can increase power output by approximately 30 to 40 percent compared to static panels. However, these systems involve moving parts, such as actuators, which increase maintenance requirements and installation costs compared to stationary installations.1