In the same way that plants utilize heliotropism to maximize leaf exposure toward light sources for photosynthesis, a solar tracker is a device that orients toward the "moving sun". While less important for applications (such as plant photosynthesis) that can make use of diffuse light, tracking is critical for applications requiring concentrated solar energy (such as solar furnaces). In general, trackers are used to minimize the angle of incidence between the incoming light and light collecting surface.
90% of the solar energy available on a sunny day comes from direct sunlight, with 10% coming from the remainder of the diffused light emmitted from the rest of the sky. The energy contributed by the direct sunlight beam drops off with the cosine of the angle between the incoming light and the panel.
Tracking systems can be designed to track seasonal changes in the sun's path, the path of sun over the course of the day, or both. In general, the simpler the system, the easier to maintain.
90% of the solar energy available on a sunny day comes from direct sunlight, with 10% coming from the remainder of the diffused light emmitted from the rest of the sky. The energy contributed by the direct sunlight beam drops off with the cosine of the angle between the incoming light and the panel.
Tracking systems can be designed to track seasonal changes in the sun's path, the path of sun over the course of the day, or both. In general, the simpler the system, the easier to maintain.