Space Apps Challenge 2017

A track can be installed on the roof, combine with the information of the weather including sunrise and sunset, the solar panel can point at the direction of the sun to maximized the exposure. As if the sun is at the West, if the solar panel was installed fixed on the roof pointing at the East, the output during the afternoon will be significantly lower if it can be pointing at the West.

Also, if a mechanical turning device can be deployed between the track and the solar panel, so the angle of elevation and the other two directions which the track cannot cover can be controlled. This mechanical part can be very much like the machanism of a CCTV.

Our idea is to create an algorithm, perhaps then implement it into a mobile app.

There are some apps on the market which helps you to monitor your power usage at home, like a smart meter. But they only monitor the usage of the house, not the input from any source. Our idea is to create an algorithm which will gather weather information to predict the power being generated by the solar panels the user have, and giving suggestions on the expected output from the solar panel and the needs of using the main grid.

nformation such as temperature, clouds overcast, rain, etc can affect the performance of the solar panel. Using real time information and prediction of the next two days, the user can expect the power being generated by the solar panel, and if the main grid would be required or not.

Sunrise and sunset time can also be calculated by using the lon and lat of the location of the solar panel. Using the daylight duration, the angle of the solar panel and the rotation speed of the solar panel can be determined. The user can deployed the solar panel with a rotatable platform, which combined with this can maximized the performance of the solar panel.