Sunlight catching device to adjust the dip angle of photovoltaic panel through water level

Abstract: A simple structure can greatly contribute to the solar energy efficiency of the stationary photovoltaic installations in photovoltaic water pumping systems. In this study, a sun-chasing strategy was proposed to adjust the inclination of photovoltaic panels using water level. A three-point support sun-tracking device was also developed suitable for the photovoltaic water lifting system. A theoretical model was then constructed to determine the mathematical relationships with the water inlet flow in the water tank and the rotation inclination of the photovoltaic panel. An experiment was conducted to verify the key technical parameters of the floating ball drive, such as the water inlet of constant current, siphon water discharge, and the secondary water replenishment. As such, the structure, composition and operation were realized for the key components of the sun-chasing device. The result shows that the three-point support structure and the buoyancy of the floating ball were provided for the photovoltaic panel smoothly chasing the sun from the east to west, while the siphoning effect was benefit for the automatic reset of photovoltaic panels. The secondary water supply was also adjusted suitable for the various weather. The solar radiation during the whole day increased by 28.56% and 32.56% under the sunny and cloudy day, respectively, and the capacity of water pumping increased by 34.74% and 40.82%, indicating the higher performance of sun tracking than before. The secondary water-supply device was utilized to supply the continuous water for the tank of photovoltaic panels following the sun. Therefore, the multiple photovoltaic panels chasing the sun can be installed a siphon drain, a secondary water replenishment, an inlet device of constant flow, and the float drive device. Then, the multiple devices can be extended for the large-area photovoltaic power generation with the significant cost reduction and simple modification. Correspondingly, the sun-chasing device was outstandingly superior to the traditional fixed photovoltaic support, indicating higher radiation reception and water pumping. The photovoltaic water extraction and photovoltaic panels were combined to track the sun for the higher power generation efficiency of photovoltaic panels. The finding can also be extended for the application of photovoltaic panels in modern agriculture.