Solar Tracking System employs Light Sensors AND Historical Data
The effectiveness of any solar powered device is greatly increased when the angle is regularly adjusted to meet the angle of the sun. A standard way to do this is with photosensors which ‘hunt’ for the sun until a maximal light level is achieved.
Energy Innovations, Inc., has improved their solar concentrator, by providing a tracking system that initially follows the sun using light sensors. When light levels fall below a threshold level, however, a database is accessed to find the most appropriate angle for the solar concentrator. This system helps avoid the tracking system from aimlessly searching for the sun, when it momentarily goes behind a cloud!
Download U.S. Patent No. 7,432,488
