ANALYSIS

Requirements

The device must meet the following constraints:

• Construction of device shall not exceed the $250 in pricing

• Panel needs to maintain a perpendicular (90 degree) angle with direct sunlight, with a 1-3% tolerance.

• Azimuthal axis needs to have a range of 180 degrees of rotation from any position

• Altitudinal axis provides an angle of declination of at least 45 degrees

• Start to finish construction should take no more than 250 working hours.

• Absorb 25% more energy than a fixed solar panel.

  • Approx. 100 watts

• The fully constructed device will weigh no more than 100 lbs.

The document to the right is a detailed sketch of the design that was analyzed

A-12: ACTUATOR LENGTH AND START POSITION

In-depth Example

Currently, there is a total of 12 RADD analyses established for tracker's design. All the analyses can be found in Appendix A of the main project file. An example analysis has been included below for reference.

 The analysis uses basic trigonometry and the Pythagorean Theorem to determine the max extension required to leave a 3” height from the bottom of the T-platform. The max extension length was calculated to be 11.6” and produce a 14.3 degree of incline. These values will be used for the programming of the device, and the analysis can be referenced on Appendix B9.