Last edited: 21 December 2015
|
Solar box cookers and solar panel cookers normally do not need to be turned to follow the sun unless you are cooking beans or an especially large amount of food. They may need to be moved once over a three or four hour cooking period. However, parabolic solar cookers require reorientation with the sun much more often. If tracking the sun is necessary, some of the ideas below will serve this purpose. Note that this page emphasized low-tech tracking methods that could be built with materials available in developing countries[1].
When designing tracking systems, it can useful to determine the annual movement the sun for various locations. Besides annual range, this useful tool also gives realtime sun information for a specific location. Suncalc.org
Mechanical tracking systems
Simply Solar provides explanation of their various tracking systems at Scheffler tracking systems. The mechanical system incorporates a clockwork mechanism, and often uses recycled bicycle parts. It is run by a weight and controlled by a pendulum. Resetting the reflector back from the evening position to the morning position is done by hand. They also offer photovoltaic options as well.
- Main article: Scheffler Community Kitchen
Programable tracking systems
Still in its infancy, programable tracking systems are being developed with software to not only rotate the reflector to maintain maximum exposure to the sun, but to also control cooking time and desired temperatures. One example of auto tracking and monitoring system is the SolarCue system. Another is the Raspberry Pi: Solrmatic, but there are a range of such programmable sun trackers[2].
Photovoltaic tracking systems
A clever system has been developed by several designers, which uses two photovoltaic panels configured to maintain an even balance of power to a small electrical turntable motor. The required photovoltaic panels typically are fairly small, and are placed side by side, but at slightly different angles to face the sun. As the sun moves across the sky one panel will begin to receive less direct sunlight.
The resulting electrical imbalance causes the dominant panel to engage the motor. The turntable will rotate until both photovoltaic panels face the sun equally, and the motor disengages. The simple system can be fairly lightweight for rotating a box or panel cooker. However, a larger parabolic solar cooker, which will benefit the most from a good tracking system, will require a stronger motor and larger panels to rotate the cooker.
More information about the system can be found at DIY solar tracking system
Tracking for the HotPot solar cooker
Most are familiar with the HotPot, a fine quality cooker. It does an excellent job of representing a solar cooker as a desirable appliance. However, the original design was created for use in tropical or semi-tropical areas bounded by the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5°). The reflectors have been oriented for a more overhead sun position, which limit the cooking time in temperate locations to a 2 - 4 hour window. Here is an article that talks more about this issue. The author has been working on a tilting base mechanism to allow the reflectors to pick up early and late day sun. However, it may be a better idea to supplement the HotPot reflectors with a windshield shade tipped forward and wrapped behind the cooker to catch the early and late day sun, as the pot and glass enclosure are really not suited for non-level conditions. Details on this tracking design here.
- Main article: HotPot
Solrmatic
- Main article: Solrmatic
The Solrmatic is a programable turntable system intended to provide more control over when and how often a solar cooker needs to be reoriented with the sun. It can work with many existing manufactured or homemade solar box cookers and solar panel cookers when they are placed on the turntable.
The Solrmatic features thermostats, time delay, timed cooking, and web monitoring, allowing you to cook almost everything you cook in a traditional oven. The Solrmatic has cooked leg of lamb, brisket, veggies, bread, cookies, bacon, and even dehydrated apples.
Ideas for very low-tech tracking
- See Tracking Solar Accumulating Barbecue].Tracking Solar Accumulating Barbecue]
Articles in the media
- November 2015: Advances in getting solar onto the grid, and into the home - eNCA
Audio and video
- July 2015:
- May 2013:
- February 2013:
- March 2011:
- December 2010:
- December 2010:
- October 2010:
- March 2010:
- May 2008:
- April 2008:
- December 2007:
See also
- Solrmatic
- SunSaluter
- Raspberry Pi: Solrmatic
- Scheffler Community Kitchen
- Sun Switch
- Tracking Solar Accumulating Barbecue
- Tanoor
- Brian White
- Super Solar Tracker for Solar Ovens
- Solar calculations
External links
- Redirecting Sunlight with Polar Tracking in Developing Countries… and Elsewhere - Pete Schwartz
- Cuisson Solaire Innovante: Mécanisme suivi de trajectoire solaire permettant le guidage d’une parabole - (English version)
- DIY photovoltaic solar tracking system
- Solar Water Boiler with Tracking System - Yousif Abakr
- Scheffler tracking systems
- A parabolic solar cooker with automatic two axes sun tracking system
- Solar Tracking With A Box-Style Cooker - Jim Thomasson
- Readymade Solar Oven Trackers available for purchase at: www.solaroventrackers.com
- Solar Oven Trackers - Small Power Systems
- French: Pisteurs pour four solaire
- Appropedia heliostats article
- LightManufacturing Systems heliostats (commercial) and Solar Manufacturing systems
References
- ↑ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263128579_Solar_Tracking_Sun_Tracking_Sun_Tracker_Solar_Tracker_Follow_Sun_Sun_Position
- ↑ Prinsloo, Gerro; Dobson Robert. (2015). Solar Tracking: High precision solar position algorithms, programs, software and source-code for computing the solar vector, solar coordinates & sun angles in Microprocessor, PLC, Arduino, PIC and PC-based sun tracking devices or dynamic sun following hardware (3 ed.). South Africa. ISBN 978-0-620-61576-1. Retrieved14 March 2015.