IIT Delhi Built Solar Panels That Track Sun's Movement To Generate More Electricity

IIT Delhi researchers have developed novel high-efficiency solar panels that are also shadow-less as well as an auto-rotating solar PV tower for the generation of photovoltaic power anywhere with ample sunlight.

IIT Delhi

Also Read: IIT Guwahati Makes 20% More Efficient, Recyclable Solar Cells That Are Cheaper

The new solar panels feature mechanical and non-mechanical tracking elements and support reflection concentration. They've been designed to be functional across all Indian seasons, throughout the year, whilst offering high energy density.

The mechanical tracking solar PV tower is actually portable and can be mounted on a truck and can be carried anywhere where power generation is needed. The panels actually shift their position based on the sun¡¯s placement -- they start in the east, move all the way to the west and reset to east for the next day.

The non-mechanical solar panel unit on the other hand is more space saving. They feature high-reflectivity mirrors that are vertically mounted in a particular way (based on location/city) positioning to get the most amount of solar power possible. Its technology actually allows it to generate more power even during non-peak hours.

Also Read: India's Rooftop Solar Capacity Jumped 517% Over Last Year At 6.1 Gigawatt Total

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Mechanical and non-mechanical tracking solar PV towers offer 5kW and 3kW capacity respectively. They are also useful for electric vehicle charging stations, as well as powerhouses, schools, hospitals, telecom towers etc. They can also be used for agricultural applications such as solar water pumping, charging batteries for tractors etc.

Prof. Dalip Singh Mehta, Physics Department, IIT Delhi said, ¡°After intensive research, we got success in arriving at the lightweight and cost-effective novel design on mounting Solar PV towers along with high reflectivity mirrors to follow the Sun movement. Both non-mechanical and mechanical solar towers are able to generate 20-25 percent and 25-30 percent more power respectively while utilizing only 50-60% rooftop space compare to conventional solutions,¡±

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