Heliostats are an alternative way to gather the suns energy and convert it to something that we can use. However, each mirror that is used to reflect sunlight requires a minimum of two motors to control the vertical and horizontal movements of the mirror. This requires extra costs including motors, parts, and maintenance. This study will attempt to demonstrate a way to reduce the cost of a mirror by reducing the need of two motors per mirrors to less than one using an arduino and stepper motors.
This project is to answer a few questions. Namely,
- Is it feasible to control a horizontal and vertical movement of mirror with less than one motor?
- Is it feasible to control an array of mirrors with less than one motor?
- What algorithm would be needed to control an array of mirrors given the suns position?
- How would you determine the position of the sun without the use of external sensors?
(Currently updating)