You’ve seen how a panel’s angle matters for getting light. In the real world, the sun constantly moves across the sky (its daily path), changes height from season to season, and is unpredictably blocked by clouds!
If a solar panel is fixed in one spot, it will only get direct sunlight for a short time. This makes it less efficient.
That’s why smart solar panels and sun-tracking systems exist! Renewable Energy Engineers at companies like Nextracker develop these technologies to make panels move and follow the sun, adjusting for daily changes, seasonal heights, and even responding to clouds or shade. Their goal? To maximize power generation by keeping the panel aimed at the best light source possible.
In industry, you’ll see:
- Single-Axis Trackers: Panels rotate along one direction (like tilting from east to west).
- Dual-Axis Trackers: More advanced panels that can rotate in two directions (tilting and spinning) to perfectly follow the sun.
Tracking systems can increase electricity generation by 20-30% compared to fixed panels! This means more clean, renewable energy from the same land, less reliance on fossil fuels, and a healthier planet.