Rotating Solar Panels by Using Arduino: A Prototype for Maximum Collection of Solar Energy

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This paper discusses the design and implementation of a rotating solar panel using Arduino UNO and stepper motors for maximum collection of solar energy. The paper covers the rationale, literature review, and research design of the project.

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Running head: INDUSTRIAL INVESTIGATION 0
INDUSTRY INVESTIGATION
Name of Student
Institution Affiliation

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INDUSTRIAL INVESTIGATION 2
Table of Contents
PART ONE.................................................................................................................................................2
Rationale and aims..................................................................................................................................2
Literature Review....................................................................................................................................4
Earth´s Rotation and Revolution..........................................................................................................5
Sunlight and the Solar Constant...........................................................................................................7
The Stepper motor.............................................................................................................................10
Arduino UNO....................................................................................................................................11
Solar Panel.........................................................................................................................................14
LDR (Light Dependence Resistance)................................................................................................16
Research questions................................................................................................................................18
Scope of project.....................................................................................................................................18
PART TWO...............................................................................................................................................20
Research Design........................................................................................................................................20
Data collection, Analysis...........................................................................................................................20
Timeline and capability development........................................................................................................21
Ethical issues.............................................................................................................................................22
Reflective journal......................................................................................................................................25
References.................................................................................................................................................28
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INDUSTRIAL INVESTIGATION 3
PART ONE
Rationale and aims
With the world increase, demand in electrical energy and exhaustion and pollution which
are linked to the fossil fuels has fostered the research and development to harvest the maximum
green energy which is very friendly to our environment (Dobson, 2015). Therefore to attain this
maximum collection of the green electrical energy, Rotating Solar Panels by Using Arduino is
the most preferred technique to realize this. In this paper, a prototype of the rotating solar panels
will be used together with Arduino UNO. The feedback control scheme which permits doing the
solar tracking through two axes with a help of linear actuators and a stepper motor. These were
established via the electronic circuit diagram. The knowledge of the photodiodes will also be
employed to help trace the solar for maximum collection of solar.
The main aim of this project is to make a solar panel to be orthogonal to the rays from
the sun throughout the year for maximum collection of the sun illumination hence maximum
solar power collected throughout the year. This will be made possible through a controller
known as Arduino Uno and the stepper motors which will act as the actuators and make the solar
photovoltaic panel to rotate with respect to the rays of the sun. A sensor which will be employed
is a photodiode sensor. Solar energy is mostly employed in housing because it is very simple to
install, it is relatively safe as compared to the on grind electric power.
For a maximum solar output power the module of the photovoltaic needs to be
automated through sensors (photodiode), controller (Arduino) and actuators (stepper motors).
Through automation of the solar photovoltaic panel will be able to trace the rays of the sunlight
by its own without being moved to the sunlight by a human being (that is what is referred to as
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INDUSTRIAL INVESTIGATION 4
rotating solar panel). Through this automation, the performance of the solar panel has really
increased. This automation of the solar panel is realized through both a closed loop feedback
control system and open loop system (Mruzek, 2015). The most effectively tracking control
system is that for the closed-loop control system. This is because the closed-loop control system
different active sensors which are accountable for receiving solar radiation signal like LDR
(Light Dependent Resistance) and CCD (charge-coupled device ) and again the closed loop
control gives a feedback to the controller (Arduino UNO) which will permits the continuous
orientation of the panel with respect to the rays of the sunlight.
This innovation will also be of a great importance to the industry since it will ensure a
constant supply of electrical energy as well as it will help the industry to save the money they
would have used in the toxic materials treatment before they are disposed to the environment.
This project will also be easy to be implemented and used sustainable in the society since the
parts which are used in the construction are not that expensive, for instance, Arduino UNO,
stepper motor, LDR, photodiode are relatively cheap and are highly affordable (Monk, 2017).
The maximum collection of sun rays will hence improve the efficiency of the solar, where the
efficiency can be obtained from the following equations;
Pmax= VOCISCFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
And from equation1 we can obtain equation 2 for the efficiency of the solar panel.
Ƞ= VOCISCFF
Ptn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. 2
Where FF is the fill factor, Ƞ is the solar panel efficiency VOC is the open circuit voltage and
ISC is the short-circuit current.

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Literature Review
There is some journal which explains this project, these illustrate the design of the
rerating solar panel as well as the codes used in coding Arduino Uno which makes the solar to
rotate effectively as anticipated. A rotating solar is a device which is employed for orientation of
the arrays of the solar panel. The sun´s position in the sky keeps on changing due to change in
seasons and time of the day when the sun revolves. Through the utilization of sun based arrays,
an arrangement of sun based cells electrically associated, there's era of a DC voltage that can be
utilized on a stack. There's an expanded utilize of sun based clusters as their inefficiencies ended
up higher. They are especially popular in inaccessible zones where there's no association to the
network. Photovoltaic vitality is that which is gotten from the sun (Kidder, 2014). A photovoltaic
cell, commonly known as a sun-oriented cell, is the innovation utilized for the transformation of
solar directly into electrical control. The photovoltaic cell may be a non-mechanical made of
silicon amalgam.
A solar panel tracker is a gadget utilized for situating a photovoltaic array solar board or
for concentrating sun oriented reflector or focal point toward the sun. The position of the sun
within the sky is changed both with seasons and time of day as the sun moves over the sky. Sun
oriented fuelled hardware work best when they are pointed at the sun (Robert, 2015). Hence, a
sun-oriented tracker increments how productive such hardware are over any settled position at
the fetched of extra complexity to the framework. There are distinctive sorts of trackers.
Extraction of usable power from the sun got to be conceivable with the revelation of the
photoelectric mechanism and subsequent improvement of the sun based cell (Prinsloo, 2014).
The sun based cell may be a semiconductor fabric which changes over unmistakable light into
coordinate current (Gerro, 2012).
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INDUSTRIAL INVESTIGATION 6
Earth´s Rotation and Revolution
The earth is a planet of the sun and spins around it. Other than that, it too rotates around
its axis once every 24 hours. This movement is capable for the event of day and night. The sun
oriented day may be a time period of 24 hours and the duration of a sidereal is 23 hours and 56
minutes. There are hence two movements of the earth, revolution and rotation (Krul, 2014). The
soil turns on its axis from west to east. The axis of the earth is a fanciful line which passes
through the southern and northern poles of the earth (Snow, 2014). The difference of 4 minutes
since the earth's position keeps changing with reference to the sun. This can be illustrated using
the following diagram;
Fig1: Showing the rotation of the earth (Krul, 2014)
The motion of the earth around the sun is referred to as revolution. It moreover happens from
west to east and takes a period of 365 days. The circle of the earth is elliptical. Since this
distance between the earth and the sun keeps changing. The clear yearly track of the sun via the
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fixed stars within the firmament sphere is referred to as the ecliptic. The earth’s axis makes an
angle of 66.5 degrees to the ecliptic plane. Since of this, the soil achieves four basic positions
with reference to the sun and these four results to the four seasons.
Fig2: Showing both rotation and revolution of the earth (Krul, 2014)
Sunlight and the Solar Constant
The sun conveys vitality by implies of electromagnetic radiation. There's a sun-powered
combination that results from the seriously temperature and weight at the centre of the sun.
Protons get changed over into helium molecules at 600 million tons per moment. Since the
output of the method has lower energy than the protons which started, the combination gives rise
to parts of vitality in the frame of gamma beams that are absorbed by particles within the sun and
re-emitted (Maloney, 2014). The sun´s total power can be approximated from the law of Stefan
and Boltzmann as given by the equation below;
P=4 π r2 σϵ T 4 W . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Where r is the earth´s radius = 695800, T is the absolute temperature which is about 5800K σ is
the Boltzmann = 1.3806488×10-23m2S-2K-1, ϵ is the emissivity of the surface while P is the total
power of the sun.

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For a better design of this project, a DC motor and its driver needed to be analysed
mathematically (Staff, 2016). It is very vital to understand the behaviour of the sun orbit in the
moths of June (summer) and December (winter). And this can be illustrated by the diagram
below;
Fig 3: Showing the sun´s orientation during the months of December and June (Krul, 2014).
From figure 3 above, some mathematical analysis can be done to obtain the rotation angle of the
orientation in the vertical plane. The rotational angles are very vital since they will be used in the
design of the automatic solar pane (rotating solar panel) since the angle of rotation of the sun
should be proportional to the movement of the solar as its traces the sun rays.
SinѲ= sin ɸsinσ + cos ɸ. Cosσ. Cos ώ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
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Where ѲZ is the altitude angle = 900 and this is known as the zenith of the sun. ɸ is the latitude
while ώ is the hour angle (which is always 150 / hour) where ώ=0 at local noon σ is the solar
declination. And σ is obtained from cooper´s equation;
σ = 23.45sin [360/365(284+N] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Where N is the first day of the year. It is 1 of 365,
Rotational angle of the rotating solar in horizontal plan (ѲA) is obtain from equation;
Sin ѲA = cos σsinω
cosθZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .
6
Fig 4: Showing the framework of the rotating solar (Dobson, 2015)
This rotating solar panel will operate on a closed loop control system since it has an Arduino
controller and its closed loop is illustrated using the diagram below;
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Fig 5: Showing a closed loop block diagram of a rotating solar panel (Monk, 2017).
The design of this rotating solar photovoltaic panel is based on the components which make up
the whole prototype. These components include the following;
Stepper motor
Arduino UNO
Solar Panel
LDR
The Stepper motor
The stepper motor is DC motors which always operate in discrete steps. Stepper motor always
contains several coils which are energized in groups known as phases. Through energizing every
phase in sequence, the motor will move one step at a time (Boxall, 2013). With a program
controlling the stepping, it is possible to realize an accurate position and speed control of the
motor. This motor can be illustrated using the following diagram

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Fig 6: Showing the connection of stepper motor. (Athani, 2013).
And since this motor rotates through the control of Arduino and it in a discrete manner, the
below are some digital steps in which this motor will rotate.
Motion Steps X Y Ȳ Hex Values Angle
Clockwise
1 0 1 0 1 5H 00
2 1 0 0 1 9H 900
3 1 0 1 0 AH 1800
4 0 1 1 0 06H 2700
This motor divides full rotation to a device of a display. If the input information is an electrical
signal the display will hence be electronic display giving a specific number of step. The position
of the motor is then commanded hold and move at one of the steps without having any sensor for
position to give the feedback so long there is an accurate sizing of the motor to its application
with respect to the speed and torque.
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INDUSTRIAL INVESTIGATION 12
Arduino UNO
Arduino Uno is the microcontroller which is employed here for the control of the stepper motor.
It is the Arduino where the codes controlling the stepper motor is written. Arduino will control
the tilting of the solar panel by controlling the movement of the stepper motor. When the stepper
motor moves the solar panel will move as well since the stepper motor is coupled to the solar
panel. Arduino is an open –source platform which is employed in the development of an
electronic project. It has both physical printed circuit board. A piece of Integrated Development
Environment which operates the tilting of the solar. A prototype of the Arduino UNO module is
illustrated using the following diagram.
Fig 7: Showing an Arduino UNO module (Blum, 2013).
The Arduino codes which controlled all the operation of the rotating solar panel is given below,
the codes clearly determine all the commands of the operation of the Arduino in the control of
the rotating solar panel.
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Arduino Codes
#include <Servo.h> //including the library of stepper motor
Stepper sg90; //initializing a variable for stepper named sg90
int initial_position = 90; //Declaring the initial position at 90
int LDR1 = A0; //Pin at which LDR is connected
int LDR2 = A1; //Pin at which LDR is connected
int error = 5; //initializing variable for error
int servopin=9;
void setup()
{
sg90.attach(servopin); // attaches the stepper on pin 9
pinMode(LDR1, INPUT); //Making the LDR pin as input
pinMode(LDR2, INPUT);
sg90.write(initial_position); //Move stepper at 90 degree
delay(2000); // giving a delay of 2 seconds
}
void loop()
{
int R1 = analogRead(LDR1); // reading value from LDR 1
int R2 = analogRead(LDR2); // reading value from LDR 2
int diff1= abs(R1 - R2); // Calculating the difference between the LDR's

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int diff2= abs(R2 - R1);
if((diff1 <= error) || (diff2 <= error)) {
//if the difference is under the error then do nothing
} else {
if(R1 > R2)
{
initial_position = --initial_position; //Move the servo towards 0 degree
}
if(R1 < R2)
{
initial_position = ++initial_position; //Move the servo towards 180 degree
}
}
sg90.write(initial_position); // write the position to servo
delay(100);
}
Solar Panel
The solar photovoltaic panel is a device which is employed in the conversion of light energy to
electrical energy through the use of solar photovoltaic cells. Currently, the green energy has not
been fully exploited and with full use of renewable source of electricity, there will be reduced
environmental pollution and it will also result in cheap source electrical power. The diagram
below shows a solar panel.
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Fig 8: Showing a solar photovoltaic panel (Mruzek, 2015).
Basically, this package is a connected assembly of 6× 10 photovoltaic cells. The cells have
photovoltaic arrays of the system of photovoltaic which always generates electrical power for
both residential and commercial applications. From the equation of power below it is possible to
conclude that the solar panel generates electrical power.
P=VI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Where P is the generated electrical power, V is the voltage generated due to the photovoltaic
effect of the solar and I is the current generated from the solar module when the first moving
electrons are dislodged from the solar cell to move in the outer circuit. This can be illustrated
using the following diagram;
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Fig 9: Showing the solar panel circuit diagram in operation (Mruzek, 2015)
The amount of energy harvested from the solar panel is given by the following equation,
E=A×r×H×PR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Where A is the total surface area of the solar panel exposed to the sun, E is the total energy
generated by the solar panel in kWh, r is the solar panel efficiency, PR is the performance ratio
and H is the annual mean solar radiation ( but shading is not included).
LDR (Light Dependence Resistance)
This is a type of sensor which employs the use of light to respond. They are very sensitive and
always measures the light intensity. In a dark region, their resistance will highly increase and this
can even go up to about 1M Ω. But when the sensor is in the light region, the resistance will
hence reduce even to few ohms and this depends on the intensity of the light. This can be
illustrated using the following graph

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Fig 10: Showing the graph of resistance against light intensity (Geddes, 2014)
The circuit diagram for LDR is shown below;
Fig 11: Showing the circuit diagram of an LDR (Blum, 2013)
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When there is no light the LDR will have higher resistance, but when light falls on the sensor the
resistance will reduce hence the sensor will send the signal to the Arduino which will hence
control the movement of the stepper motor and make the solar photovoltaic panel (Geddes,
2014).
Research questions.
The research question here basically highlights the functionality of the project and if the project
can actually be done and implemented at the same time. Basically, some of the research
questions for this project may include the following;
Relevancy: Is the project relevant?
Manageable: Is the project manageable?
Clarity and simplicity: Is the project clear and simple?
Scope of project
The project research is very relevant since there is a high need for green electrical power
which is very clean in our environment. Therefore for the maximum harvest of such energy, it is
hence required to have a technique in which this green energy can be collected in the maximum
amount. And because this form is a renewable source of energy and the sun is always free 24/7
for 365 days in a year, therefore, the design will be relatively cheaper as compared to other forms
of electrical energy. Therefore from the proof given, the research project is very relevant to for
both the households and the industries which make good use of electrical energy. The solar
energy having this technology will ensure maximum collection hence a lot of solar energy will
be converted to electrical energy.
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From the components employed in the construction of this project, it is a relatively cheap
project to implement in real life. This project makes use of Arduino as the main controller in the
whole project, and the stepper motors as the actuators for the movement as the solar photovoltaic
panel tilt, LDR as the sensor for the detection of the presence of light and the solar panel for the
collection of the maximum sunlight. Therefore from the above main parts of the project, it can be
seen that the project highly affordable and can be managed almost in every part of the world
which receives a more than average sunlight hours. Thus when the project is done it can be easily
be implemented and managed because of the cheap components involved in the operation, and
the sunlight is also free.
The project is built on the frame which has the stepper motor which makes the solar panel
to tilt as required by the codes given in Arduino software, and the Light Dependent Resistor is
also employed in the detection of the sunlight which hence communicates with the controller and
then the controller will make the stepper motor to tilt as required. Therefore the construction and
operations of this solar photovoltaic panel are very clear and very simple for everyone to
comprehend the whole project.
PART TWO
Research Design
This refers to the overall strategy that was used during the research in order to integrate several
components of the research in an organized and logical manner. A proper design will ensure that
the study properly handles the research problem. It addresses how the measurement, data
collection and data analysis were carried out. This was a research problem on how to design a
solar panel that is orthogonal to the rays from the sun throughout the year to allow for maximum
collection of the sun illumination hence maximum solar power collected throughout the year.

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This is an important innovation that should be carried out with great keenness and high level of
expertise.
The design of this research project involves project goals, deliverables, tasks to be
undertaken in the project, the cost of undertaking the whole project and the anticipated deadline
for the entire project. The documentation of a project's scope, which is called a scope
verbalization, terms of reference or clarification of work, clarifies the boundaries of the open up,
sets up commitments for each assemble parcel and sets up procedures for how completed work
will be asserted and declared. Within the middle of the expansion, this documentation makes a
differential in the extend bunch stay centred and on an errand. The scope clarification moreover
gives assemble with rules for making choices roughly alter demands within the middle of the
expansion. The object is done to help harvest green, clean and cheap maximum electrical energy
through the use of solar panels. It also helps to conserve the environment from the pollution
since the project will generate a clean power which does not pollute the environment as
compared to some non-renewable sources of electrical energy like coal and nuclear. The aim of
this project is to make a solar panel to be orthogonal to the rays from the sun throughout the year
for maximum collection of the sun illumination hence maximum solar power collected
throughout the year. This will be made possible through a controller known as Arduino Uno and
the stepper motors which will act as the actuators and make the solar photovoltaic panel to rotate
with respect to the rays of the sun.
Data collection, Analysis
Being a highly detailed innovation, it is important to perform detailed research on the topic. This
requires gathering information from several secondary sources that are related to this study. The
design of the rerating solar panel which require developing codes that will help in designing the
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INDUSTRIAL INVESTIGATION 21
Arduino Uno. The Arduino Uno is what facilitates the rotation of the solar more efficiently. The
research was therefore aimed at developing the coding that will enable the Arduino Uno operate
perfectly. This required collecting the information from secondary related sources that include
journals, books, magazines and articles. The internet also played a major role in gathering
information on how to perfectly design the solar. During the course of research, there was also
need to seek clarification from individuals who have got a wealthy experience in this field. They
played a major role of making corrections on areas not well done and also suggesting
recommendations on the areas that could be improved. They also helped in analyzing the
information that had been gathered from secondary sources in order to make them useful. In this
way, the research design facilitated a proper way of conducting the study and thus achieving the
required results.
Timeline and capability development
Any research work needs to follow up an appropriate timeline that will ensure all the relevant
and appropriate steps are properly handled. In the development of the research work, there
several tasks that requires the attention of the researcher and hence must be properly
incorporated to ensure the project is conducted in the right manner and that the objectives of the
projects are achieved. Capability development is a guide to good practice that contains a series of
instructions and steps that should be followed in order to achieve effective ways of performing
the research. An appropriate research will help guide the researcher whether they are still within
the set time frame.
An appropriate method of planning for a project is by using the Gantt charts. They give the
schedule of work intended to be completed in a specific day. The start date of the project and the
expected end dates are also included in the view.
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INDUSTRIAL INVESTIGATION 22
The Gantt chart for this project is as detailed below;
seeking approval
preliminary investigation
write report
interviews
training
evaluation
final report
31-Dec 20-Jan 9-Feb 1-Mar 21-Mar 10-Apr 30-Apr 20-May 9-Jun
Figure 1: Gantt chart for the project
And from the above Gantt chart, it is approximated that at the end of the stipulated time the
whole tasks will have been completed.
Ethical issues
Before conducting any research, it is always proper to be conscious of the ethical dilemmas that
may result in the course of research work. This research required us to be aware of the
fundamental principles that have to be taken into considerations when carrying out the research
in accordance to the set framework for research ethics. The ethics will ensure that the research
attains a valuable quality and quality and that all the participants faced in the course of study are
treated in the right way that will guarantee valuable feedback.

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1. Informed consent
For this research, it was proper to make the participants aware that they are being involved in a
research study as well as what is required of them for the purpose of the research. The relevant
information that the participants had to be aware of included; reasons for carrying out the
research, the methods being applied, the probable research outcomes and the risks, demands,
inconveniences and discomforts that may be subjected to.
2. Respect for confidentiality and anonymity
The research ethics required to ascertain that the research will protect the anonymity and
confidentiality of all the individuals who participated in the research. This principle requires
participants only to be willing to volunteer the information they have being that some
information may be s4ensitive and private. During stages of the research that requires publication
of the collected information including the sources and that requires revealing the identity of the
participants, I sought to be granted permission from the participants before publishing or
revealing the information.
3. Beneficence
This principle requires the researcher to basically ‘do good’ in the course of the research study.
Given that any research is usually meant to make adjustments to the already existing systems, it
is therefore meant to improve the welfare of the intended groups or end users. The participants
during the research make up some of the intended end users hence they have to be taken care of.
This research also aimed at ’doing good’ to the prospective participants and end users.
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INDUSTRIAL INVESTIGATION 24
4. Non- maleficence
This principle is mainly focused at ‘doing no harm’ to the participants during the course of study.
It addresses any possible exploitation either physically, financially or health wise to the intended
participants. This principle will therefore ensure that all participants are protected from any
possible exploitation from the researchers. The participants also have to be protected from any
possible illegal, incompetent and unethical practices that they may be subjected to by the
researchers.
5. Impartiality and equality
It is also regarded as the principle of justice. The researcher should subject all the participants to
equal treatment in the course of conducting the research. This is applicable to individual
participants as well as to the whole society. There should not be any level of bias towards any
particular group since such a practice may result to incorrect results and feedback from the
participants.
6. Quality and integrity
The research should be built on the idea of achieving great quality results and feedbacks from the
relevant fields that will be visited in the course of study. The researchers needs to explain how
they are ensuring that they achieve quality and integrity of the research. The research should not
just be carried out for the sake, it has to strive at meeting the quality that can be comparable to
other similar research works.
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INDUSTRIAL INVESTIGATION 25
7. Voluntary participation
Any participant should be allowed to make a personal decision on whether to participate in a
given research or not to. They should also never be enticed or forced to share their opinions in
any research work. They should only participate out of own choice or decision.
8. Right to withdraw
The participants should be allowed to withdraw at any point during the course of the research. In
any case a participant makes a decision to withdraw from the research process, they should never
be coerced or pressured ibn a bid to reverse their decisions.
In order to appropriately proceed with the research, it is necessary to seek permission and
approval from different institutions or bodies that will ease the process of acquiring information
from the participants or other secondary sources. The most common arrangement should be put
in place include;
Getting ethics approval.
Determine the research governance requirements that apply to the intended research.
The forms and approval that were required for this study include;
National Research Ethics Service (NRES)
Local Ethical Committee Approval (LEC)
Reflective journal
During the development of the Rotating solar panel using Arduino as the controller, there are
some achievements which this project have. These achievements together with the plan for the

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INDUSTRIAL INVESTIGATION 26
whole development of the work is done. The consideration of the problem is also addressed in
this chapter. The whole program while was undertaken for the seventh day of the week can be
summarized as in the table below;
Days of the week Achievement Consideration of the problem
First day The circuit diagram of the system of the
rotating solar using Arduino was developed
What was considered here is the workability of
the whole system since if there is a problem with
the circuit diagram of the system the whole
design will definitely be wrong. Therefore a
perfect circuit diagram was developed.
Second day Programming the Arduino module. During the
design of it was really an achievement to
program the Arduino. During the programming
of this module, all the operation parameters are
stated here, like the stepper motor control and
the LDR communication with the actuator. The
errors which were found in the software were
debugged perfectly
There are lots of considerations which was done
here, the angle at which the solar panel should
tilt should be keenly given. The amount of solar
radiation which should make the actuator to start
moving to help in the tilting of the solar panel
was also stated in the Arduino software.
Third Day Development of the Printed Circuit Board from
PCB layout obtained from the circuit diagram.
It was really a great achievement to develop a
good PCB which acted as the main controller of
the whole system. Perforation of the PCB where
the components will be placed was perfectly
During the development of the PCB, there were
some considerations which were done. These
include avoiding the short-circuiting during the
soldering. If there is any short circuitry in the
system then it will not work as anticipated.
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INDUSTRIAL INVESTIGATION 27
done and a proper soldering was done.
Fourth Day The system parts were tested differently to
affirm if they were not faulty. This was also an
achievement during the development of the
project.
During the testing of the functionality of the
components of the system, keenness is very
important to ensure that the action does not make
the good components to be faulty.
Fifth day Different parts of the system were correctly
fixed to make the whole prototype as
anticipated
At this stage, some components may be put in a
wrong position which will hence make the
system not to operate. The Arduino module and
the LDR sensors may also be destroyed in the
process.
Sixth Day The input voltage and the output voltages were
measured for the components which were used
in making the components.
The developer of the project must know the
expected results for each measurement to avoid
rendering the correct reading as a wrong one.
Seventh Day The entire system was then tested on the sun
and it worked perfectly as anticipated. With the
help of Arduino, the solar photovoltaic panel
tilted which the changing of the sun´s
orientation and this was actually the greatest
achievement of the project. Finally, the project
operated as anticipated.
During the final testing, there must be a
consideration of the supply of the voltage and
current to the whole system. This is very
important since it helps to avoid burning of the
components and also it ensures that the correct
amount of power is supplied to the system.
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INDUSTRIAL INVESTIGATION 28
References
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Blum, e. (2013). Exploring Arduino: Tools and Techniques for Engineering Wizardry (4th ed.).
manchester: John Wiley & Sons. Retrieved from
https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Exploring+Arduino
%3A+Tools+and+Techniques+for+Engineering+Wizardry-p-9781118549360
Boxall, J. (2013). Arduino Workshop: A Hands-on Introduction with 65 Projects (4th ed.).
Manchester: Starch Press. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/Arduino-Workshop-
Hands-Introduction-Projects/dp/1593274483
Dobson, R. (2015). Practical Solar Tracking Automatic Solar Tracking Sun Tracking (2nd ed.).
Hull: Gerro Prinsloo. Retrieved from
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Tracker_Follow_Sun_Sun_Position
Geddes, M. (2014). Arduino Project Handbook: 25 Practical Projects to Get You Started (2nd
ed.). Amsterdam: Springer. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/Arduino-Project-
Handbook-Practical-Projects/dp/1593276907

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INDUSTRIAL INVESTIGATION 29
Gerro, P. (2012). Automatic Solar Tracking Sun Tracking Satellite Tracking rastreador solar
seguimento solar seguidor solar automático de seguimiento solar (1st ed.). New York:
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Kidder, D. (2014). Arduino Projects for Amateur (5th ed.). Florida: McGraw Hill Professional.
Retrieved from https://www.mhprofessional.com/9780071834056-usa-arduino-projects-
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INDUSTRIAL INVESTIGATION 30
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