The Sun Tracker

Your Own Automated Solar Power Station!

The Sun Tracker is an automated solar panel that actually follows the Sun for increased power. Capable of rotating over a 160° east to west, the Sun Tracker will increase the power output of photovoltaic arrays by over 200% by keeping the face of the panels parallel to the sun throughout the day.

The Sun Tracker is made from light weight aluminum and can be mounted in a fixed location. Weather resistant. Solar panels not included.

A Real World Sun Tracker

In California, the Solar One power station at one time (it has since been converted for astronomical uses) used the Sun's heat to make steam, and drive a generator to make electricity. The station looks a little like the Sun Tracker, except that the mirrors are arranged in -circles around the "power tower". It's also massive in size.

As the Sun moved across the sky, the mirrors would turn to keep the rays focussed on the tower, where oil was heated to 300 degrees Celsius. The heat from the oil was used to generate steam, which then drove a turbine, which in turn drove a generator capable of providing 10kW of electrical power. That is a fair amount of power...power generated by harnessing the energy of the sun. Solar One was very expensive to build, but as fossil fuels run out and become more expensive, solar power stations may become a better option.