Solar trackers that may be advantageously employed on sloped and/or variable terrain to rotate solar panels to track motion of the sun across the sky include bearing assemblies and other mechanical features configured to address mechanical challenges posed by the sloped and/or variable terrain that might otherwise prevent or complicate use of solar trackers on such terrain.

Solar trackers that may be advantageously employed on sloped and/or variable terrain to rotate solar panels to track motion of the sun across the sky include bearing assemblies and other mechanical features configured to address mechanical challenges posed by the sloped and/or variable terrain that might otherwise prevent or complicate use of solar trackers on such terrain.

Solar trackers that may be advantageously employed on sloped and/or variable terrain to rotate solar panels to track motion of the sun across the sky include bearing assemblies and other mechanical features configured to address mechanical challenges posed by the sloped and/or variable terrain that might otherwise prevent or complicate use of solar trackers on such terrain.

Solar trackers that may be advantageously employed on sloped and/or variable terrain to rotate solar panels to track motion of the sun across the sky include bearing assemblies and other mechanical features configured to address mechanical challenges posed by the sloped and/or variable terrain that might otherwise prevent or complicate use of solar trackers on such terrain.

A system and method for tracking the sun with a heliostat mirror is disclosed. The solar tracking system comprises: a camera configured to capture high dynamic range images of the sky, a plurality of cameras configured to capture images of the heliostat mirror, and a tracking controller. The images of the heliostat mirror include reflections of the sky. The tracking controller is configured to generate a circumsolar radiance map characterizing the brightness of at least a portion of the sky with the high dynamic range images. During tracking operations, the tracking controller is configured to estimate an orientation of the heliostat mirror; calculate coordinates of the portions of sky in the reflections in the heliostat mirror; estimate brightness levels of portions of sky in the reflections of the heliostat mirror based on the calculated coordinates and the radiance model; determine brightness levels of portions of sky in the reflections of the heliostat mirror based on the images from the plurality of cameras; generate an error measurement characterizing a difference between the brightness level estimated from the radiance model and the brightness level determined from the images of the heliostat mirror; search for an orientation angle of the at least one mirror that minimizes the error measurement; and re-orient the at least one mirror based on the orientation angle that minimizes the error measurement.

A solar tracking system includes a base member, a first shaft rotatably coupled to the base member, a support arm pivotably coupled to the first shaft, a second shaft having a first end and an opposing second end, the first end rotatably coupled to the support arm, a solar rack pivotably coupled to the second end of the second shaft, and a mass positioner configured to change an angle between the support arm and the first shaft by moving a predetermined mass between a first position and a second position.

A method allows positioning the tracker at angles that promote the cooling of photovoltaic modules and therefore, decrease their operating temperature, without reducing the total energy produced thus optimizing power production of photovoltaic (PV) electricity by reducing the working temperature of PV modules of a solar tracker. The method also provides an optimization of the electrical output of the system for particular conditions of instantaneous air temperature and wind speed to improve electrical power generation ratios with respect to those known current techniques taking into account incident power in the PV plane, or in some cases the output power without considering the action of changes in wind speed or air temperature.

A method allows positioning the tracker at angles that promote the cooling of photovoltaic modules and therefore, decrease their operating temperature, without reducing the total energy produced thus optimizing power production of photovoltaic (PV) electricity by reducing the working temperature of PV modules of a solar tracker. The method also provides an optimization of the electrical output of the system for particular conditions of instantaneous air temperature and wind speed to improve electrical power generation ratios with respect to those known current techniques taking into account incident power in the PV plane, or in some cases the output power without considering the action of changes in wind speed or air temperature.

A solar tracking system comprises multiple solar panel modules forming a grid of solar panel modules, wherein the multiple solar panel modules are orientatable to a solar source independently of each other; and a control system configured to orient each of the multiple solar panel modules to the solar source independently of each other based on a performance model to optimize an energy output from the grid of solar panel modules, wherein the performance model predicts an energy output from the grid of solar panel modules based on a topography of the area containing the grid of solar panel modules and weather conditions local to each of the solar panel modules.

Solar trackers that may be advantageously employed on sloped and/or variable terrain to rotate solar panels to track motion of the sun across the sky include bearing assemblies and other mechanical features configured to address mechanical challenges posed by the sloped and/or variable terrain that might otherwise prevent or complicate use of solar trackers on such terrain.