I did the "math" for tracking in 2007 when i was tasked with making a program to actually answer this question. I have a database with 20 years of climate data for the US and i can conclusively tell you that tracking gives you about 30% more power collection on average than stationary panels. The key is keeping the panels as perpendicular to the sun as possible, which your system does. Cut your electric bill by an additional 30% and you will find out that additional system costs can be recouped in a year or less! Thanks for sharing!
Again, you are mathing it to much. In the morning, my panels create about 70% more than panels facing south. In the evening, my panels create about 70% more power than panels facing south. During mid day, both setups produce the same with the same number of panels. If you add the cost of panels to offset the cost of the trackers, then during mid day, the southerly facing panels will produce more. In Tennessee, you would be lucky to have 10 days a month that did not have clouds during the day reducing output. With the tracker, everytime the sun shines, I make power. There is no way to math and unknown.
My solar tractor averages out for an entire day as 42% more productive than if the panels are stationary. I took one of my panels sets and had it set stationary while I let the other panel set track the Sun. During the morning hours the one that tracked the sun was producing 70%. More power than the one that didn't. The same thing happened in the evening. This averaged out to be a 42% gain over a stationary system with the same number of panels. The guy you spoke of was not a controlled test. You could have had one bad connection or one thing different.
the school district Washington Island in Michigan has a parallel installation for over a decade public available with all the data. 30% by average is right as said above. If you have more gain in the morning and evening then it might be less during highnoon but at the end of the day the usual tracker brings about 30% depending on the shadow, climate and casting of cause. There is a video on youtube about that school and their solar system and inverter is open for the public. You can check both systems the fixed one and the tracker via sat image but the result are just 30% It always depends cause if you need power in the early morning and late evening a tracker might be the best. But here we do not have power outages in decades, highest ac availability in europe , so the grid is always there and the solar power system plus the battery of cause - and for emergencies a 3000 Watt diesel powered inverter and a 6000 L tank full of diesel for the heating which can also be used to power the inverter to charge the car. Here we have solar power systems usually on rooofs and agriculture ones in 4 m hight or on arrays on the ground all facing south with 35°, no tracker cause those are too expensive here, panels are a lot cheaper cause another 600 W panel is currently about 140 $ or 120€
I have a lot of experience with a tracking system using the same linear actuators. About 10 years now. My first actors were pneumatic because that what I have available to me. These eco-worthy ones where not out yet. My arrangement is 9 panels set up all panels next to each other for a long arrangement. Similar to a commercial solar farm. I have 10 arrays. I only track 2-axis, east to west and it works fine. I make more power in the winter than I know what to do with. I live in southern Arizona. Where I live wind is the biggest issue, especially during the monsoon season with micro-burst. Winds can hit 80 plus mph for a few minutes. My setup currently is what I call fourth generation. When I had a failure from wind I would determine the failure point and redesign it. It was recently tested with a micro-burst in the area that took out a neighbors porch awning and about 10 power poles snapped on roads nearby. Power was out for 9 hours. My house was still air conditioned and no worries of loosing hundreds of dollars worth of frozen meat. All of my panels held up. In high winds my panels return to the east position with the shortest possible actuator length for elimination of most of the stress on them. Overall I get way more power with tracking than a fixed position. Also I gave up on tracking the light. I just have it pulse movement during the day that adjust itself for the time of year. Also, when they return to the east at sunset, I pulse it in about 15 pulses with a small break so to not to exceed the duty rating of the actuator. I finally got my system dialed in.
We just moved from the desert in Southwest Texas and had the same wind issues. My first dual axis tracker was blown apart twice before I figured out how to weather proof it. I ended up using 4-1/2 drill stem for the main rotating parts and 11 gauge steel tubing for the mounting rails. I still had an auger concreted at all four corners in order to strap it down when we had one of those desert thunderstorms that would blow through. The one good thing about living in the desert you could see a storm coming way before it arrived.
I'm a 66 year old retired (successful) engineer with a fully working 2,560 Watt solar system I custom-built with all ground-mounted (movable) panels. I learned a great deal from you. I have looked into your trackers and see all the benefits. I have to reset my panels for Summer Solstice, Winter Solstice, and one point in between, equinox. It's a pain. Other than dealing with the panels, my system works perfectly. I am going to copy you only weld up my support pole longer/deeper so I can ride my mower under the panels in the flat position. My gripe with these specific trackers is the 1,200 Watt limit on panels. Eco Worthy would not give me a weight limit, only a Watt limit. I am most likely going to purchase them anyway and beef them up enough to handle 2,000 Watts per tracker system. I don't care if they void the warranty as you (and others on RUclips) have shown just how fantastic these are, and, now how inexpensive replacement parts are. The cost of a complete system is way less than the cost of a roof install. Roof installs have a huge list of problems and suffer efficiency issues due to heat and fixed tilt angle as well as maintenance (cleaning). You discovered and implemented the smartest solution. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience!
I am not sure where people get the idea they can only handle 1200 watts of solar panels. They can handle as many panels as can be bolt on. There is only a limit by size. As you can see with mine, my panels are severely undersized. I built this system to learn on. I needed to know the right questions to ask when I build my permanent system. I ran heavy wire and two trackers, so that I can upgrade later. The new ones are upgraded with stronger bushings.
@@SOUTHERNSOLARAcademy-nx5mk The "1200" comes directly from Eco Worthy Tech/Customer support. When they told me that, I asked them about the weight limit, and they responded by attaching the installation instructions.... So you can not get a usable answer out of them. I understand what you did and thanks for sharing with all of us so we can learn as you do.
@@benkanobe7500 - as you know fro engineering, civil structures are usually wind rated - all to do with load, pressures and areas, nothing to do with the "watts" - ie, you may be using modern 550W panels, or old school (non perc) 150watt panels of the same size - loadout weight (kg/lv) also has less impact than windload. (ignore unintelligent "manufacturer recommendations" / reasonable use is more appropriate under most circumstances - if it breads, pull out the welder, grab some scrap steel and weld it back better..
@@kadmow We are of a like mind. I received both systems yesterday. - $598.oo each including shipping!!! I have my welder and unistrut all ready to fab up some mechanical strength and reposition the actuators for my leverage. All good stuff and thanks for your comments.
Im hosting 4 eco worthy solar tracking with 3X375W solar panel, this my solar panels getting sun right at 8 AM and im pleased with the results, I had to upgrade some stuff on the eco worthy and solve some annoying issues but now its working fine.
I’ve got 52,000 watts (5,350 lbs of panels) of PV. I don’t want a bunch of trackers to purchase, repair and maintain all the lubrication points. So what are you going to power with those two little arrays? I am powering my whole house, shop, 8.25 Tons of heat pumps. All electric! All year around. In Kentucky. Array angles between 45° and 66° with Azimuth between 145 and 225 degrees, for winter production, mainly.
If you followed the channel, you would understand I built this system as a learning tool. I am not locked into anything. Whatever makes sense is what I will do. The money I spent on this system will not break my bank. Having built it, I know the right questions to ask. Clearly, we came to a different understanding. The whole point of the tracker is to have less panels and make the same power. This little system powers my travel trailer and utility shed hardly using any grid power.
@@SOUTHERNSOLARAcademy-nx5mk As long as you are happy with your choices, that is what's important. Some buy $80K trucks, RV's, airplanes, $20K vacations or fill their sheds/garages/storage rentals with "stuff". I wouldn't call people WRONG for having any of these items. They worked for it, it's their money. It's a great hobby and educational experience. Enjoy.
@@SOUTHERNSOLARAcademy-nx5mkdon’t you just love how people with no videos are always spewing hate… thanks for making these videos I just bought 2 solar tracker and 12 bi facial panels for $2100
@@SOUTHERNSOLARAcademy-nx5mk Nice reply. Understanding was obviously the goal here, not trying to prove that trackers are right for every situation, too many people are too easily triggered .... Though I plan to have no tracking on my first solar "farm", other than manual seasonal adjustment, the needs it serves are small and non-critical, and I'll be able to add more PV and batteries as those needs grow, and may eventually take the house totally off grid, but I'm old and lazy, and wary of windstorms, so I may never add clock or light-following tracking.
Solar trackers do produce more energy but, they may require more maintenance and repair costs plus up front costs. I also live in tornado ally with high winds on open farmland so they would always be at risk of wind damage. If you are limited for space for a solar setup they are definitely worth the money to invest in or have a wind block for them. If you have lots of room, than more panels are better. I live on a farm so I can do a fixed mount system for my panels which produces shade for my sheep which also graze the grass under them. I can also use the shade to grow crops that require less sunshine to grow under them (Electro-culture). It is a win win situation for fixed mount on a farm, ranch or homestead with extra land to spare. I can also put mine on a central hinge that I can move up and down 4 times per year manually if desired to adjust for each season (but not daytime tracking). For a city person a tracking system could be a major win or someone with lots of shaded areas to deal with. For a rural home with open land you just need to do the math. Solar panels on the roof are also very problematic when it comes time to replace all your shingles or even one of them. I would NEVER put solar panels on my roof if I had any other option to mount them.
I have solar panels on my metal roof, the added benefit is the metal roof doesn’t get hot because of the solar panels and the metal has no penetrations because the clamps that hold my panels on grab the metal seams.
After building a much larger system that tracks only East West holding 10x415w panels & watching your video I decided to buy one of these I think total cost with tax at around $430 my reason is to make another larger tracker for additional 10 panels based on this design & to use this one for shed fan & to vent the main house & my 1200 sqft detached garage attic, it's obvious a system with tracker produces at least 30% more power & could prevent roof usage. My detached garage is holding 28 of the 415w & by shed is holding additional 17 past mid day my 10 panels with the tracker produce more power than the total of 45 roof mounted panels. I am also planning to build much larger tracker at least single EW axis & free the detached garage roof. Thanks for sharing.
When installing more than one tracker in a small space, how far apart should the main poles be so that the panel don’t contact each other. Putting four, 400w panels on the upgraded version. Thank you for all that you have taught me about these trackers.
trackers are especially beneficial for batteries, because they smooth and prolong the power output from panels. there is not rapid increase, peak at the noon and then drop of power output. that can be replicated with several fixed panel fields facing different directions, but i think, tracker is more elegant solution.
- and the structure could be knocked up from some 2x3 hardwood - if one only has a hand drill and a chainsaw mill. And it appears - that tracker frame could easily support 12 panels (a windbreak on the "non sunny side" of a panel field would will help reduce wind peaks. - without ever causing shade. yes tracking the brightest spot in the sky (every 10--20 mins with sleep in betwees uses very little power) - even if only making a tracking adjustment infrequently - helps to work around cloudy intermiitent sun... (naysayers are going to nay.. If you have great fun, and inbuilt resiliency, go for it.) A tracker works especially for mobile arrays, where there isn't the real-estate to just add more panels.
I'd like to build one, but with only one axis of movement. Automatic tilt towards the South, since I'm up north in MI. East-West I'm sandwiched between roofs (solar pergola), and I'd want the wind protection feature so the whole thing doesn't end up smashed in my neighbor's yard if we get a tornado or something. Hopefully I get to try it.
I have fitted motor cycle front fork bellows to protect my 2 actuators as we get rain and wind. Done this to extend the life of these hard working parts
Great video, I already have 8kw stationary setup and 10kw LIPO4 battery to feed haha. Yesterday on a clear sunny sky here in Hobart Australia, made 56kw for the whole day. Was looking at putting a 2.4Kw's of panels on a tracker and have it on the 3rd string of the inverter. However wind here is a lil issue some days, coastal and gust over 100km+ 10+ days a year. Don't call it the roughing 40's for nothing lol.
You should do a test. Like turn off one of the trackers in the year round position for a week and measure how much solar each array produces. Or even just one day if its cloudy. As I'm in Missouri im really curious how it would handle the cloudy days. Solar tracking is about solar hours. My normal install has about 4 daylight hours where there is an insufficient amount of power. I start seeing wattsge at sunrise, but i dont have enough solar to cover my loads for about 2 hours, then again at about 5:30 I am back to draining my battery even though I have sun for another 2 hours. So i plan to get one of these as its cheaper to get a solar tracker then it would be to get another 8kwh of batteries. If you're willing to spend over 1000$ ypu can get thet capacity for about 100$ a kWh, but thats DIY. Its closer to 300$ per kWh for something prebuilt. A 500$ tracker makes sense. I still rely on mostly normal mounted solar but I want to try one of these.
I run twin 4050 watt dual axis trackers that i built from scratch and have never understood the more panels arguments. I get sun 10-12 hours of full sun a day versus 4.5 hours for stationary panels my system runs my loads all day while charging my batteries.
@@SOUTHERNSOLARAcademy-nx5mk I definitely make more power on most days than I can use, since I just put in all new 48v 5.1KWh batteries I think I will add another 6 batteries to my bank and give myself another 2 days worth of back up power.
I have seen some stationary set ups that will have panels that sit vertically on the side to take advantage of early morning and late afternoon sun, but the people who had them said similar things, it doesn't get as much energy as tracked solar. Usually the main reason we have stationary panels here in the southwest is our near constant winds, so most of the solar systems here are over built to make up for that lack of efficiency. I would love a tracked solar system here, but I think it would need to be a lot more robust to handle the sand and high gusts/winds
I think you where definitely correct at the time of the video. Not so sure now, with panels prices dropping like crazy. Not that there is a right answer for everyone. Not everyone (including myself) has room or sun exposure for a massive ground mount. Duel trackers are going for around $420 now. That will get me 7 new 327 watt panels for 2,200 watts local. Please correct me if I'm wrong but that tracker holds a max of 6 200 watt panels for 1,800 watts. I plan on building an adjustable mount with tilt for the seasons, and panels facing east and west for early and late exposure or a ecoworthy tracker . I got the space, but I don't have great exposure, except for one corner of my property. Great video, I'd like to see you revist the topic in light of the drastic change is panel price.
I just bought two of the eco-worthy trackers. I need space for other things in my yard and my isn't an option, so the trackers solve some space problems. I havent purchased panels yet. I would like to maximize the amount of wattage I'm producing from each array. I know you said in past videos that ypu started with the harbor freight panels as a test. Have you thought about which panels you might upgrade to (brand/wattage)? I know some panels are much heavier than others and I'm not sure how much weight the trackers can safely handle.
I would be really interested in an experiment where you let the panels track vs have them fixed pointing south at 30-45 degrees. That would really emphasize how effective this is.
They won't do that because it would prove their stories are not accurate.. I have seen studies suggesting that at best you get 5% more power with trackers and that often gets used up with the actuators.. After 2 years of experimenting, I found that just leaving mine facing south and manually adjusting the angle once a month is the best.. My custom made rack system males it very easy to adjust the angle and it only takes 30 seconds to do. It is also much sturdier than those tracker mounts so wind is never a concern...
@@twistedhillbilly6157 I think there are situations where a tracker will yield a substantial gain. There are a lot of variables to consider, like the latitude, shade coverage, whether you're doing single or dual axis, the interval of the panel movement, and how many panels are operated by the actuators. In doing my own research, it seems single axis tracking is worthwhile if you have modern and more efficient panels, since that means your structure will be lighter and therefore you don't need as powerful mechanisms. Dual axis trackers don't seem worth the extra complexity and expense over single axis. Lastly, I'm not so sure actuators are the right choice. They're smart for dual axis since they add rigidity without complexity but there are other methods that might be a lot more efficient.
@@chomps21 "TRACKING" the sun is very simple and can be extremely cheap. Using the info to move a large, heavy object accurately and efficiently is the issue. A moveable object will always be much less stable than a solidly secured object. Mechanical, pneumatic, or hydraulic mechanisms needed to move the large, heavy array can and will be problematic. You also have to consider the extreme limitations on the size of the array. You can't just add some panels if you need more power. The reason they are rarely used is that the cost doesn't outweigh the benefit. There have been many attempts at large scale tracking and none have succeeded. People who have gone to the expense usually do not want to admit they were wrong so they think it was "wroth it" HOWEVER, every independent study that has been done concludes that that there is no benefit from it..
@@twistedhillbilly6157 Quote: "There have been many attempts at large scale tracking and none have succeeded". Your claim is utter nonsense based on "online" knowledge which translates to no knowledge. Have you personally checked out all the solar projects around the world and gathered all the data that lead you to this conclusion? I live in Portugal where there are super large scale solar farms. All the latest ones I have seen built are one axis tracking systems EAST-WEST. They don't even bother to tilt them towards the south, because we are pretty close to the equator. A solar farm here can contain several hundreds to several thousands of panels. If tracking is not cost effective, these engineers and investors must be really stupid and they should rather listen to you. What they do here is place 50 to even 100 panels in a row on an axis that can be as long as a hundred meters. They counterweight them until they are balanced almost to zero and only a handful of motors can tilt them with only a couple of watts. It's called engineering. By not tilting them towards the south they can actually put many more panels in the same area because they wont shade out each other. So resuming, "there have been many attempts at large scale tracking and it obviously it delivers so much more energy that it has become the norm". I don't even understand that people are seriously arguing about it. If you have several more hours input in the morning and evening and the same input at noon, even a moron could figure out you would get between 30 and 45 percent more energy. Here in Portugal, close to the equator, in the summertime the sun rises and sets very far to the north. The sun comes up at 6.30am, but the first rays only hit the panels at 9.00 am . If your panels can tilt east to west you catch the first sun 2,5 hours earlier and have it until 2,5 hours later. A due south panel will catch 8 hours of sunlight regardless of the season. Having 5 more hours more sunlight is pretty significant, wouldn't you say? By the way, did you know that heat severely diminishes the output of the panels? At high noon in the summer heat they actually perform the worst. When it's very windy they will perform much better with the same sunlight. FYI. I live off-grid for 25 yrs and have done many experiments in real life situations. Not RUclips knowledge.
I'm doing projects like this as well. Single axis right now, and the one currently working is on a shed rooftop with two 300watt panels moved with an actuator per panel, not super cost effective. We have 10 x 360 watt panels tracking around 60 degrees, 30 degrees from horizontal each way, attached to and pivoting over a fence, with 5 actuators as the other pivot/legs. We hope to pick up an additional 3 hours of sun per day. It also provides shade to a raised bed garden for a little agrivoltaic action as well. The actuators are difficult to find for much less than $40 per actuator right now. We may pick up some higher end actuators with full hall sensor positional control, but also cost a good bit more, but fit the project goals a bit more closely. (machine learning involved)
I do not know how winters are there but in the winter time this pays up big time. Another concern for winter is the flat rest position. I think it should be vertical when snowing. Does it have that posibility?
Here’s a possible McGuyver for high wind problems. If the wind sensor detects high winds you could have an actuator turn the panels so they are level to the ground and have another pull the main pipe in the center down towards the ground. (Picture an old hydraulic car lift, only smaller and run by electric.) With maybe a small 1ft. Solid fence around it to keep wind from getting underneath the panels. Have some kind of timer on the wind sensor so it would detect when the wind stops and the whole thing would raise back up into operating position. Crazy idea eh. 🤫
The reason that many people that have been in the industry for a long time say that trackers are not cost effective unless you have limited real estate, is because, traditionally, a quality tracker costs thousands of dollars. These cheaper Chinese trackers are quite new. Like cheap Chinese panels, they are in a different category.
Not sure If I'd do this on a large scale. But honestly these look fun to mess with. Looking at doing a separate system for greenhouse heating. These might be a fun project to use. If I can get them under that $450 mark.
They're great where it's not too windy. On my ridge they'd almost always be flat (if they haven't blown away). For the cost of your two small trackers I can get over 2KW of excellent condition used panels. Face 1Kw East and 1KW West, and never worry about fragile moving parts. Of course, that's just my situation. Yours appears to be different.
Yes. Every area is different. My solar trackers hold up to 15-20 mph winds without problems. I have my solar trackers go flat about 25 mph or higher. They have went through two 60 mph winds and one 80 mph wind. When the sun is out, I get all of my panels working for me. It sounds like wind might be a better alternative or at least a supplemental power source.
@@SOUTHERNSOLARAcademy-nx5mk not dong wind here. We get very strong gusts, but nothing consistent. Besides, anything with moving parts will make noise and require maintenance and repairs. With the price of panels these days I'll take the quiet and no maintenance panels over anything else (except hydro, if I had a year round stream on my property).
I was surprised to see you installed your solar panels under shade trees? I think I would have placed them in a constant sun space if available land allowed even if more wire was required to get back to the battery shed.
I have a 100 watt oanel I manually moved today every hour or so to match the suns movement as a little experiment and it made a major difference in the amount of watt hours brought in per the history on my victron controller, im sold,makes a huge difference and ur right it starts capturing sunlight much earlier and later
I'd go 2 axis like you have done. 3 minute adjustment seems a bit too frequent compared to the gain achieved on each - I'm curious if the controller allows you to vary that timing increment through the day - both ends of the day it'll be more critical to do it more frequently and provide greater flow, where mid-day it's not quite a important. You didn't post any watts used for the actuators to fire, so hard to get real finite. Many areas hail will be an issue - not sure how simpler systems like these could benefit though as your motion is so restricted and you really wouldn't want it flat like for wind. Nice job - that 30% figure is going to probably be very accurate over an entire year with all the factors considered, that's what I'd read on a Los Alamos 2 axis tracker report already a couple decades ago.
I have two issues: 1 - Its not large enough. I need to be able to put 10 * 455 panels on one and the trackers I have seen for those are $2k - $3k. 2 - I would really like to know how they perform in 80mph - 110mph winds. We actually do get hit with these winds where I am once a year. Still an awesome video though, thank you for sharing
Great review of these trackers. I just picked one up (via eBay) for a song. Hope to get it set up over the next couple of weeks. The problem that I have is... which panels actually are the best fit for these? My panels are bi-facial and not a good fit. So, should I be looking for a specific size panel or wattage or type?
It is not limited to 200 wattt modules. It has a clamp system. It is just a mount. As long as you keep it balanced, it will take as many panels as you can clamp on to it.
@@SOUTHERNSOLARAcademy-nx5mk This system would be great if it fits normal sized panels, as they're far cheaper than the smaller ones from eco-worth. Here you can buy big 450 watt panels for 200 dollars, their small 195 watt panels cost about the same. With 2 big panels it's a 900 watt system, not too far off their 6 panel 1200 watt system.
Say what..? I bought Six brand new 200w Bi-Facials off Amazon and have them all mounted and working great on mine. Bi-Facials have nothing to do with how they fit or mount. It's the size of the panel that is important.
With tracking, more power is supplied at peak demand times. Morning and evening should require more power, than mid-day for working families. This should lead to a somewhat smaller system, less panels and batteries should cover cost of tracking?
Mat I ask how you set yours to adjust how the system moves you mention its movement and looses. How did you do this as I still cannot get my head around setting it up.
Thank you very much for your videos on these trackers. I really enjoyed them. Haters are always going to hate, so don't let them get to you. You know these are working for you and that's all that matters. Some of these people are setting ridiculous expectations from these units (like asking them to work when winds are above 80 mph). Everyone thinks they are an expert. I just wanted you to know, many of us appreciate the effort you shared with us. Thanks!
We have a nice bit of land, but our property is primarily trees. I don't want to cut down trees unless it is required. This was the absolute best place to put panels. I didn't go, YE-Ha, put it here. LOL! The neighbor farmer was not keen on me planting my solar in his field. They are in direct shade until 8am. in the summer. They stop producing power in the evening around 6 pm due to trees on my neighbors property. During the winter, the lower angle of the sun complements the system giving longer sun time. I don't want to cut down 5 acres of trees to save the planet with solar panels. LOL!
My tracers work great for about 7 months, then they started to not retract to neutral position when sun goes down. Called echo worthy , emailed them no response back, does anyone have a suggestion to solve my problem with trackers , thanks.
*Due to the extreme drop in prices for solar products, it is much more economical to simply install more 50-80 $ solar panels instead of an expensive tracker!* For more constant yields, the solar panels should be aligned in an S-E (= morning sun) and S-W direction. In any case, trackers are prone to maintenance and faults outdoors due to the mechanics and electronics, and are also very susceptible to wind. For this reason and because of the mechanics, most do not last for many years.
Hello Mr Tony: thanks for this and your previous install videos. Because of them Id like to set up 2 of these trackers according to your methods. But theres something thats not clear to me about these trackers and Id expect to see the answer in any of the assembly/review vids, but havent. Heres my situ and setup. My panels will all go straight to an Ecoflow Delta Pro Ultra via MC4 cables, not making any other connections along the way. Thats the normal connection methodfrom panels for that battery/inverter device. Using these trackers, I believe I would bypass the Ecoworthy MPPT of both trackers, in order to put all 12 panels in series [my only option], to get all 288volts to my Ultra battery/inverter, via a single [pair] of PV cable, , this is doable, yes? Im not asking for a comment about the Ultra, rather about not connecting the solar panels PV cables to the Ecoworthy electronics : can I bypass the box?. So in this scenario, Id have these these trackers for tilting the panels only. And the panels PV cables are wired straight to the Ultra with no other connection too Ecoworthy electronics, and it would be the as usual for the Ultra: solar panel to MC4 connectors in PV cable to connect into MC4 ports on the Ultra. My question is: Can this work, or Would I be missing anything from the Ecoworthy setup in this scenario that would ruin my tracking/tilting function that Im after? I cant begin to answer this because I dont even kno or can see how the cables emerging from each panel are terminated: are they bare wire with no connector and theyre supposed to plug into the Ecoworthy digital box, and then to your solar system? And is that necessary? or do they terminate with MC4 connectors, or what.? :( Thanks for all your videos.
Ah! I see. What you are saying is the mathematicians are too "clear" headed, but optimization may actually be found by "cloudy" thinking.... Thank you for your presentation! It has always seemed to me that tracking was the optimal approach, especially if space was limited. Your examples of intra-day variation in sunlight availability provided even more weight to the argument for tracking. Even so, I'm likely to install my first system without any tracking, but will probably switch to tracking in a couple of years. I've got lots of space and panels are getting cheaper and cheaper... my big problem now is finding and deciding on a battery storage and inverter system. I really like the idea of a Tesla Powerwall or an Anker Solix X1 -- basic shrink-wrapped turnkey systems (with professional installation) with great battery management (including some temperature protection), but frankly, an Anker Solix 3800 in a well insulated and passively ventilated box would meet my immediate needs just fine, but the 3800's input voltage limitation (60V max) is a bit constraining, especially as it can't accept many amps below 32 volts. oh well... sorry just thinking out loud. You have a sweet setup there, I hope it gives you many years of service!
what is the expected cost of wind damage ? if you can lose shingles you can lose these big things, and thats 6 panels to replace. i keep insurance on a car thats worth less than a set of your panels,
all the quantifiable metrics aside how does each person price the reliability of more of the day potentially charging your system, its a bit more piece of mind and that's gonna be worth something to a lot of people
Sorry if didn't dig enough but do you have a diy tracker on a budget we can utilize? I know you and others spent the money and did the work but now you know exactly what works. Not to mention the knock of brands that do the same thing. Look forward to you spreading the knowledge for all! Maybe create a site and we can all work on the code together. This would make it demographically irrelevant and the algorithm will do the work. Just what is needed.
Ciao! Ti seguo da un po' e sono intenzionato a comperare un inseguitore. Ho già dei pannelli fissi di alta gamma ma il costo dei pannelli della Worthy è davvero vantaggioso. Sai dirmi se sono validi o è meglio altra marca?
Yes more panels will make more power over paying for a tracker. How ever you need to have the room and the extra cash to get them. With that said If you add more panels you get to a point were your charge controller can't handle the voltage of those extra panels. The voltage of the panels will make a big difference. Then you have the space issue. For my system I can't safely add more panels without getting another CC for $600-800 plus the extra panels cost plus the wire and circuit breakers and other small things. I don't have the space for the extra panels either so the tracker is a perfect fit for the extra power to ensure I have enough for the A/C in summer now that I've upgraded the battery pack.
I totally disagree. You missed the whole concept I was talking about. In TN, we are lucky to get ten days each month without clouds boiling up over midday. This cuts out put of stationary panels. My panels are always hunting for the best sun all day long. You can't math the unknown.
My movements are drawn from a small 12v battery with a 10 watt solar panel. Nothing going to my power is consumed by the movements. Everything works wonderfully.
We have duel axis system, it moves every 10 minutes the controller is made by Lauritzen (USA) well worth it, has all the features you need, hi wind parkup etc. 🇦🇺🤙
I placed this as a comment to someone, but I can math myself out of the critics too. There are many factors at play, but first of all some critique. A singular installation with sparsely collected statistics based on singular days like clouds at noon doesn't really bode confidence and rightfully so attracts people that want to do the mathing. Nor does a statement 70% more energy in the morning. Compared to what? the 10% it normally produces? 70% sounds like an odd ball guess if you ask me. What we don't need is someone to make a claim and basically say "trust me bro". We need numbers, we need averages, we need facts and above all logical conclusions. So I'm going to have a go at that :) Luckily there is an abundance of fine grained data available which shows us solar trackers provide 30-35% extra energy on average, so let's base our story on that. Considering the price of the tracker and the price of solar panels you can easily calculate that the balance point is around 9 panels. Most important of all, do your own math for your specific situation, your number might be 8 or 10. The exact number isn't that important. But at 7 panels plus tracker your installation is bound to be more expensive then an equal fixed install with more panels to produce the same amount of energy. The same goes for 11 panels plus tracker that is bound to be cheaper then fixed. But again this is based on averages and most importantly provided that there are no other factors at play. And that's where it gets tricky, little details that will throw around any and all generic mathing. First factor being the angle at which the panels face. If your roof is south facing, then you are in luck. Otherwise tracking could even benefit quicker. The same goes for a ground mounted frame. You have to have the right size field at the right location. Tracking allows for more margins in shades that trees provide for example. But a southwest install quickly produces less energy, requiring more panels to produce the same daily amount. Or you could have a big old tree in the way around 2 PM, impacting your peak production. Next is energy consumption. Can you handle the power produced at peak time from a fixed install? Especially if you have a dynamic contract you pay premium in the morning and evening. If you can rely on more solar power during those times you can greatly reduce your energy costs even more. Or store it, sure but how much does the peak affect the equipment cost in total? A larger peak requires more expensive equipment for just a small amount of time. It makes sense to spread that out, which a more expensive solar tracker can provide, reducing costs elsewhere. You could live in a rural area with unreliable power. This would require you to buy additional equipment like a backup generator, fuel, maintenace, but also battery storage if you are smart. How much is the total cost of your entire install and how much difference does a couple of hundred bucks make? How much is a tracked solar install worth in terms of cool factor? Imagine friends coming over, their heads will turn for sure. The bottom line comes down to this: Do the math, look at your circumstances, that into considerations ALL factors, not just the price of solar panels. It could very well be that a tracked solar install with just 6 panels might be cheaper over all. Or it could be that you have the perfect south facing field with an abundance of space and no penalty whatsoever from your energy company regarding feeding back power. Just have a think or two and don't trust a random stranger on the internet (or a random advertisement for that matter).
I would love to see you upgrade the panels to 400+ or 550 panels. What are your plans timeframe for that? Really enjoying your channel and content. All the best.
err well I HAVE 2 myself.. so 1 you have WAY TO MUCH shade... and 2nd have you been greasing and checking on them weekly? If you check it weekly and keep it well maintained you wont have any issues.. Mine are in full sun all day long, and i get upwards of 50% more per day data logged. my system is set to move every 2 min. I also have a 2nd mini/charger panel attached to a battery in a box on the post. but you got way to much shade for solar..
How so these hold up to snow? Can they clear snow? Gows the sensor work in snowy conditions? They probably dont make sense for most of the us that gets snow.
There will always be "naysayers".. To each their own. I love mine. My 1200w (6x200) is doing pretty good. It's still not getting full solar input because the 12v wires from the controllers is too small causing a bottleneck. I'm waiting for an solar installer\electrician to install some other items, then I'll upgrade the wire..... It'll be able to run my mini split, hot air fryer, microwave, router and pc as it were plugged into shore power.. ps. Love the short time lapse at the end.
Don`t mean to push you down, trackers make panels more efficient. Low tech is usually better on the long run, though. With the price of couple trackers you could get more panels and no fuzz with self made mounting from wood that you can use to dry firewood or grow stuff that enjoys shade. I would use trackers too if installation space would be scarce for me. You don´t seem to have need for space either that could make trackers more reasonable than bigger installations. Hope there is spare parts available for the next decades that those panels will work. Otherwise they are not usable.
What way do you have it go back to at night in the winter. Flat seems like a bad idea when you could get 3"-6" of snow in 1 night? And do you find that in winter you could make even more power if it tilted more to the south? I noticed you have your east/west actuator on the west side were in my manual shows it on the east side. I have seen both ways. I also flipped mine so the motors were on the top, to keep water out of them. So far working great.
I guess that could be a problem somewhere. We don't get enough snow to worry about it. 6" of snow will not bother this. It tilts to the south on its own. It is always looking directly at the sun each and every day of the year. It follows it across the sky all day long. Winter/summer works the same. I built it the way the directions show. Turning the actuators around seems smart. If I have any problem I will. I spray mine with dry lube which last about 6 months. It is about time again.
I can place double the amount of panels and put them east/west instead of tracking. I'll get more output than with trackers. A few years ago when panels were 500$ per panel, I would have gone with trackers in some cases. But now we have 450w panels for less than 100$, and trackers are just not worth the hassle and investment.
I could justify the tracking system if it involved 10 or 20k watts of panels but you've got what, 800 - 1000 watts on each tracker? Hardly worth the trouble in my book, but what do I know?
- sir, you could easily build a similar setup for any load you need - also, electric actuators are available for any force and range of motion desired... Taking a look at the setup, and riffing on the theme - it isn't too hard to contemplate (a 5kW system with 9 x 550W panels has ~ 600lb of panels on it, add the structure and not we are pivoting ~1500lb around in the air...)
@@kadmow I did a proof of concept with no actuators, just floats attached to an equatorial mount and an air pump to raise and lower the floats and move the panels. Probably a cheap option.
@@MrSummitville My panels will all go to an Ecoflow Delta Pro Ultra via MC4 cables. if you bypass the Ecoworthy MPPT of one tracker [or both?], to put all 12 panels in series, to get all 288volts to your battery, ie, my Ultra, via a single [pair] of PV cable, , this is doable, yes? So in this scenario, the tracker is for tilting the panels. And the panels PV cables are wired straight to the Ultra with no other connection, which is tha as usual for the Ultra btw. Would I be missing anything from the Ecoworthy setup in this scenario? I dont even kno or can see how the cables emerging from each panel are terminated:are they bare wire with no connector, or MC4 connectors, or what.? :(
it would maybe be nice when the system is full and panels are turned off (turning off solar panels is a hot topic in my workfield) to just turn them to a less ideal position to save some heat generation on the panels, this could even prolong the life of the panels itself.
That makes sense, but this system is not that complicated. It faces the sun with very few other functions. It has no idea what power level the system is.
Indirectly. My solar system runs a battery charger that provides 12 volt battery power to the units. Some people put a standalone solar panel for the solar trackers.
I have run the math for my particular system and it is definitely not worth it for me. This is probably very worth it for your setup because you have a relatively small solar array with what looks to be between 600 and 900 watts per station (guessing... could be wrong). I have a roof mounted 8.5KW 34 Panel system (335 Watt Panels) that I have already determined the Eco-Worthy tracking system won't support (according to their documentation) and a custom or large scale solar tracking setup would be way more expensive for me and likely most people who tell you it's not cost effective. For a small setup like that... sure, it's easy to install... you can use the less expensive Solar Tracking system and get your pay back. For large array's, it's not worth it. Also... for those who have large ground mounted arrays, it may be worth it if you mount a few panels on a tracker and have a lot of trackers (I would need about 8-10) but I don't have the room to mount anything on the ground... and you can't mount these on the roof. So... again, for me and a lot of others with roof mounted systems, it's not worth it.
To prove or disprove your argument is very easy, just leave 1 of your arrays facing south at optimal angle all day and compare kWh to the one that's tracking. You can do this on both sunny and cloudy days, then make the data public.. the more data the more accurate results become. This is called science, give it a try.
I did a proof of concept of a new type of solar tracker that I call "Zombie pneumatic solar tracking" (I might change the name if anyone thinks of a better one). It uses an air pump to raise and lower floats that moves the solar panel. Mine is on equatorial mount and is single axis, with manual adjustment for the second axis. I call it zombie because I have one controller that moves all the other "zombie brainless" solar panels at the same time. In my case, my air pump produces enough air to move 50 or 60 solar panels. You could do the same thing and run it from one solar panel that drives the pump. In mine, slowly rising air pressure over the course of the day gradually rotates the mount. In yours, your one tracking panel would control the valves and air pump to move itself and the other ones. I have a few videos about my demo. (Its a bit hokey because I have a heart condition and can't do much at a time, etc. ) You could also make yours level the panels in the wind. Mine doesn't do that. Brian
How can I take the word of anyone who installs solar in the shade when there's unshaded land 50 Ft away in either direction. Also these panels are tiny.
Tracker with 6 195w bifacial bundle is 1400 USD. Which could buy 10 of the Bifacial 195w not in a bundle. The 10 would be 10*195=1950watts while the tracker would be 6*195=1170, you said the tracker is 42% more efficient, someone else said 30%. That is 1170*1.3-1.42 = ~1521-1661 watts, for it to be equally as effective it would need to be 1950/1170 = ~67% more effective. Which means its still less watts for the same price. Pros Better for when there is cloudy midday (looking at you, UK) but with a bigger battery pack things will average out Space saving, could use the land underneath looks badass Cons Not as effective Harder to install Repair Shorter lifespan Heavy wind? maybe
Solar trackers are more efficient than fixed...no doubt about that at all. But about 15yrs ago when panel prices dropped trackers became losers as far as ROI is concerned. Some of the really big installs out west (lotsa sun hours) are single axis trackers...they seem to have economically sound business cases...tho many are use gov grants/funding. They move MANY panels with minimal hardware. That's the trick. If your tracker hits 25% increase in production vs fixed in your area (this number has to be an average for the entire yr...for multiple yrs) than the tracker has to cost less than adding 25% more panels to a comparable fixed mount. So if you have a 4 panel tracker...the tracker can't cost more than 1 extra panel (25%...so 5 panels fixed with racking) or your going backwards. Back when panels were $6-8/watt it was much easier to justify trackers. Now not so much...
I'm shocked that you have it at 3 minutes to move them. Even that feels super aggressive. I feel like 10 minutes would be plenty for the average sun movement. If you're trying to snag reflections off of other clouds then yeah 3 minutes makes sense, but is the power gain from moving the panels to that reflection off setting the movement? It may be, it'd be awesome to get some good power metrics on how much that system uses to move it just for fun.
The performance of a solar panel angle of incidence is loosely a bell curve 2-axis perpendicular (H-V) to the panel face is the peak of both bell curves. That's where you want the sun to be, with obscured sun (cloud cover), you'll probably lose about as much as you'd gain chasing the brightest spot in the sky. IMHO, better to just run that slow continuous solar trajectory across the sky and use your surplus collected energy to prepare fo the next day's position and put the tracker to sleep the rest of the time. Generally finding the current date and time (GPS is great as it has the rest of the info you need already available) and using a solar position algorithm will get you pretty darn close - but I read in a paper a while back that an NIR camera with a super wide angle lens (110°) under a 95% absorptive Neutral density filter makes it so that just about only the sun is visible. You can home in on the sun and derrive an error offset for the tracking algorithm while only sipping power. You could do that with even an Arduino/ESP32...
My system really doesn't chase the sun and the output used for moving the actuator is minuscule. My system will only move once every 3 minutes if needed . The power used to run the actuator doesn't even really come into play because it's so light. You seem to be one of the people I was talking about. You are overthinking it.
@@SOUTHERNSOLARAcademy-nx5mk I'm an EE, I tend to think a lot... guilty, but as a rebuttle, I'm not saying "a solar tracker isn't worth it". The power used for moving the actuator may be miniscle, but it's measurable and having it "hunt" (like what yours did @7:03, and again right before the cut @7:45) uses power it doesn't need to IMO. This little stuff kills total harvested power, like a vampire load in a house. Earth's rotation is about 15°/hour (360°rotation/24hours = 15°/hour). If you want to calculate a slightly more precise value, the Earth orbits the Sun once a year (365.25 * 24 = 8766hours, 360°orbit/8766hours = ~0.041068°/hour). Looking at the oribital plane from the north pole down, both the rotation and orbit of the Earth around the Sun are counter-clockwise, meaning the apparent hour-angular-rates are additive: reasonably 15.041068°/hour steady state. Good enough for a single axis solar tracker - just need a reduction drive to a stepper which can handle the torque and a step pulse generator that results in that angular-rate. Math is required to optimze this drive system though, just like MPPT charge controllers there is nothing for free (more volts vs more amps or torque vs revs in a drvie system), and system integration is about cost ballancing. Optimized steady-states are generally more energy efficient than bursty rapid movements resulting in overcorrections - and this is based on real-world experience (up to and including building commercial EMS design/installation), not just paper math. It's like a variable speed A/C compressor tweaking it's steady state speed rather than bang-bang on/off compressor control.
I never understood why to "measure and correct" the panels position when you KNOW where the sun is at any given date and hour. Why not simply force those actuators in the rythm where the sun is supposed to be (constellation-wise), with garanteed precision in stead of being busy measuring with sensors and correcting? I really don't get this. Cause the electronics could be so much simpler and fool-proof. The only interrupt would be the wind to put them horizontal above a certain speed but also, that is basic electronics. I know these sensors and computers are fun and cheap, but everyone is acting like this is the only way. I say why not run it on timers, cause if the sun suddenly comes out the panels would be already in the ideal position to catch that light! Another thing to overthink first is; can you maintain and repair it yourself cause one should realise you're adding a lot of failure points with a tracker where fixed panels have no worries and riscs at all. Just trying to help newbees in the matter of deciding here. Great vid, great example!
The grumpy OldGuy™ in me is tired of things done poorly. I'm in tech and use my computer a lot, so when I click on a menu and wait for it to just draw (WAIT!), I have time to think, "Why is that taking so long? This thing is running at gigahertz! I didn't ask it to cure cancer.". That's just one simple example and there so many more things that go wrong. So I'm becoming a deliberate Luddite and strongly favoring things that are dead simple. Sledge hammers are good. They never pester me to upgrade and the manufacturer never sends me a survey … it just works as well as the day I bought it. While I understand your pursuit of efficiency and have no disrespect for that, I lean toward the simple, if less efficient way for myself.
I can buy a lot more than 30% more panels for the cost of a tracking system. His trackers are holding 6 panels, but lets do the math assuming 8. The cheapest solar tracker I can find costs $419, So 8 panels at $100 each totals $800, so I can increase my output buy over 45% buy spending the $419 on 4 more panels. 45% is a 50% increase over 30%. Plus I never have to repair a tracker or feed one the power required to run it.
Are you factoring in time of day when your getting that power? I have plenty of panels on my array to charge up but these trackers put me online earlier and for later. I don’t need more power mid day, I want to be collecting solar as early as possible and as late as possible.
You are soooooo right! The glass on top of the panel reflects some light and the more angle to the sun, the more it reflects. The rest refracts down to the PV cells. It's not just cosine of angle in real life. Them tree shadows, if the post could extend when there's no bad wind and geddown when there is, could getcha more time is all. Scissor-jack legs? A DIY tracker done right will cost less but might not do all that this one does.
All ya’ll watch Craig Bradles’ video on “easiest solar tracker”, and then build your own. The eco worthy ones are too small for the price. If you really want to be off grid you would need like 20 of them. And they are only made for the older 100 watt panels.
There is 1 simple way to look at this also... 6 195 Watt Bi-Facial Eco-Worthy solar panels cost about $780.00 That's for 1.17 Kw of power (max) which is what the dual axis tracker supports. You're saying that the Tracker raises your Energy Generation by 40% (let's use that). The cost of the tracker (just the tracker, not including installation) is $459.00 on sale. To increase your output to 1.17kw * 1.4 (additional 40%) = 1.688 Kw Energy. You could just buy 3 more Bi-Facial Panels instead for $390 and increase your Energy by 50% (6 + 3 = 9 panels). Spend less.... increase more without having to deal with the complexity of the installation and maintenance. So... bottom line... look at the potential increase in energy... calculate what it would cost to increase your number of static solar panels by the same amount... which is cheaper?
Your argument and does not take into account that what you were talking about is stationary panels which are highly affected during cloudy times. Stationary panels are at their peak efficiency at a specific time of the day. If clouds are over the units during the specific time of the day, they don't make much power. With a tracker, it doesn't matter what time of the day, the panels are always facing the Sun at peak efficiency. You can calculate this thing to death but in real life, a solo tracker is always a benefit.
@@SOUTHERNSOLARAcademy-nx5mk I'm just using the amount you stated of 40% gain (which is also the overall stated Max range in gain for solar trackers 30-40 percent). So when you look at the cost to increase your stationary panels by 50 percent compared to tracker... It's cheaper for more increase. And yes... While clouds will reduce the stationary panels when directly overhead, they affect the output of your tracking panels also by a certain amount. Overall... What is your total net increase in production with tracking vs stationary? If its 40% as you stated... Then I stand by my method which would increase overall production by 50% at a lower cost with less maintenance.
This is advantageous too because you end up very close to 100% production as soon as the panels can point at the sun. The "just add more panel" requires buying a bigger inverter as well as more panals, racking, etc. A tracker lets you fill in more of a smaller inverter's capacity without needing a bigger system to avoid clipping. These are quite economical now.
It is true that the sun availability changing during the day is a very pertinent factor. Also mornings you are trying to catch up after all night with no power, and evening you are looking to fill batteries that may be a bit low from cloudiness and daytime power usage. This is one of the big advantages of a tracker. You would have to buy a lot of panels to have say 3 angles of stationary ones that will give you the same service as a tracking setup.
I have fixed panels. They should last 30 years with minimal maintenance and repair. They are ground mounted and provide a large shaded area adjacent to my shop for parking and storing equipment. In real life I just get free solar power and a lot of it with no worries. That’s how I would do it again.
I could get a few of these I just have no where to place them LOL! Should have built my extra room with some steel beams to plonk these on to. Oh well.
That is when they change gains the most. In cloudy conditions a fixed panel might output so little it's basically zero, the trackers can take that zero and make it 50%.
@@SOUTHERNSOLARAcademy-nx5mkBut clouds do move fast. Move every 3 minutes vs every 30 minutes ... Won't the total motor ON time, over the whole day, be about the same, regardless?
I did the "math" for tracking in 2007 when i was tasked with making a program to actually answer this question. I have a database with 20 years of climate data for the US and i can conclusively tell you that tracking gives you about 30% more power collection on average than stationary panels. The key is keeping the panels as perpendicular to the sun as possible, which your system does. Cut your electric bill by an additional 30% and you will find out that additional system costs can be recouped in a year or less! Thanks for sharing!
Again, you are mathing it to much. In the morning, my panels create about 70% more than panels facing south. In the evening, my panels create about 70% more power than panels facing south. During mid day, both setups produce the same with the same number of panels. If you add the cost of panels to offset the cost of the trackers, then during mid day, the southerly facing panels will produce more. In Tennessee, you would be lucky to have 10 days a month that did not have clouds during the day reducing output. With the tracker, everytime the sun shines, I make power. There is no way to math and unknown.
This guys demonstrates the numbers. 30% + more energy. ruclips.net/video/Hyx1ZUN9bqc/видео.htmlsi=cwcAOdMaUn_X4kkN
My solar tractor averages out for an entire day as 42% more productive than if the panels are stationary. I took one of my panels sets and had it set stationary while I let the other panel set track the Sun. During the morning hours the one that tracked the sun was producing 70%. More power than the one that didn't. The same thing happened in the evening. This averaged out to be a 42% gain over a stationary system with the same number of panels. The guy you spoke of was not a controlled test. You could have had one bad connection or one thing different.
@@SOUTHERNSOLARAcademy-nx5mk Yep.. well said.
the school district Washington Island in Michigan has a parallel installation for over a decade public available with all the data.
30% by average is right as said above. If you have more gain in the morning and evening then it might be less during highnoon but at the end of the day the usual tracker brings about 30% depending on the shadow, climate and casting of cause.
There is a video on youtube about that school and their solar system and inverter is open for the public. You can check both systems the fixed one and the tracker via sat image but the result are just 30%
It always depends cause if you need power in the early morning and late evening a tracker might be the best.
But here we do not have power outages in decades, highest ac availability in europe , so the grid is always there and the solar power system plus the battery of cause - and for emergencies a 3000 Watt diesel powered inverter and a 6000 L tank full of diesel for the heating which can also be used to power the inverter to charge the car.
Here we have solar power systems usually on rooofs and agriculture ones in 4 m hight or on arrays on the ground all facing south with 35°, no tracker cause those are too expensive here, panels are a lot cheaper cause another 600 W panel is currently about 140 $ or 120€
Don't let the RUclips experts get you down. I have a tracker and the panels on that always out preform the others
I have a lot of experience with a tracking system using the same linear actuators. About 10 years now. My first actors were pneumatic because that what I have available to me. These eco-worthy ones where not out yet. My arrangement is 9 panels set up all panels next to each other for a long arrangement. Similar to a commercial solar farm. I have 10 arrays. I only track 2-axis, east to west and it works fine. I make more power in the winter than I know what to do with. I live in southern Arizona. Where I live wind is the biggest issue, especially during the monsoon season with micro-burst. Winds can hit 80 plus mph for a few minutes. My setup currently is what I call fourth generation. When I had a failure from wind I would determine the failure point and redesign it. It was recently tested with a micro-burst in the area that took out a neighbors porch awning and about 10 power poles snapped on roads nearby. Power was out for 9 hours. My house was still air conditioned and no worries of loosing hundreds of dollars worth of frozen meat. All of my panels held up. In high winds my panels return to the east position with the shortest possible actuator length for elimination of most of the stress on them. Overall I get way more power with tracking than a fixed position. Also I gave up on tracking the light. I just have it pulse movement during the day that adjust itself for the time of year. Also, when they return to the east at sunset, I pulse it in about 15 pulses with a small break so to not to exceed the duty rating of the actuator. I finally got my system dialed in.
I love it. I really like people who do things for themself. I am thinking about building a very large tracker. DIY
Eco worthy solar tracker .l like it when it work.but I have problems. From day one.on support
@@clydefuller4730 So what seems to be the problem..? Have you made a video for us to see..?
We just moved from the desert in Southwest Texas and had the same wind issues. My first dual axis tracker was blown apart twice before I figured out how to weather proof it. I ended up using 4-1/2 drill stem for the main rotating parts and 11 gauge steel tubing for the mounting rails. I still had an auger concreted at all four corners in order to strap it down when we had one of those desert thunderstorms that would blow through. The one good thing about living in the desert you could see a storm coming way before it arrived.
Before you do watch Craig Bradles video on “easiest solar tracker”.
I'm a 66 year old retired (successful) engineer with a fully working 2,560 Watt solar system I custom-built with all ground-mounted (movable) panels. I learned a great deal from you. I have looked into your trackers and see all the benefits. I have to reset my panels for Summer Solstice, Winter Solstice, and one point in between, equinox. It's a pain. Other than dealing with the panels, my system works perfectly. I am going to copy you only weld up my support pole longer/deeper so I can ride my mower under the panels in the flat position. My gripe with these specific trackers is the 1,200 Watt limit on panels. Eco Worthy would not give me a weight limit, only a Watt limit. I am most likely going to purchase them anyway and beef them up enough to handle 2,000 Watts per tracker system. I don't care if they void the warranty as you (and others on RUclips) have shown just how fantastic these are, and, now how inexpensive replacement parts are. The cost of a complete system is way less than the cost of a roof install. Roof installs have a huge list of problems and suffer efficiency issues due to heat and fixed tilt angle as well as maintenance (cleaning). You discovered and implemented the smartest solution. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience!
I am not sure where people get the idea they can only handle 1200 watts of solar panels. They can handle as many panels as can be bolt on. There is only a limit by size. As you can see with mine, my panels are severely undersized. I built this system to learn on. I needed to know the right questions to ask when I build my permanent system. I ran heavy wire and two trackers, so that I can upgrade later. The new ones are upgraded with stronger bushings.
@@SOUTHERNSOLARAcademy-nx5mk The "1200" comes directly from Eco Worthy Tech/Customer support. When they told me that, I asked them about the weight limit, and they responded by attaching the installation instructions.... So you can not get a usable answer out of them. I understand what you did and thanks for sharing with all of us so we can learn as you do.
@@benkanobe7500 - as you know fro engineering, civil structures are usually wind rated - all to do with load, pressures and areas, nothing to do with the "watts" - ie, you may be using modern 550W panels, or old school (non perc) 150watt panels of the same size - loadout weight (kg/lv) also has less impact than windload. (ignore unintelligent "manufacturer recommendations" / reasonable use is more appropriate under most circumstances - if it breads, pull out the welder, grab some scrap steel and weld it back better..
@@kadmow We are of a like mind. I received both systems yesterday. - $598.oo each including shipping!!! I have my welder and unistrut all ready to fab up some mechanical strength and reposition the actuators for my leverage. All good stuff and thanks for your comments.
Before you do watch Craig Bradle channel video about easiest solar tracker….
Im hosting 4 eco worthy solar tracking with 3X375W solar panel, this my solar panels getting sun right at 8 AM and im pleased with the results, I had to upgrade some stuff on the eco worthy and solve some annoying issues but now its working fine.
I’ve got 52,000 watts (5,350 lbs of panels) of PV. I don’t want a bunch of trackers to purchase, repair and maintain all the lubrication points. So what are you going to power with those two little arrays? I am powering my whole house, shop, 8.25 Tons of heat pumps. All electric! All year around. In Kentucky. Array angles between 45° and 66° with Azimuth between 145 and 225 degrees, for winter production, mainly.
If you followed the channel, you would understand I built this system as a learning tool. I am not locked into anything. Whatever makes sense is what I will do. The money I spent on this system will not break my bank. Having built it, I know the right questions to ask. Clearly, we came to a different understanding. The whole point of the tracker is to have less panels and make the same power. This little system powers my travel trailer and utility shed hardly using any grid power.
@@SOUTHERNSOLARAcademy-nx5mk As long as you are happy with your choices, that is what's important. Some buy $80K trucks, RV's, airplanes, $20K vacations or fill their sheds/garages/storage rentals with "stuff". I wouldn't call people WRONG for having any of these items. They worked for it, it's their money. It's a great hobby and educational experience. Enjoy.
@@SOUTHERNSOLARAcademy-nx5mkdon’t you just love how people with no videos are always spewing hate… thanks for making these videos I just bought 2 solar tracker and 12 bi facial panels for $2100
@@SOUTHERNSOLARAcademy-nx5mk Nice reply. Understanding was obviously the goal here, not trying to prove that trackers are right for every situation, too many people are too easily triggered .... Though I plan to have no tracking on my first solar "farm", other than manual seasonal adjustment, the needs it serves are small and non-critical, and I'll be able to add more PV and batteries as those needs grow, and may eventually take the house totally off grid, but I'm old and lazy, and wary of windstorms, so I may never add clock or light-following tracking.
Solar trackers do produce more energy but, they may require more maintenance and repair costs plus up front costs. I also live in tornado ally with high winds on open farmland so they would always be at risk of wind damage. If you are limited for space for a solar setup they are definitely worth the money to invest in or have a wind block for them. If you have lots of room, than more panels are better. I live on a farm so I can do a fixed mount system for my panels which produces shade for my sheep which also graze the grass under them. I can also use the shade to grow crops that require less sunshine to grow under them (Electro-culture). It is a win win situation for fixed mount on a farm, ranch or homestead with extra land to spare. I can also put mine on a central hinge that I can move up and down 4 times per year manually if desired to adjust for each season (but not daytime tracking). For a city person a tracking system could be a major win or someone with lots of shaded areas to deal with. For a rural home with open land you just need to do the math. Solar panels on the roof are also very problematic when it comes time to replace all your shingles or even one of them. I would NEVER put solar panels on my roof if I had any other option to mount them.
I have solar panels on my metal roof, the added benefit is the metal roof doesn’t get hot because of the solar panels and the metal has no penetrations because the clamps that hold my panels on grab the metal seams.
Thanks for taking the trouble to do this video. I learned a lot. One very important thing for me is the ease of installation.
After building a much larger system that tracks only East West holding 10x415w panels & watching your video I decided to buy one of these I think total cost with tax at around $430 my reason is to make another larger tracker for additional 10 panels based on this design & to use this one for shed fan & to vent the main house & my 1200 sqft detached garage attic, it's obvious a system with tracker produces at least 30% more power & could prevent roof usage. My detached garage is holding 28 of the 415w & by shed is holding additional 17 past mid day my 10 panels with the tracker produce more power than the total of 45 roof mounted panels. I am also planning to build much larger tracker at least single EW axis & free the detached garage roof. Thanks for sharing.
When installing more than one tracker in a small space, how far apart should the main poles be so that the panel don’t contact each other. Putting four, 400w panels on the upgraded version. Thank you for all that you have taught me about these trackers.
trackers are especially beneficial for batteries, because they smooth and prolong the power output from panels.
there is not rapid increase, peak at the noon and then drop of power output.
that can be replicated with several fixed panel fields facing different directions, but i think, tracker is more elegant solution.
- and the structure could be knocked up from some 2x3 hardwood - if one only has a hand drill and a chainsaw mill.
And it appears - that tracker frame could easily support 12 panels (a windbreak on the "non sunny side" of a panel field would will help reduce wind peaks. - without ever causing shade.
yes tracking the brightest spot in the sky (every 10--20 mins with sleep in betwees uses very little power) - even if only making a tracking adjustment infrequently - helps to work around cloudy intermiitent sun... (naysayers are going to nay.. If you have great fun, and inbuilt resiliency, go for it.) A tracker works especially for mobile arrays, where there isn't the real-estate to just add more panels.
Well said, my friend.
I'd like to build one, but with only one axis of movement. Automatic tilt towards the South, since I'm up north in MI. East-West I'm sandwiched between roofs (solar pergola), and I'd want the wind protection feature so the whole thing doesn't end up smashed in my neighbor's yard if we get a tornado or something. Hopefully I get to try it.
I realize this comment is a year old, but eco worthy just released a single axis tracker for about $300 and holds 4 panels
I have fitted motor cycle front fork bellows to protect my 2 actuators as we get rain and wind. Done this to extend the life of these hard working parts
I like the trusses on that sun shade 👍
Thank you. I have to get to the point where I can close in the barn and insulate it. I wanted air conditioned and heated
Great video, I already have 8kw stationary setup and 10kw LIPO4 battery to feed haha. Yesterday on a clear sunny sky here in Hobart Australia, made 56kw for the whole day. Was looking at putting a 2.4Kw's of panels on a tracker and have it on the 3rd string of the inverter. However wind here is a lil issue some days, coastal and gust over 100km+ 10+ days a year. Don't call it the roughing 40's for nothing lol.
You should do a test. Like turn off one of the trackers in the year round position for a week and measure how much solar each array produces. Or even just one day if its cloudy. As I'm in Missouri im really curious how it would handle the cloudy days.
Solar tracking is about solar hours. My normal install has about 4 daylight hours where there is an insufficient amount of power. I start seeing wattsge at sunrise, but i dont have enough solar to cover my loads for about 2 hours, then again at about 5:30 I am back to draining my battery even though I have sun for another 2 hours. So i plan to get one of these as its cheaper to get a solar tracker then it would be to get another 8kwh of batteries. If you're willing to spend over 1000$ ypu can get thet capacity for about 100$ a kWh, but thats DIY. Its closer to 300$ per kWh for something prebuilt. A 500$ tracker makes sense. I still rely on mostly normal mounted solar but I want to try one of these.
I run twin 4050 watt dual axis trackers that i built from scratch and have never understood the more panels arguments. I get sun 10-12 hours of full sun a day versus 4.5 hours for stationary panels my system runs my loads all day while charging my batteries.
Amen! People don't take into account clouds coming over part of the day either. Our panels get sun when it there to be got. LOL!
@@SOUTHERNSOLARAcademy-nx5mk I definitely make more power on most days than I can use, since I just put in all new 48v 5.1KWh batteries I think I will add another 6 batteries to my bank and give myself another 2 days worth of back up power.
I have seen some stationary set ups that will have panels that sit vertically on the side to take advantage of early morning and late afternoon sun, but the people who had them said similar things, it doesn't get as much energy as tracked solar. Usually the main reason we have stationary panels here in the southwest is our near constant winds, so most of the solar systems here are over built to make up for that lack of efficiency. I would love a tracked solar system here, but I think it would need to be a lot more robust to handle the sand and high gusts/winds
I think you where definitely correct at the time of the video. Not so sure now, with panels prices dropping like crazy. Not that there is a right answer for everyone. Not everyone (including myself) has room or sun exposure for a massive ground mount.
Duel trackers are going for around $420 now. That will get me 7 new 327 watt panels for 2,200 watts local.
Please correct me if I'm wrong but that tracker holds a max of 6 200 watt panels for 1,800 watts.
I plan on building an adjustable mount with tilt for the seasons, and panels facing east and west for early and late exposure or a ecoworthy tracker . I got the space, but I don't have great exposure, except for one corner of my property.
Great video, I'd like to see you revist the topic in light of the drastic change is panel price.
I just bought two of the eco-worthy trackers. I need space for other things in my yard and my isn't an option, so the trackers solve some space problems. I havent purchased panels yet. I would like to maximize the amount of wattage I'm producing from each array. I know you said in past videos that ypu started with the harbor freight panels as a test. Have you thought about which panels you might upgrade to (brand/wattage)? I know some panels are much heavier than others and I'm not sure how much weight the trackers can safely handle.
Good video.
Are the panels individually adjustable?
I would be really interested in an experiment where you let the panels track vs have them fixed pointing south at 30-45 degrees. That would really emphasize how effective this is.
They won't do that because it would prove their stories are not accurate.. I have seen studies suggesting that at best you get 5% more power with trackers and that often gets used up with the actuators.. After 2 years of experimenting, I found that just leaving mine facing south and manually adjusting the angle once a month is the best.. My custom made rack system males it very easy to adjust the angle and it only takes 30 seconds to do. It is also much sturdier than those tracker mounts so wind is never a concern...
@@twistedhillbilly6157 I think there are situations where a tracker will yield a substantial gain. There are a lot of variables to consider, like the latitude, shade coverage, whether you're doing single or dual axis, the interval of the panel movement, and how many panels are operated by the actuators.
In doing my own research, it seems single axis tracking is worthwhile if you have modern and more efficient panels, since that means your structure will be lighter and therefore you don't need as powerful mechanisms. Dual axis trackers don't seem worth the extra complexity and expense over single axis.
Lastly, I'm not so sure actuators are the right choice. They're smart for dual axis since they add rigidity without complexity but there are other methods that might be a lot more efficient.
This tracker cost 400 bucks building a rack to hold panels stable would be similar in price why not add some efficiency by having it track the sun ?
@@chomps21 "TRACKING" the sun is very simple and can be extremely cheap. Using the info to move a large, heavy object accurately and efficiently is the issue. A moveable object will always be much less stable than a solidly secured object. Mechanical, pneumatic, or hydraulic mechanisms needed to move the large, heavy array can and will be problematic. You also have to consider the extreme limitations on the size of the array. You can't just add some panels if you need more power. The reason they are rarely used is that the cost doesn't outweigh the benefit. There have been many attempts at large scale tracking and none have succeeded. People who have gone to the expense usually do not want to admit they were wrong so they think it was "wroth it" HOWEVER, every independent study that has been done concludes that that there is no benefit from it..
@@twistedhillbilly6157 Quote: "There have been many attempts at large scale tracking and none have succeeded".
Your claim is utter nonsense based on "online" knowledge which translates to no knowledge.
Have you personally checked out all the solar projects around the world and gathered all the data that lead you to this conclusion?
I live in Portugal where there are super large scale solar farms. All the latest ones I have seen built are one axis tracking systems EAST-WEST. They don't even bother to tilt them towards the south, because we are pretty close to the equator.
A solar farm here can contain several hundreds to several thousands of panels.
If tracking is not cost effective, these engineers and investors must be really stupid and they should rather listen to you.
What they do here is place 50 to even 100 panels in a row on an axis that can be as long as a hundred meters.
They counterweight them until they are balanced almost to zero and only a handful of motors can tilt them with only a couple of watts. It's called engineering.
By not tilting them towards the south they can actually put many more panels in the same area because they wont shade out each other.
So resuming, "there have been many attempts at large scale tracking and it obviously it delivers so much more energy that it has become the norm".
I don't even understand that people are seriously arguing about it. If you have several more hours input in the morning and evening and the same input at noon, even a moron could figure out you would get between 30 and 45 percent more energy. Here in Portugal, close to the equator, in the summertime the sun rises and sets very far to the north. The sun comes up at 6.30am, but the first rays only hit the panels at 9.00 am .
If your panels can tilt east to west you catch the first sun 2,5 hours earlier and have it until 2,5 hours later.
A due south panel will catch 8 hours of sunlight regardless of the season.
Having 5 more hours more sunlight is pretty significant, wouldn't you say?
By the way, did you know that heat severely diminishes the output of the panels? At high noon in the summer heat they actually perform the worst. When it's very windy they will perform much better with the same sunlight.
FYI. I live off-grid for 25 yrs and have done many experiments in real life situations. Not RUclips knowledge.
I'm doing projects like this as well. Single axis right now, and the one currently working is on a shed rooftop with two 300watt panels moved with an actuator per panel, not super cost effective. We have 10 x 360 watt panels tracking around 60 degrees, 30 degrees from horizontal each way, attached to and pivoting over a fence, with 5 actuators as the other pivot/legs. We hope to pick up an additional 3 hours of sun per day. It also provides shade to a raised bed garden for a little agrivoltaic action as well. The actuators are difficult to find for much less than $40 per actuator right now. We may pick up some higher end actuators with full hall sensor positional control, but also cost a good bit more, but fit the project goals a bit more closely. (machine learning involved)
I do not know how winters are there but in the winter time this pays up big time.
Another concern for winter is the flat rest position. I think it should be vertical when snowing. Does it have that posibility?
I like the way you explain things.
Here’s a possible McGuyver for high wind problems. If the wind sensor detects high winds you could have an actuator turn the panels so they are level to the ground and have another pull the main pipe in the center down towards the ground. (Picture an old hydraulic car lift, only smaller and run by electric.) With maybe a small 1ft. Solid fence around it to keep wind from getting underneath the panels. Have some kind of timer on the wind sensor so it would detect when the wind stops and the whole thing would raise back up into operating position.
Crazy idea eh. 🤫
The reason that many people that have been in the industry for a long time say that trackers are not cost effective unless you have limited real estate, is because, traditionally, a quality tracker costs thousands of dollars. These cheaper Chinese trackers are quite new. Like cheap Chinese panels, they are in a different category.
I'd say the advantages of having a correctly sized inverter, and a broader production curve and a lot of value people aren't calculating in.
Not sure If I'd do this on a large scale. But honestly these look fun to mess with. Looking at doing a separate system for greenhouse heating. These might be a fun project to use. If I can get them under that $450 mark.
Great video, thanks! I appreciate the details for replacement parts.
They're great where it's not too windy. On my ridge they'd almost always be flat (if they haven't blown away). For the cost of your two small trackers I can get over 2KW of excellent condition used panels. Face 1Kw East and 1KW West, and never worry about fragile moving parts. Of course, that's just my situation. Yours appears to be different.
Yes. Every area is different. My solar trackers hold up to 15-20 mph winds without problems. I have my solar trackers go flat about 25 mph or higher. They have went through two 60 mph winds and one 80 mph wind. When the sun is out, I get all of my panels working for me. It sounds like wind might be a better alternative or at least a supplemental power source.
@@SOUTHERNSOLARAcademy-nx5mk not dong wind here. We get very strong gusts, but nothing consistent. Besides, anything with moving parts will make noise and require maintenance and repairs. With the price of panels these days I'll take the quiet and no maintenance panels over anything else (except hydro, if I had a year round stream on my property).
Everyone has to walk their own path.
I was surprised to see you installed your solar panels under shade trees? I think I would have placed them in a constant sun space if available land allowed even if more wire was required to get back to the battery shed.
The large shed looks new and clear of the trees and far higher just needs the brackets and rails and power is probably used in the shed.
I have a 100 watt oanel I manually moved today every hour or so to match the suns movement as a little experiment and it made a major difference in the amount of watt hours brought in per the history on my victron controller, im sold,makes a huge difference and ur right it starts capturing sunlight much earlier and later
So, what is a "major" difference. Your post tells us nothing. Give us a % increase.
I'd go 2 axis like you have done. 3 minute adjustment seems a bit too frequent compared to the gain achieved on each - I'm curious if the controller allows you to vary that timing increment through the day - both ends of the day it'll be more critical to do it more frequently and provide greater flow, where mid-day it's not quite a important. You didn't post any watts used for the actuators to fire, so hard to get real finite. Many areas hail will be an issue - not sure how simpler systems like these could benefit though as your motion is so restricted and you really wouldn't want it flat like for wind. Nice job - that 30% figure is going to probably be very accurate over an entire year with all the factors considered, that's what I'd read on a Los Alamos 2 axis tracker report already a couple decades ago.
I have two issues:
1 - Its not large enough. I need to be able to put 10 * 455 panels on one and the trackers I have seen for those are $2k - $3k.
2 - I would really like to know how they perform in 80mph - 110mph winds. We actually do get hit with these winds where I am once a year.
Still an awesome video though, thank you for sharing
Great review of these trackers. I just picked one up (via eBay) for a song. Hope to get it set up over the next couple of weeks. The problem that I have is... which panels actually are the best fit for these? My panels are bi-facial and not a good fit. So, should I be looking for a specific size panel or wattage or type?
Limited to 200-watt modules.
It is not limited to 200 wattt modules. It has a clamp system. It is just a mount. As long as you keep it balanced, it will take as many panels as you can clamp on to it.
@@SOUTHERNSOLARAcademy-nx5mk Thanks for the clarification, Southern!
@@SOUTHERNSOLARAcademy-nx5mk
This system would be great if it fits normal sized panels, as they're far cheaper than the smaller ones from eco-worth.
Here you can buy big 450 watt panels for 200 dollars, their small 195 watt panels cost about the same.
With 2 big panels it's a 900 watt system, not too far off their 6 panel 1200 watt system.
Say what..? I bought Six brand new 200w Bi-Facials off Amazon and have them all mounted and working great on mine. Bi-Facials have nothing to do with how they fit or mount. It's the size of the panel that is important.
With tracking, more power is supplied at peak demand times. Morning and evening should require more power, than mid-day for working families. This should lead to a somewhat smaller system, less panels and batteries should cover cost of tracking?
Mat I ask how you set yours to adjust how the system moves you mention its movement and looses. How did you do this as I still cannot get my head around setting it up.
The only question I have is why you installed in the shade.
Thank you very much for your videos on these trackers. I really enjoyed them. Haters are always going to hate, so don't let them get to you. You know these are working for you and that's all that matters. Some of these people are setting ridiculous expectations from these units (like asking them to work when winds are above 80 mph). Everyone thinks they are an expert. I just wanted you to know, many of us appreciate the effort you shared with us. Thanks!
So you had no other place on your property that was NOT IN SHADE? These are directly in shaded area...
We have a nice bit of land, but our property is primarily trees. I don't want to cut down trees unless it is required. This was the absolute best place to put panels. I didn't go, YE-Ha, put it here. LOL! The neighbor farmer was not keen on me planting my solar in his field. They are in direct shade until 8am. in the summer. They stop producing power in the evening around 6 pm due to trees on my neighbors property. During the winter, the lower angle of the sun complements the system giving longer sun time. I don't want to cut down 5 acres of trees to save the planet with solar panels. LOL!
My tracers work great for about 7 months, then they started to not retract to neutral position when sun goes down. Called echo worthy , emailed them no response back, does anyone have a suggestion to solve my problem with trackers , thanks.
What is the maximum weight limit of all panels? Can I use 400 watt REC panels?
*Due to the extreme drop in prices for solar products, it is much more economical to simply install more 50-80 $ solar panels instead of an expensive tracker!*
For more constant yields, the solar panels should be aligned in an S-E (= morning sun) and S-W direction.
In any case, trackers are prone to maintenance and faults outdoors due to the mechanics and electronics, and are also very susceptible to wind.
For this reason and because of the mechanics, most do not last for many years.
Hello Mr Tony: thanks for this and your previous install videos. Because of them Id like to set up 2 of these trackers according to your methods. But theres something thats not clear to me about these trackers and Id expect to see the answer in any of the assembly/review vids, but havent. Heres my situ and setup. My panels will all go straight to an Ecoflow Delta Pro Ultra via MC4 cables, not making any other connections along the way. Thats the normal connection methodfrom panels for that battery/inverter device. Using these trackers, I believe I would bypass the Ecoworthy MPPT of both trackers, in order to put all 12 panels in series [my only option], to get all 288volts to my Ultra battery/inverter, via a single [pair] of PV cable, , this is doable, yes? Im not asking for a comment about the Ultra, rather about not connecting the solar panels PV cables to the Ecoworthy electronics : can I bypass the box?. So in this scenario, Id have these these trackers for tilting the panels only. And the panels PV cables are wired straight to the Ultra with no other connection too Ecoworthy electronics, and it would be the as usual for the Ultra: solar panel to MC4 connectors in PV cable to connect into MC4 ports on the Ultra. My question is: Can this work, or Would I be missing anything from the Ecoworthy setup in this scenario that would ruin my tracking/tilting function that Im after? I cant begin to answer this because I dont even kno or can see how the cables emerging from each panel are terminated: are they bare wire with no connector and theyre supposed to plug into the Ecoworthy digital box, and then to your solar system? And is that necessary? or do they terminate with MC4 connectors, or what.? :( Thanks for all your videos.
Ah! I see. What you are saying is the mathematicians are too "clear" headed, but optimization may actually be found by "cloudy" thinking.... Thank you for your presentation! It has always seemed to me that tracking was the optimal approach, especially if space was limited. Your examples of intra-day variation in sunlight availability provided even more weight to the argument for tracking. Even so, I'm likely to install my first system without any tracking, but will probably switch to tracking in a couple of years. I've got lots of space and panels are getting cheaper and cheaper... my big problem now is finding and deciding on a battery storage and inverter system. I really like the idea of a Tesla Powerwall or an Anker Solix X1 -- basic shrink-wrapped turnkey systems (with professional installation) with great battery management (including some temperature protection), but frankly, an Anker Solix 3800 in a well insulated and passively ventilated box would meet my immediate needs just fine, but the 3800's input voltage limitation (60V max) is a bit constraining, especially as it can't accept many amps below 32 volts. oh well... sorry just thinking out loud. You have a sweet setup there, I hope it gives you many years of service!
why would you install a solar system in the shade when you have so much open area????
Well if you think about the distance and price of the copper conductor's even more reason to have the panel set up on a tracking system...
what is the expected cost of wind damage ? if you can lose shingles you can lose these big things, and thats 6 panels to replace. i keep insurance on a car thats worth less than a set of your panels,
all the quantifiable metrics aside how does each person price the reliability of more of the day potentially charging your system, its a bit more piece of mind and that's gonna be worth something to a lot of people
The single axis trackers are well worth the money over a ground mount. Dual axis isnt bad its just a bit pricier
Can you set them to "sleep" at night tilted to a programed position? (Like away from the road.) Thanks!
Yes you can
Sorry if didn't dig enough but do you have a diy tracker on a budget we can utilize? I know you and others spent the money and did the work but now you know exactly what works. Not to mention the knock of brands that do the same thing. Look forward to you spreading the knowledge for all! Maybe create a site and we can all work on the code together. This would make it demographically irrelevant and the algorithm will do the work. Just what is needed.
Ciao! Ti seguo da un po' e sono intenzionato a comperare un inseguitore. Ho già dei pannelli fissi di alta gamma ma il costo dei pannelli della Worthy è davvero vantaggioso.
Sai dirmi se sono validi o è meglio altra marca?
Yes more panels will make more power over paying for a tracker. How ever you need to have the room and the extra cash to get them. With that said If you add more panels you get to a point were your charge controller can't handle the voltage of those extra panels. The voltage of the panels will make a big difference. Then you have the space issue. For my system I can't safely add more panels without getting another CC for $600-800 plus the extra panels cost plus the wire and circuit breakers and other small things. I don't have the space for the extra panels either so the tracker is a perfect fit for the extra power to ensure I have enough for the A/C in summer now that I've upgraded the battery pack.
I totally disagree. You missed the whole concept I was talking about. In TN, we are lucky to get ten days each month without clouds boiling up over midday. This cuts out put of stationary panels. My panels are always hunting for the best sun all day long. You can't math the unknown.
My movements are drawn from a small 12v battery with a 10 watt solar panel. Nothing going to my power is consumed by the movements. Everything works wonderfully.
We have duel axis system, it moves every 10 minutes the controller is made by Lauritzen (USA) well worth it, has all the features you need, hi wind parkup etc.
🇦🇺🤙
We can set our to move however often we want. It is very verstital.
Good info. Been looking hard at these units
I placed this as a comment to someone, but I can math myself out of the critics too. There are many factors at play, but first of all some critique. A singular installation with sparsely collected statistics based on singular days like clouds at noon doesn't really bode confidence and rightfully so attracts people that want to do the mathing. Nor does a statement 70% more energy in the morning. Compared to what? the 10% it normally produces? 70% sounds like an odd ball guess if you ask me. What we don't need is someone to make a claim and basically say "trust me bro". We need numbers, we need averages, we need facts and above all logical conclusions. So I'm going to have a go at that :)
Luckily there is an abundance of fine grained data available which shows us solar trackers provide 30-35% extra energy on average, so let's base our story on that. Considering the price of the tracker and the price of solar panels you can easily calculate that the balance point is around 9 panels. Most important of all, do your own math for your specific situation, your number might be 8 or 10. The exact number isn't that important. But at 7 panels plus tracker your installation is bound to be more expensive then an equal fixed install with more panels to produce the same amount of energy. The same goes for 11 panels plus tracker that is bound to be cheaper then fixed. But again this is based on averages and most importantly provided that there are no other factors at play. And that's where it gets tricky, little details that will throw around any and all generic mathing.
First factor being the angle at which the panels face. If your roof is south facing, then you are in luck. Otherwise tracking could even benefit quicker. The same goes for a ground mounted frame. You have to have the right size field at the right location. Tracking allows for more margins in shades that trees provide for example. But a southwest install quickly produces less energy, requiring more panels to produce the same daily amount. Or you could have a big old tree in the way around 2 PM, impacting your peak production.
Next is energy consumption. Can you handle the power produced at peak time from a fixed install? Especially if you have a dynamic contract you pay premium in the morning and evening. If you can rely on more solar power during those times you can greatly reduce your energy costs even more. Or store it, sure but how much does the peak affect the equipment cost in total? A larger peak requires more expensive equipment for just a small amount of time. It makes sense to spread that out, which a more expensive solar tracker can provide, reducing costs elsewhere.
You could live in a rural area with unreliable power. This would require you to buy additional equipment like a backup generator, fuel, maintenace, but also battery storage if you are smart. How much is the total cost of your entire install and how much difference does a couple of hundred bucks make? How much is a tracked solar install worth in terms of cool factor? Imagine friends coming over, their heads will turn for sure.
The bottom line comes down to this: Do the math, look at your circumstances, that into considerations ALL factors, not just the price of solar panels. It could very well be that a tracked solar install with just 6 panels might be cheaper over all. Or it could be that you have the perfect south facing field with an abundance of space and no penalty whatsoever from your energy company regarding feeding back power. Just have a think or two and don't trust a random stranger on the internet (or a random advertisement for that matter).
I would love to see you upgrade the panels to 400+ or 550 panels. What are your plans timeframe for that? Really enjoying your channel and content. All the best.
I am waiting on my money tree to bloom. LOL! Thank you.
Completely UNDERSTAND! How many trees did you plant? 🤣
Sorry if I missed it, what MPH gust setting do you panels turn flat?
err well I HAVE 2 myself..
so 1 you have WAY TO MUCH shade...
and 2nd have you been greasing and checking on them weekly? If you check it weekly and keep it well maintained you wont have any issues..
Mine are in full sun all day long, and i get upwards of 50% more per day data logged.
my system is set to move every 2 min. I also have a 2nd mini/charger panel attached to a battery in a box on the post.
but you got way to much shade for solar..
How so these hold up to snow? Can they clear snow? Gows the sensor work in snowy conditions? They probably dont make sense for most of the us that gets snow.
We don't have enough snow to worry about it
My tracker has 1.6kw of solar and it out performs 3 other fixed systems which are 2kw andc2.2kw. It's my best performing system .
There will always be "naysayers".. To each their own. I love mine. My 1200w (6x200) is doing pretty good. It's still not getting full solar input because the 12v wires from the controllers is too small causing a bottleneck. I'm waiting for an solar installer\electrician to install some other items, then I'll upgrade the wire..... It'll be able to run my mini split, hot air fryer, microwave, router and pc as it were plugged into shore power.. ps. Love the short time lapse at the end.
Don`t mean to push you down, trackers make panels more efficient. Low tech is usually better on the long run, though. With the price of couple trackers you could get more panels and no fuzz with self made mounting from wood that you can use to dry firewood or grow stuff that enjoys shade.
I would use trackers too if installation space would be scarce for me. You don´t seem to have need for space either that could make trackers more reasonable than bigger installations.
Hope there is spare parts available for the next decades that those panels will work. Otherwise they are not usable.
Panels are much cheaper now than a year ago when the video was made.
What way do you have it go back to at night in the winter. Flat seems like a bad idea when you could get 3"-6" of snow in 1 night? And do you find that in winter you could make even more power if it tilted more to the south? I noticed you have your east/west actuator on the west side were in my manual shows it on the east side. I have seen both ways. I also flipped mine so the motors were on the top, to keep water out of them. So far working great.
I guess that could be a problem somewhere. We don't get enough snow to worry about it. 6" of snow will not bother this. It tilts to the south on its own. It is always looking directly at the sun each and every day of the year. It follows it across the sky all day long. Winter/summer works the same. I built it the way the directions show. Turning the actuators around seems smart. If I have any problem I will. I spray mine with dry lube which last about 6 months. It is about time again.
I can place double the amount of panels and put them east/west instead of tracking. I'll get more output than with trackers.
A few years ago when panels were 500$ per panel, I would have gone with trackers in some cases. But now we have 450w panels for less than 100$, and trackers are just not worth the hassle and investment.
I could justify the tracking system if it involved 10 or 20k watts of panels but you've got what, 800 - 1000 watts on each tracker? Hardly worth the trouble in my book, but what do I know?
- sir, you could easily build a similar setup for any load you need - also, electric actuators are available for any force and range of motion desired... Taking a look at the setup, and riffing on the theme - it isn't too hard to contemplate (a 5kW system with 9 x 550W panels has ~ 600lb of panels on it, add the structure and not we are pivoting ~1500lb around in the air...)
@@kadmow I did a proof of concept with no actuators, just floats attached to an equatorial mount and an air pump to raise and lower the floats and move the panels. Probably a cheap option.
Great job! Quick question for you…. Could you connect the solar panels in both trackers in series?
No, do not do that. Separate MPPT's.
@@MrSummitville My panels will all go to an Ecoflow Delta Pro Ultra via MC4 cables. if you bypass the Ecoworthy MPPT of one tracker [or both?], to put all 12 panels in series, to get all 288volts to your battery, ie, my Ultra, via a single [pair] of PV cable, , this is doable, yes? So in this scenario, the tracker is for tilting the panels. And the panels PV cables are wired straight to the Ultra with no other connection, which is tha as usual for the Ultra btw. Would I be missing anything from the Ecoworthy setup in this scenario? I dont even kno or can see how the cables emerging from each panel are terminated:are they bare wire with no connector, or MC4 connectors, or what.? :(
Could I install these in raised garden beds to reduce excavation costs? Did you get the federal tax credit on this?
it would maybe be nice when the system is full and panels are turned off (turning off solar panels is a hot topic in my workfield) to just turn them to a less ideal position to save some heat generation on the panels, this could even prolong the life of the panels itself.
That makes sense, but this system is not that complicated. It faces the sun with very few other functions. It has no idea what power level the system is.
Does it get its power through solar as well?
Indirectly. My solar system runs a battery charger that provides 12 volt battery power to the units. Some people put a standalone solar panel for the solar trackers.
@@SOUTHERNSOLARAcademy-nx5mk so a 25w panel with battery would run this?
Yes
@@SOUTHERNSOLARAcademy-nx5mk thanks
I have run the math for my particular system and it is definitely not worth it for me. This is probably very worth it for your setup because you have a relatively small solar array with what looks to be between 600 and 900 watts per station (guessing... could be wrong). I have a roof mounted 8.5KW 34 Panel system (335 Watt Panels) that I have already determined the Eco-Worthy tracking system won't support (according to their documentation) and a custom or large scale solar tracking setup would be way more expensive for me and likely most people who tell you it's not cost effective. For a small setup like that... sure, it's easy to install... you can use the less expensive Solar Tracking system and get your pay back. For large array's, it's not worth it. Also... for those who have large ground mounted arrays, it may be worth it if you mount a few panels on a tracker and have a lot of trackers (I would need about 8-10) but I don't have the room to mount anything on the ground... and you can't mount these on the roof. So... again, for me and a lot of others with roof mounted systems, it's not worth it.
To prove or disprove your argument is very easy, just leave 1 of your arrays facing south at optimal angle all day and compare kWh to the one that's tracking. You can do this on both sunny and cloudy days, then make the data public.. the more data the more accurate results become. This is called science, give it a try.
I have already done that. I even talk about it in the video. Are you sure you have the capacity to science.
I can never understand why these trackers use photo sensors to track the sun. A GPS module and position sensors should work far better.
I did a proof of concept of a new type of solar tracker that I call "Zombie pneumatic solar tracking" (I might change the name if anyone thinks of a better one). It uses an air pump to raise and lower floats that moves the solar panel. Mine is on equatorial mount and is single axis, with manual adjustment for the second axis. I call it zombie because I have one controller that moves all the other "zombie brainless" solar panels at the same time. In my case, my air pump produces enough air to move 50 or 60 solar panels. You could do the same thing and run it from one solar panel that drives the pump. In mine, slowly rising air pressure over the course of the day gradually rotates the mount. In yours, your one tracking panel would control the valves and air pump to move itself and the other ones. I have a few videos about my demo. (Its a bit hokey because I have a heart condition and can't do much at a time, etc. ) You could also make yours level the panels in the wind. Mine doesn't do that. Brian
How can I take the word of anyone who installs solar in the shade when there's unshaded land 50 Ft away in either direction. Also these panels are tiny.
Tracker with 6 195w bifacial bundle is 1400 USD. Which could buy 10 of the Bifacial 195w not in a bundle. The 10 would be 10*195=1950watts while the tracker would be 6*195=1170, you said the tracker is 42% more efficient, someone else said 30%. That is 1170*1.3-1.42 = ~1521-1661 watts, for it to be equally as effective it would need to be 1950/1170 = ~67% more effective. Which means its still less watts for the same price.
Pros
Better for when there is cloudy midday (looking at you, UK) but with a bigger battery pack things will average out
Space saving, could use the land underneath
looks badass
Cons
Not as effective
Harder to install
Repair
Shorter lifespan
Heavy wind? maybe
Give me please what are the dimensions?
White rod B
White rod C
White rod D
White rod E
Solar trackers are more efficient than fixed...no doubt about that at all. But about 15yrs ago when panel prices dropped trackers became losers as far as ROI is concerned. Some of the really big installs out west (lotsa sun hours) are single axis trackers...they seem to have economically sound business cases...tho many are use gov grants/funding. They move MANY panels with minimal hardware. That's the trick.
If your tracker hits 25% increase in production vs fixed in your area (this number has to be an average for the entire yr...for multiple yrs) than the tracker has to cost less than adding 25% more panels to a comparable fixed mount. So if you have a 4 panel tracker...the tracker can't cost more than 1 extra panel (25%...so 5 panels fixed with racking) or your going backwards. Back when panels were $6-8/watt it was much easier to justify trackers. Now not so much...
I'm shocked that you have it at 3 minutes to move them. Even that feels super aggressive. I feel like 10 minutes would be plenty for the average sun movement. If you're trying to snag reflections off of other clouds then yeah 3 minutes makes sense, but is the power gain from moving the panels to that reflection off setting the movement? It may be, it'd be awesome to get some good power metrics on how much that system uses to move it just for fun.
You are correct. I changed the time later.
Where can I look to find someone to fabricate those posts you welded and stuck in the ground?
Any local welding shop. Nothing special about them.
The performance of a solar panel angle of incidence is loosely a bell curve 2-axis perpendicular (H-V) to the panel face is the peak of both bell curves. That's where you want the sun to be, with obscured sun (cloud cover), you'll probably lose about as much as you'd gain chasing the brightest spot in the sky. IMHO, better to just run that slow continuous solar trajectory across the sky and use your surplus collected energy to prepare fo the next day's position and put the tracker to sleep the rest of the time.
Generally finding the current date and time (GPS is great as it has the rest of the info you need already available) and using a solar position algorithm will get you pretty darn close - but I read in a paper a while back that an NIR camera with a super wide angle lens (110°) under a 95% absorptive Neutral density filter makes it so that just about only the sun is visible. You can home in on the sun and derrive an error offset for the tracking algorithm while only sipping power. You could do that with even an Arduino/ESP32...
My system really doesn't chase the sun and the output used for moving the actuator is minuscule. My system will only move once every 3 minutes if needed . The power used to run the actuator doesn't even really come into play because it's so light. You seem to be one of the people I was talking about. You are overthinking it.
@@SOUTHERNSOLARAcademy-nx5mk I'm an EE, I tend to think a lot... guilty, but as a rebuttle, I'm not saying "a solar tracker isn't worth it". The power used for moving the actuator may be miniscle, but it's measurable and having it "hunt" (like what yours did @7:03, and again right before the cut @7:45) uses power it doesn't need to IMO. This little stuff kills total harvested power, like a vampire load in a house.
Earth's rotation is about 15°/hour (360°rotation/24hours = 15°/hour). If you want to calculate a slightly more precise value, the Earth orbits the Sun once a year (365.25 * 24 = 8766hours, 360°orbit/8766hours = ~0.041068°/hour). Looking at the oribital plane from the north pole down, both the rotation and orbit of the Earth around the Sun are counter-clockwise, meaning the apparent hour-angular-rates are additive: reasonably 15.041068°/hour steady state. Good enough for a single axis solar tracker - just need a reduction drive to a stepper which can handle the torque and a step pulse generator that results in that angular-rate. Math is required to optimze this drive system though, just like MPPT charge controllers there is nothing for free (more volts vs more amps or torque vs revs in a drvie system), and system integration is about cost ballancing.
Optimized steady-states are generally more energy efficient than bursty rapid movements resulting in overcorrections - and this is based on real-world experience (up to and including building commercial EMS design/installation), not just paper math. It's like a variable speed A/C compressor tweaking it's steady state speed rather than bang-bang on/off compressor control.
You make an intelligent, compelling argument. Most people just talk crap. Thank you for your comment.
😉👍 sehr gutes Video 😃👍
I never understood why to "measure and correct" the panels position when you KNOW where the sun is at any given date and hour. Why not simply force those actuators in the rythm where the sun is supposed to be (constellation-wise), with garanteed precision in stead of being busy measuring with sensors and correcting? I really don't get this. Cause the electronics could be so much simpler and fool-proof. The only interrupt would be the wind to put them horizontal above a certain speed but also, that is basic electronics.
I know these sensors and computers are fun and cheap, but everyone is acting like this is the only way. I say why not run it on timers, cause if the sun suddenly comes out the panels would be already in the ideal position to catch that light!
Another thing to overthink first is; can you maintain and repair it yourself cause one should realise you're adding a lot of failure points with a tracker where fixed panels have no worries and riscs at all.
Just trying to help newbees in the matter of deciding here. Great vid, great example!
The grumpy OldGuy™ in me is tired of things done poorly. I'm in tech and use my computer a lot, so when I click on a menu and wait for it to just draw (WAIT!), I have time to think, "Why is that taking so long? This thing is running at gigahertz! I didn't ask it to cure cancer.". That's just one simple example and there so many more things that go wrong. So I'm becoming a deliberate Luddite and strongly favoring things that are dead simple. Sledge hammers are good. They never pester me to upgrade and the manufacturer never sends me a survey … it just works as well as the day I bought it.
While I understand your pursuit of efficiency and have no disrespect for that, I lean toward the simple, if less efficient way for myself.
I can buy a lot more than 30% more panels for the cost of a tracking system. His trackers are holding 6 panels, but lets do the math assuming 8. The cheapest solar tracker I can find costs $419, So 8 panels at $100 each totals $800, so I can increase my output buy over 45% buy spending the $419 on 4 more panels. 45% is a 50% increase over 30%. Plus I never have to repair a tracker or feed one the power required to run it.
Are you factoring in time of day when your getting that power? I have plenty of panels on my array to charge up but these trackers put me online earlier and for later. I don’t need more power mid day, I want to be collecting solar as early as possible and as late as possible.
You are soooooo right!
The glass on top of the panel reflects some light and the more angle to the sun, the more it reflects. The rest refracts down to the PV cells. It's not just cosine of angle in real life.
Them tree shadows, if the post could extend when there's no bad wind and geddown when there is, could getcha more time is all. Scissor-jack legs?
A DIY tracker done right will cost less but might not do all that this one does.
All ya’ll watch Craig Bradles’ video on “easiest solar tracker”, and then build your own. The eco worthy ones are too small for the price. If you really want to be off grid you would need like 20 of them. And they are only made for the older 100 watt panels.
Thank you for your opinion
There is 1 simple way to look at this also... 6 195 Watt Bi-Facial Eco-Worthy solar panels cost about $780.00 That's for 1.17 Kw of power (max) which is what the dual axis tracker supports. You're saying that the Tracker raises your Energy Generation by 40% (let's use that). The cost of the tracker (just the tracker, not including installation) is $459.00 on sale. To increase your output to 1.17kw * 1.4 (additional 40%) = 1.688 Kw Energy. You could just buy 3 more Bi-Facial Panels instead for $390 and increase your Energy by 50% (6 + 3 = 9 panels). Spend less.... increase more without having to deal with the complexity of the installation and maintenance. So... bottom line... look at the potential increase in energy... calculate what it would cost to increase your number of static solar panels by the same amount... which is cheaper?
Your argument and does not take into account that what you were talking about is stationary panels which are highly affected during cloudy times. Stationary panels are at their peak efficiency at a specific time of the day. If clouds are over the units during the specific time of the day, they don't make much power. With a tracker, it doesn't matter what time of the day, the panels are always facing the Sun at peak efficiency. You can calculate this thing to death but in real life, a solo tracker is always a benefit.
@@SOUTHERNSOLARAcademy-nx5mk I'm just using the amount you stated of 40% gain (which is also the overall stated Max range in gain for solar trackers 30-40 percent). So when you look at the cost to increase your stationary panels by 50 percent compared to tracker... It's cheaper for more increase. And yes... While clouds will reduce the stationary panels when directly overhead, they affect the output of your tracking panels also by a certain amount. Overall... What is your total net increase in production with tracking vs stationary? If its 40% as you stated... Then I stand by my method which would increase overall production by 50% at a lower cost with less maintenance.
This is advantageous too because you end up very close to 100% production as soon as the panels can point at the sun. The "just add more panel" requires buying a bigger inverter as well as more panals, racking, etc. A tracker lets you fill in more of a smaller inverter's capacity without needing a bigger system to avoid clipping. These are quite economical now.
Show installation step by step video
It is true that the sun availability changing during the day is a very pertinent factor. Also mornings you are trying to catch up after all night with no power, and evening you are looking to fill batteries that may be a bit low from cloudiness and daytime power usage. This is one of the big advantages of a tracker. You would have to buy a lot of panels to have say 3 angles of stationary ones that will give you the same service as a tracking setup.
I have fixed panels. They should last 30 years with minimal maintenance and repair. They are ground mounted and provide a large shaded area adjacent to my shop for parking and storing equipment. In real life I just get free solar power and a lot of it with no worries. That’s how I would do it again.
I am pleased you are happy with your system.
I could get a few of these I just have no where to place them LOL! Should have built my extra room with some steel beams to plonk these on to. Oh well.
They are helpful in small areas,, but they are not for everyone.
Trackers don't change gains when it's cloudy.
That is when they change gains the most. In cloudy conditions a fixed panel might output so little it's basically zero, the trackers can take that zero and make it 50%.
Looks like I found a 6 month review!!! Granted, on a different channel :)
Just buy 30% more panels. Nobody has time for moving parts.
3 minutes is to little, I would suggest 30 minutes. Sun is slow, not a rocket.
Logical. I am still evaluating everything
@@SOUTHERNSOLARAcademy-nx5mkBut clouds do move fast. Move every 3 minutes vs every 30 minutes ... Won't the total motor ON time, over the whole day, be about the same, regardless?