Among the many projects in SCIT's Student Laboratory lies an innovative sun-tracking solar panel station. This station is compromised of multiple solar panels designed to follow the sun for maximum energy output. The concept of making solar panels follow the sun is not new. Almost every solar power plant in the country keeps their panels pointed towards the sun through use of a chronological tracking system. However SCIT's solar panel station implements the technology of the programmable "arduino" board. By hardwiring this device to light sensors students in SCIT's Electrical Engineering Program were able to write a program that activates electronic actuators to rotate the solar panels to face towards the direction of the brightest light. Currently the station is based on a single-axis system, however the programming technology of the "arduino" board can easily be modified for a multi-axis system, which would allow the panels to rotate in virtually every degree.
The "arduino" board is used in many of the student projects at SCIT. It allows for an easy interface to control electronic equipment and record data. The board uses a fairly simple programming language similar to C++, which can be used for a multitude of functions. Many other projects in the laboratory use this technology like the Terminator Robot. These projects also use solar power to keep their batteries charged, helping to reduce electricity usage and to promote solar technology.
