We conducted a test with a TRACKER500. We took voltage readings every hour from 6am to 6pm, one reading with the panel facing south, as if it were mounted statically, and another with the panel facing the sun every hour, as it would if TRACKER were controlling the panel's direction. Shown below is the test setup at 7am:
|
simulated static position
|
tracked position |
The results confirm that tracking dramatically changes the panel's usable output in the morning and afternoon for the better. Without tracking, the statically mounted panel provided usable output for only about 3½ hours; while the tracked panel provided usable output for over 10 hours:
Almost immediately after sunrise, the TRACKER panel begins supplying its rated current*. The non-tracked panel doesn't supply rated current until 4½ hours later at 12 noon, and drops out of useful current range 4 hours earlier at 3pm in the afternoon.
You'd have to use larger panels and higher capacity batteries to make up for the hours your panel isn't working. TRACKER saves money because you can get by with smaller panels and smaller batteries since power is available over 3 times longer each day directly from the sun instead of your batteries.
THIS IS POWER BEING LOST RIGHT NOW IF THE TRACKER ISN'T BEING USED.
TRACKER uses
state of the art software (patent pending) and proprietary hardware to
determine where the sun is at all times of the day. Even at night,
TRACKER is actively watching for the sun to reappear and begin
following it across the sky.
TRACKER is simple to
own and operate. Just install it and turn it on. Unlike other solar tracking devices, TRACKER doesn't rely on clocks and
the time of day to decide when to move the panel. That means you don't need special
equipment, extra training or proprietary knowledge to setup and run TRACKER. In fact, you won't even remember it's there until you
see the extra power you'll be getting.
TRACKER uses the panel's own output to tell where the sun is and keep the panel following the sun, even when it's cloudy or stormy. So while clouds may come and go, TRACKER looks beyond them to keep the panel pointing at the sun for the most efficient power production.
*rated current for panel under test is 0.44A @ 16.25V
