TRAC-STAT SL1

AVAILABLE NOW:
Diagnostic Instrument for Measuring Solar Tracker Performance

The Trac-Stat SL1 is the first commercially available diagnostic instrument for measuring tracker performance. The SL1 is a high-resolution datalogging sensor that mounts on a solar tracker. It records the angle of error between the sun and the tracker for use in the development of tracking, concentrating photovoltaics (CPV) and solar thermal systems.

There are many possible sources of error in a solar tracking system, from tracker installation to wind loading to thermal expansion to subtle algorithm errors.  Identifying and mitigating these issues is key to maximizing system performance and driving the cost-competitiveness of technologies like CPV that rely on accurate tracking.

Performance

The Trac-Stat SL1 is typically mounted on a solar tracker to provide data on azimuth and elevation pointing error.

The SL1 provides two sensing systems: wide-angle and narrow-angle. These two sensors, in combination with the optics, filtration, and proprietary algorithms, provide flexible and robust performance under a range of operating conditions.

Users can interface with the SL1 via USB (allowing easy connection to a laptop or customized end-user integration), or via a set of analog voltages (for integration with existing dataloggers.) It can also log data internally for later download.

The data provided by the SL1 is crucial for CPV, solar thermal and tracker design, development, and deployment.

Features

• 0.02° accuracy over 5° field of view
• 0.5° accuracy over 60 ° field of view
• Designed for extended outdoor operation
• Datalogging to internal memory with USB interface
• Analog voltage output proportional to error
• Units individually calibrated for improved performance
• Functions under a range of irradiance conditions