Floating Self-Tracking Solar Panel

The goal of this project was to develop a solar panel capable of tracking the sun while remaining afloat in the ocean for my Mini Design 2 class, the device is meant to assist a research team working on a floating base in the Arctic Ocean where they are conducting studies on the impact of climate change on the region and its wildlife. The device is consists of two LDRs, a 12V portable solar panel, a 9g servo, an Arduino nano board, pool noodles, and 3D printed structures.

The two LDR's are situated on opposite ends of the panel, they measure the amount of light received. The Arduino is programmed to compare these measurements to a each other, should the two readings not match the system will correct its position by rotating the servo until he readings of the LDR's match each other. As a result the LDR's and panel face the sun in the most optimal position, essentially tracking the sun's location on a 24 hours basis while the panel will store the energy for periods where no sun is present.