Design and Development of an ESP32-Based Single-Axis Solar Tracker for a Concentrated Solar Power Automation System

Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) systems require solar tracking to maintain the direction of reflected solar radiation toward the receiver. This study aimed to design and test an ESP32-based single-axis solar tracker integrated with receiver temperature monitoring and Internet of Things (IoT)-based data logging. The novelty of this study lies in integrating reflector tracking, real-time thermal monitoring, and digital data logging into a single CSP prototype. Experimental testing involved Light Dependent Resistor (LDR) sensors, a DC linear actuator, a Type-K thermocouple, and digital monitoring platforms. The results showed that the actuator provided an estimated reflector movement range of 0°–130°, with 72.58% of LDR measurements meeting the defined balance criterion. The receiver temperature reached a maximum of 91.51 °C, with an average of 53.38 °C. Functional testing achieved a 100% success rate across 11 test items, while data logging achieved a success rate of 99.20%. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of integrating reflector tracking, thermal monitoring, and data logging into a single prototype. However, further evaluation of thermal performance requires quantitative solar irradiance measurements and direct comparison with a static reflector.