Dual Axis-solar Radiation Tracking (DART)

Why install Dual Axis-solar Radiation Tracking ?

Simply because DART Solar Racking is irrefutably Superior at Generating Peak Power than ANY other type of Solar Racking !

DART Racking also reduce the quantity of solar panels required by up to 50%, compared to ANY Fixed or Tilted Solar Racking, and that also reduces the demand on Rare earth minerals, materials and labour etc. etc.

Radiation Tracking is more suited to DART units, as they Generate up to 60% more Energy over 12 months than Fixed Tilted (FT) Racking, as shown in this video, and the Further South of the Equator a DART unit is installed, like Melbourne area, it will Generate Power from 5AM to 8PM.

Yes, DART Racking is more expensive, however the big Pay-off is a Quicker Return-On-Investment (ROI) of over 25%, by Generating Superior Peak Power from 10~14 hours each day, and that is for the Next 30+ years !

Large Ground mounted DART's are Not for everyone, commonly purchased by Rural Customers & Solar Farms, best used in Area void of Shading, as that will provide Peak Energy Generation for 10 hours @Sydney Latitude, and the further South you live in Australia, Peak Generation can be for 14+ Hours per day in Tasmania!

There are Four Types of Sun TRACKING Control Modules;

1. Dual Axis-solar Radiation Tracking (DART): The best model uses a 4 Direction Light Sensor fitted with 4 tiny Solar Cells, and is irrefutably the Best Solar Tracking system available, as it rotates the Solar Racking to point at the Brightest area of the Sky, especially useful when the Sun is covered by Clouds and during extended Bad Weather !
   1. Our best DART Controller is Polish DART Control Module this controllers use Automotive Mosfets instead of Relays, this Control Module Cost *$450, and easy to install, a $80 Light Sensor is also required, this Polish model has Wi-Fi and offers superior programming for a wider range of electrical equipment and applications.
   2. This Chinese DART Control module inc. Light Sensor & Costs *$250, these have good quality Hobby Relays, that are said Not to last as long as Controllers with Mosfets, the Chinese controller require Normally Closed (NC) Stop sensors to be used. However we have Not had a Failure of either of these DART Control Modules yet!
   3. There is a 3rd DART Control Module that has a 3" LCD screen, it is more expensive but can control up to 30+ DART units, this controller is predominantly used in Commercial Solar Farms with specific application requirements, we have Not yet used this controller, as in the event of a Controller Failure All the DART units will also fail to operate.
2. GPS Tracking: We Stopped using GPS tracking as it is inferior in Cloudy weather, as the Racking points to where the Sun is when hidden behind Clouds, where DART Tracking won't, as explained above!
   As well as many customers find GPS Tracking very difficult to set-up as well as having to reprogram the controller when the Batteries on the Control board are remover or go flat, as removing the Battery resets the controller too Summer Solstice (22nd December), So, unless you change the battery on the GPS circuit board on 22nd December, the Controller will need to be reprogrammed by connecting to a computer with complicated software.
3. Time Tracking: This method is very simular to GPS Tracking and Dumb to where the Sun or the Brigetst area of the Sky is.
4. Passive Tracking: Is the Oldest Sun Tracking method & Very reliable with a long Service life of over 50 years !
   However, as these Trackers use a Gas & Oil based Tracking system, in Cold & Windy Weather they becomes inefficient.
   Only efficient when the Sun rises it Warms up the oil & gas collector cylinder, that in turn moves the racking to follow the Sun.
   Even though this System is very reliable, it's Not that Accurate at facing the Racking perpendicular to the Sun, or the Brightest area of the Sky (like Radiation Tracking), as the Accuracy is diminished in Cold & Windy conditions.  So obviously the Energy generate over a year will be greatly reduced.

See what is required to Install a DART Solar Tracking Unit.

We are one of the few businesses offering small Residential sized DART's up to larger commercial DART's, commonly more suited for Solar Farms & Rural installations ! (see below equipment)

We predominantly supply Off-Grid Systems installed behind the Meter with Hybrid Inverters, 95% of our customers are on Rural Properties & most undertake the full installation themselves.

The installation of a DART consists of the Digging the Foundation hole & Trenching for Electrical Conduit to where the Inverter(s) and Batteries are to be installed. Digging the Trench & installing Conduit & DART Foundation is considered the most time consuming part of the project, leaving the Assembly of the DART units & fitting of Solar Panels, usually takes 5 hours to a day per unit for an inexperienced person.

Why purchase a massive Fixed Roof-Top solar that requires approx. 50% more Solar Panels, and don't forget the Fixed rooftop Panels can ONLY Generate Peak Energy for approx. 2.5 hours per Day, then the remainder of the Day will be generating Shoulder Energy.  Roof-top systems are more difficult & dangerous to Install, Clean & Maintain.

Pole mounted DART's are able to be installed at Ground level, then lifted onto the Foundation, or our soon to be released Mast Hinge (currently in development), this will make the assembly & installation of DART units a lot Easier & Safer, as No Cranes, Ladders or Scaffolding is needed to erect or lower for maintenance!

There are Two main types of DART RACKING:

1. Vertical Pole-n-Beam DART Racking is the most purchased solar racking type (as above).
2. Horizontal Beam DART Racking. Is commonly installed close to the ground or can be mounted on Higher Vertical Poles, allowing the land below to be used for Livestock & Agriculture, this is commonly called Agri-Solar (Agricultural Solar).

Each DART Racking type have different engineering, Pole & Tilt Axis configuration that can be changed to suit each project.

The smallest vertical DART unit under development is a Bespoke DART-1 unit, that only requires a 130cm wide rotational area that provides dawn-to-dusk Sunlight, when the DART-1 is fitted with 1x 500W Panels, it Generates 5.5kWh/p energy per Day in the Sydney Region.

The standard Rural DART's we recommend you install either a DART-4 or DART-8 units, these will Generate between 15kWh to 82kWh/p energy per day respectively if fitted with 700W solar panels, that would cover over 90% of Residential consumers, and small businesses in Australia.

DART trackers capture the full extent of the sun's ray's, the further South of the Equator you live the better, up to 14 hours per day in south Tasmania, this is done by follow the sun completely, relevant to your global location.  The increase in energy captured by dual-axis solar trackers is increased by up to & more than 100%, than fixed flat mounted panels, as two-axis of rotation allow the tracker to position the solar modules/panels to face perpendicular to (directly at) the sun from dawn to dusk.

The Tracking Software adjusts for the sun’s height (latitude) as well as east to west rotation (sunrise to sunset), and automatically adjusts for seasons and faces the sun as it sits low in the horizon at sunrise and sunset, and obviously high in the sky in the middle of the day.

Yes, Installing a Dual-axis solar tracker is more complex (read instructions) and more expensive, however, the big pay-off is they Greatly increase the Solar energy generated buy over 50%*, and only need 1/3 of the panels required of a flat roof-top system, due to the obscure angle of the sun striking Roof-top panels for 4~5 hours per day.

However, all Solar energy generated is good for the environment, the Racking design choice is up to you, Fixed Flat & Tilted Rooftop or Ground mounted Racking are the worst at Generation Solar energy, and can uses over double the Solar Panels to Generate the same Energy as a DART unit.

So, for Residential urban/town customers with a sunny area, we recommend you purchase DART-4 or DART-8 Solar Tracking unit(s), and if required DART units can easily be relocated, if install with a Spider Foundation and Earth Ground Screws, or you simple leave the Foundation behind & relocate the rest!

We Design our DART units to be purposely over-engineered, all have 24V motors for east~west tracking via a Single Slew Bearing, with north~south (Tilt) Tracking is done via a heavy duty 24V Linear Actuator (screw jack).  You can now choose a residential DART Kit that hold from 2~15 445W, 500W or 700W Solar Panels if you have the room!

In 2022 our Fully Automatic DART Kits now come with a choice of Mast Height for increased ground clearance, all come with Slew Bearing, Linear Actuator, Weatherproof pole mounted Stainless Steel Control Box housing, GPS, Wind speed sensor (Anemometer), and Over Rotation Stop Sensors are now standard, the purchase of a Foundation is Optional, as there are several Foundation types to chose from.

Studies show Dual Axis Tracker often provide a Return-On-Investment (ROI) of 25% per year, & less depending on the system, all done by replacing the power you purchase from the deceptively named Energy Retailers, by self consuming all energy you Generate, and then the system owner will no longer have an ongoing power bill for the next 30+ years, obviously a Battery is the turn-key part to becoming Totally energy independent!

What's great about a Battery system: Batteries simply allows you to first & foremost store any excess energy you generate, for later consumption as needed, commonly after Solar Sunset or during Bad weather, by simply drawing the energy directly from your batteries.

Batteries are the big game charger in the Energy market - as during the day all excess energy is first sent to your batteries then once charged, you have the choice to automatically export your unused energy straight into the State Grid for a feed-in tariff - This simple means that at Sun set you will be consuming your own energy from your Batteries until Sun-rise, thus eliminate having to pay the Energy Retailer for power after sun set  or during the day - That is how you become energy independent !

Performance of Fixed Flat Panels v Solar Trackers in Australia

Again, solar trackers increases the performance of solar PV panels in the shoulder periods of the day, where a static fixed mount panel would only receive obscured sun exposure. This can be seen in the graphs of side by side solar tracking panels & static fixed panels.

Dual Axis Trackers & Equipment

Dual Axis Rotation limits.		DART-1 Unit designed for a single or multiple unit applications on a Cement Rooftop, Low Visibility.		This -1 Unit designed for a single or multiple unit applications on a Cement Rooftop, Low Visibility.
A twin Slew Bearing will safely hold a 1 or 2 Panel DART.  This module is designed for a single or multiple unit Dyna bolted to a Cement Rooftop.		Bespoke ground mounted DART-4, twin Linear Actuator DART-4 unit, could be roof mounted.		Bespoke DART-4 Unit designed for a single or multiple Structural Rooftop Installation, with 3mt Mast Height, with 7" & 8" Combination Slew Bearing unit.
Pre-production DART-6 & DART-8 Wind Turbine with Flange housing for Cement Rooftop or Standard Double Flanged Foundation Pole.		DART-4 Test Mast Hinge with bottom Flange for standard Foundation Pole.		DART-8 Prototype Mast Hinge with bottom Flange for Foundation Pole.
DART-9 Unit: 9x 500W, 96cell Panels. 4.5kWh/p Solar Array.		DART-12 Unit: 12x 72cell Solar Array. (12x 350W =4.2kWh/p)		DART-24 Unit: 24x 500W 96cell Panels. 12kWh/p Solar Array.
Larger than needed Foundation hole dug with an excavator.		T-Foundations can be pre-made & installed, then the earth packed down around the Foundation.		Cement Poured Foundation.
If using an Auger a 40~60cm diameter foundation hole should be 30cm deeper than the foundation pole length.		As Customer raised the foundation pole, they used Reo Bars to strengthen against Wind load.		130cm Pole set in 100cm of cement with Reo Bar Beams to strengthen stability.
Soil and Rock Screws		DART-15 Spider Foundation: Dyna-Bolt to Concrete slab saves time & installation labour.		Ground Screw For Clay, Sand or Soil.
Like the roots of a Tree, the Spider Ground Screw Foundation spreads the Weight & Wind load forces over a very wide area. The big benefit is the Speed of installation, as a DART unit can be Installed, Assembled & Working on the Same day! Not to mention the significant Labour, Transport & Materials cost reduction, required when installing and pouring large Cement foundation block(s).
LIDAER 240V Single Phase Electric Hand Ground Screw Driver:
Ground Screws are available in various lengths and diameters, suitable for different ground conditions, from Soil, Clay, Sand and special Rock screws etc.
Rotational Stop Censor: Comes with Wires, bolts & Mounting Bracket.		WIND Speed Indicator: Kit comes with Wire, fittings & Mounting Bracket.		Linear Actuator for Latitude (Tilt) Tracking.
8cm (3") Dual-Axis Geared Slew Bearing. Unit weight 33kg.		170cm & 130cm (7" & 5") Combination Dual Axis Slew Bearings. Unit weight 50kg.		170cm & 130cm (7" & 5") Combination Dual Axis Slew Bearings. Unit weight 50kg.
Crated DART Kits.		Crated DART Kits.		Palletised Solar Panels.

NB: Solar Arrays without Energy storage will provide a slower return on your investment using the 8 cents kWh Retailer feed-in tariff, as you will simply remained enslaved to the paying the full retail Power price for energy after Sunset !

Remember, the purpose of Solar Trackers is to generate substantially more energy than all flat or fixed tilted solar Racking, as solar tracking greatly improves the energy generated and leads quicker energy independence, if you produce more energy than you consume & have Energy storage, it opens the opportunities to become a Peer-to Peer (P2P) energy Trader.