alt Hacker NewsI wonder if you could make a DMD [1] where instead of mirrors the tilting part is tiny solar panels?
The panels would only have two positions, but you could install half the DMD devices so that the two positions are south and southeast, and half so they are south and southwest. You could then have half your panels southeast and half south in the morning, all of them south midday, and have southwest and half south afternoon.
That would get you at least some tracking and it should be mechanically a lot more reliable than the systems that move large panels.
DMDs were designed for use in video projects, where they have to move the mirrors more times in 4 hours of video than a solar array would need to move the panels in 1000 years.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_micromirror_device
Replies
A DMD is a really good thought, but I don't know if the surface area would work out at scale.
I think the power handling limit of typical devices is something like 100W/cm^2.
The UV from the sun would also degrade these devices faster.
Too much complexity and maintenance. Solar panels are dirt cheap, and with fixed mounts, zero maintenance. The rack you mount them on costs more than the panels.
The only reason I can see for added complexity is if you're space constrained, and in almost all cases, not cost efficient.