Kentucky middle schooler designs a smarter solar panel that tracks the sun

For the seventh year, The Lemelson Foundation is awarding $100 prizes to outstanding young inventors in Society Affiliate Fairs with middle school participants across the country. The prize was created to recognize young inventors whose projects exemplify inventive thinking by identifying challenges in their communities and creating solutions that make a difference.

Solar power is often seen as one of the most promising renewable energy sources, but how efficient are the solar panels mounted on the rooftops of homes across the country? That question captured the imagination of one middle school student who saw an opportunity for large-scale improvement.

Ojal Astagikar was an eighth grader at Meyzeek Middle School in Louisville, Kentucky, last year when she made an intriguing observation. While walking around her community, she noticed that many solar panels were installed in a fixed direction, most often facing west. That struck her as less than ideal, since fixed panels aren’t positioned to capture the maximum energy during midday, when the sun is at its peak.

“If homeowners could install solar tracking systems that follow the sun’s movement throughout the day,” she said, “they could significantly increase their panels’ energy output.”

That simple observation grew into an ambitious science fair project, which she called “Building and Testing a Sun-Tracking Solar Panel.” Using light sensors called photoresistors, Ojal built a system that moves the solar panel to follow the sun throughout the day.  When one side of the panel is shaded, a servo motor rotates it until both sensors read evenly, keeping the panel as perpendicular to the sun’s rays as possible. She tested her design by comparing the voltage produced by her tracker to that of a traditional fixed-mount system. She found that her tracker consistently generated more electricity, confirming that a panel aligned with the sun captures significantly more energy.

Her project was about more than technical innovation. It explored how solar tracking can benefit society, as solar panels are vital in efforts to curb the acceleration of climate change. Improving their efficiency  can also help reduce carbon footprints and electricity bills, while increasing energy independence.

The stakes are high. According to Ojal, over 25 years, a solar-tracking panel could help the average homeowner save up to $41,000 in electricity costs, all while the need for sustainable energy continues to grow. Her invention points toward a future in which cleaner, more reliable energy keeps pace with rising demand.

Ojal is already thinking about next steps for her research. She imagines a future version that might use a dual-axis system, with four photoresistors and two servo motors, to track the sun both east-to-west and north-to-south for even greater accuracy.

For her creativity, Ojal was awarded a Lemelson Early Inventor Prize at the Kentucky Science and Engineering Fair.

On winning the award, she said, “It means a lot to me, especially as a rising freshman. Applying STEM subjects to real-world projects fuels my curiosity and lays a foundation for my future goals. I’m grateful for the encouragement this prize gives me to keep innovating and solving real-world problems through science and engineering.”

Read about another recent Lemelson Early Inventor Prize winner here.