parabolic trough solar concentrators use a parabolic mirror to focus the sunlight to the focal point of the trough along its length. a liquid filled tube is heated at the focal point to harness the suns energy. the tilt angle of the reflecting mirror is important to ensure it is facing the sun and to ensure the liquid filled tube is always kept at the focal point. these trackers require a high degree of positional accuracy in a single axis configuration. as the inclinometer sensor is mounted directly onto the structure it can provide several advantages over shaft encoders and light sensors:
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