Design of a Low-Cost Controller for Sun-Tracking to Maximize the Output of Photovoltaic Panels

Abstract

The electrical energy is considered as the main resource for the development of countries. As there are several sources of renewable energy, the solar energy is one of the green energies, which is imperishable. A lot of researchers have been working on the improvement of the efficiency of solar photovoltaic panels in order to generate more electrical power. Tracking the sun position is a solution to increase the power produced by photovoltaic panels. Referring to some measurements, the parallel orientation of the photovoltaic panels with the sun raises the produced power by more than 40%. This article aims first to control their position to track the sun during the day. The control system is based on an induction motor controlled by the Direct Toque Control (DTC) approach. To overcome the conventional DTC drawbacks, a robust DTC-SVM based on sliding mode controllers is the second contribution in this article. The simulation results demonstrate that the robust DTC-SVM with sliding mode controllers offers the best results in terms of ripples compared to conventional DTC approaches.