Development and deployment of a Hybrid Controller for a Dual-Axis Solar Tracker System

This paper presents the development and control of a photovoltaic Dual-Axis Solar Tracker system. The system constructed in this study caters to the application of renewable energy harvesting techniques to a mobile street vending cart solution. The strategy of control deployed is that of a Hybrid Controller, which is a novel combination of Astronomical equations based on open-loop control and Differential Flatness based control over the tracking movement of the photovoltaic panel used. The development takes into account the with mechanical and embedded designs with focus on manufacturing aspects. Finalised prototype was tested in overcast and sunny conditions to evaluate performance against a static solar energy photovoltaic harvesting system. The developed tracker photovoltaic increased the energy acquisition by more than 25 %.