Controller Design for Parallel Mechanism Solar Tracker

Abstract

Solar energy is considered a sustainable solution that has proven its technological competence for electricity generation among renewable energy sources. While green resources provide high energy security, they also reduce environmental pollution and support the use of local resources. In this article, a dual axis solar tracker that can operate with high accuracy in harsh operating conditions is proposed using the Stewart platform. The Stewart platform is designed using linear actuators using direct current (DC) motors. An embedded controller is designed to control the motors and to realize the sun tracking algorithm of the system. An STM32 board is adopted as a real-time controller to implement the decoupled control algorithm. Therefore, the proposed solar tracker panel control system monitors the daily trajectory of the sun by the photovoltaic panel, ensuring that the system’s energy production remains at its maximum throughout the day. First, the Simulink model of the system was created and the proportional derivative integral (PID) control algorithms were simulated. Experimental studies were carried out by producing the system; the experimental results exhibited a better performance, with an increase in the collected energy of about 32% compared with the fixed one.