Desenvolvimento e avaliação de desempenho de um sistema de posicionamento automático de placas fotovoltaicas.

Abstract

The growing demand for renewable energy has driven the development of more efficient and accessible technologies, highlighting photovoltaic energy as one of the main sources of clean energy. However, the efficiency of current solar panels is still insufficient to meet the high en- ergy demand, as it directly depends on the alignment of the solar panels relative to the sun. This research aims to develop a solar tracker prototype and evaluate solar tracking methods as strate- gies to increase the efficiency of photovoltaic panels. Through a comparative analysis, different approaches to automate the positioning of solar panels were explored, including single-axis and dual-axis tracking systems, with and without the use of PID controllers. For this purpose, a testing platform was developed to simulate the sun’s position throughout the day, allowing the prototype to accurately follow the path of the sunlight. Data were collected using a SCADA supervisory system, enabling a detailed and controlled analysis of the efficiency of the different tracking methods, highlighting the superiority of the dual-axis tracker. The results confirm that the use of PID controllers can provide significant gains in energy efficiency.