COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS BETWEEN PARALLEL AND SERIAL STRUCTURE CONCENTRATORS FOR HIGH PRECISION SUN TRACKING

摘要

A basilar condition to reach high concentration ratio and higher efficiency in photovoltaic concentration systems is to dispose of precise and reliable devices to align the concentrators with the sun. A number of architectures were proposed in the last years to develop suitable sun trackers, and important results were obtained by increasing the performance of the control algorithms. A main question about which can be the best layout for a tracker intended for concentration is whether a parallel kinematic structure could provide better precision in alignment. Qualitative considerations derived from robotics can suggest this thought, as parallel robots are appreciated for their precision, stiffness and velocity, very important properties for solar concentration systems. The paper compares a parallel configurations developed by the authors with a serial one and computes the effects of errors in the actuators position, due to position error or to clearance. Results from parallel and serial structure are compared in order to provide data for an optimal choice between the solutions.