Modeling and Simulation in Virtual Prototyping Environment of a Photovoltaic Tracking System

摘要

The paper presents the modeling and simulation of the mechatronic tracking system used for a photovoltaic module. The mechanical model of the sun tracker is developed by using the MBS environment ADAMS, while the DFC software EASY5 is used for the control system design. The study is approached in concurrent engineering concept, integrating the mechanical and control models at the virtual prototype level. The main task of the design refers to the energetic efficiency, by maximizing the energetic gain (i.e. the solar input), and minimizing the energy consumption for performing the tracking. The design of the motion law is focused on determining the optimal actuating times, considering the energetic efficiency as design objective for the optimization.