Investigating Three Dual-Axis Solar Tracking Algorithms with CdTe, CIS and Mono-Si PV Modules in a Tropical Climate

Photovoltaic (PV) modules installed at a fixed inclination and azimuth angles may produce optimum power, but depending on the prevailing weather, much more useful energy may be generated by employing solar tracking. In this work, the output power of a PV module on a dual-axis solar tracker (DAST) was compared to that from a static module. Three PV technologies were investigated: Cadmium Telluride (CdTe), Cadmium Indium Selenide (CIS) and mono-crystalline silicon (mono-Si). Moreover, three solar tracking algorithms were exploited: Perturb and observe (P&O), mathematical modeling with P&O, and the four LDR method. The excess energy gains excluding the DAST energy consumption was quantified. Particularly, up to 46.6%, 93.2%, and 62.5% energy gains were achieved for the CdTe, CIS and mono-Si technologies under the different tracking conditions in winter period, and the DAST was found to consume only up to 9.3% of the generated energy. Such significant energy gains demand for further investigation of solar tracking in a tropical climate particularly over the duration of a whole year.