Performance Evaluation of Sun Tracking Control Systems using IMC and PID Controllers

Abstract

The inadequate supply of electricity for illumination has made many industries, organizations, and households resort to alternative energy sources, one of which includes solar energy. In comparison to other renewable sources of energy, the idea of employing photovoltaic panels for solar energy conversion into electrical energy remains a widespread choice. However, the amount of power a solar panel can produce is reduced due to the sun's constant shift in angle with respect to the earth. In this work, we evaluate the performance response of the STS using the transient response, Integral Absolute Error (IAE) and Integral Square Error (ISE) of the IMC and PID controller using MATLAB. The results obtained shows that, the PID outperforms the IMC in terms of IAE, ISE and Rise time, while the IMC outperforms the PID in terms of Settling time and system overshoot.