Solar Tracking System Dual Axis using Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) Controller

The potential for renewable energy in Indonesia is very high, including solar energy. Photovoltaic systems convert sunlight into electricity, where the result depends on the type of solar panel, the solar irradiance of the area, the geographical location and other factors. One of the efforts to increase the capture of solar radiation is solar tracking systems, where the way it works is the solar panel detects and follows the direction of the highest intensity of sunlight to obtain maximum power. The movement of the motor when tracking is not smooth, causing the solar tracking system not to get the highest light intensity needed to charge the battery. Therefore, in this study, the linear movement of the actuator was controlled using the Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) method so that the movement was smooth. Based on the test results, the solar tracking system with the PID method can provide stable control. This is proven by the error resulting from the lux sensor reading on the X-axis of 0.3 and the Y-axis of 0.2, which means it is accurate. Then the gain of voltage, power and current is also greater than without using the PID method.