Browsing by Author "Icoyitungiye, Olivier"

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    Impact of integrating an intelligent solar tracker associated with a battery management system to optimize photovoltaic efficiency in Burundi
    (UB, Ecole doctorale, 2026-03) Icoyitungiye, Olivier
    This work is part of efforts to optimize photovoltaic systems in Burundi, a country located in the equatorial zone and characterized by highly variable solar radiation due to cloud cover, humidity, and the inability to fully charge batteries during periods of low radiation on rainy period. Most photovoltaic installations are fixed, which leads to significant energy losses since the sun's rays are rarely perpendicular to the surface of the solar panel throughout the day. This work aims to develop an intelligent solar tracker capable of automatically orienting solar panels according to the position of the sun and irradiation conditions, while integrating an intelligent battery charge and discharge management system to optimize the use of the energy produced. The device is based on an active orientation approach using two photo resistor light sensors arranged in a cross configuration, generating control signals for a servomotor that provides azimuth movement. At the same time, the date and time read by a DS3231 Real Time Clock module are used to control a second servomotor for East-West orientation, ensuring greater accuracy even in variable irradiation conditions. The control and command element is an Arduino UNO microcontroller. The first step in the work is to analyze the optimal tilt of fixed solar panels in Burundi based on meteorological data from PVGIS 5.2 for the year 2020. Using linear regression modeling via the R method in SPSS, the optimal tilt angle for fixed solar panels varies between 13° and 15.8°, offering an energy gain of around 20% compared to the uniform 30° tilt commonly used on house roofs. The work combines a hybrid MPPT algorithm combining Perturb & Observer (P&O) and fuzzy logic controller. Next, a battery charge and discharge management mechanism algorithm was implemented on an Arduino UNO microcontroller, which also controls the internal temperature measured by a DHT11 sensor. The work Includes modeling, mechanical design, and complete programming of the system using MATLAB 2020a, Proteus 8.13, Arduino IDE1.8.13, and SolidWorks 2023 software. The simulations carried out confirmed the consistency and reliability of the experimental results. The performance obtained shows significant energy gains of 29% to 41% Increase in production for the single-axis solar tracker and 42% to 50% for the dual-axis tracker, compared to a fixed solar panel. We observed a 67% energy gain in servomotor consumption. The device developed represents a major technological advance for autonomous, robust, and high-performance solar installations.