Energy management and control of a moving solar roof for a vehicle

The integration of photovoltaic (PV) panels on electric and hybrid vehicles is gaining interest, thanks to the increasing fleet electrification, the improvement in solar panel efficiency and the reduction in their costs. In order to maximize the solar contribution, the adoption of self-orienting solar roof when the vehicle is parked can be considered. In the paper, the authors present a study on the energy management of a moving solar roof, as a 3 d.o.f. parallel robot, in a solar assisted vehicle. A model based control is developed, based on combined use of measured solar power, image processing form a digital camera and data provided by a GPS module, and implemented over a small scale prototype. An optimal tracking strategy, considering the effects of different insolation and of mechanical losses, is also presented. Copyright © 2011 SAE International.