Solar tracker control system and method

A pneumatic solar tracker system comprising:

• a plurality of solar trackers, with each solar tracker including one or more photovoltaic cells and a plurality of pneumatic actuators coupled to the one or more photovoltaic cells, each of the plurality of pneumatic actuators having a first and second bellows;
• and
• a row controller operably coupled to and configured to control the plurality of solar trackers, the row controller comprising:
• a pneumatic circuit having one or more pneumatic lines coupled of a first set of bellows including the first bellows of the plurality of pneumatic actuators and one or more pneumatic lines coupled of a second set of bellows including the second bellows of the plurality of pneumatic actuators, the first and sets of bellows being mutually exclusive;
• and
• an electronic pneumatic control unit configured to collectively inflate the first set of bellows with fluid from a pneumatic fluid source via the pneumatic circuit and configured to separately inflate the second set of bellows with fluid from the pneumatic fluid source via the pneumatic circuit, the electronic pneumatic control unit:
• determining a current position of the sun;
• determining an angle of the one or more photovoltaic cells to correspond the determined current position of the sun;
• determining a current angle of the one or more photovoltaic cells;
• determining a difference between the determined current angle of the one or more photovoltaic cells and the determined angle of the one or more photovoltaic cells to correspond the determined current position of the sun;
• determining that the determined difference between the determined current angle of the one or more photovoltaic cells and the determined angle of the one or more photovoltaic cells to correspond the determined current position of the sun is outside of a tolerance range;
• and
• based at least in part on the determining that the determined difference between the determined current angle of the one or more photovoltaic cells and the determined angle of the one or more photovoltaic cells to correspond the determined current position of the sun is outside of a tolerance range, actuating the one or more photovoltaic cells toward the determined angle of the one or more photovoltaic cells to correspond the determined current position of the sun by at least one of inflating the first or second set of bellows with fluid from the pneumatic fluid source via the pneumatic circuit.

A pneumatic solar tracker system comprising an electronic pneumatic control unit configured to inflate a first set of bellows with fluid from a pneumatic fluid source via a pneumatic circuit and configured to separately inflate the second set of bellows with fluid from the pneumatic fluid source via a pneumatic circuit, the first and second set of bellows associated with one or more pneumatic actuators, the electronic pneumatic control unit:

• determining a target configuration of the one or more pneumatic actuators based on a determined current position of the sun;
• determining a current configuration of the one or more pneumatic actuators;
• determining a difference between the determined current configuration of the one or more pneumatic actuators and the determined target configuration of the one or more pneumatic actuators;
• determining that the determined difference between the determined current configuration of the one or more pneumatic actuators and the determined target configuration of the one or more pneumatic actuators is outside of a tolerance range;
• and
• based at least in part on the determining that the determined difference between the determined current configuration of the one or more pneumatic actuators and the determined target configuration of the one or more pneumatic actuators is outside of a tolerance range, actuating the one or more pneumatic actuators toward the determined target configuration by at least one of inflating the first or second set of bellows with fluid from the pneumatic fluid source via the pneumatic circuit.