This work describes a new photovoltaic (PV) sun tracker design methodology that utilizes the advantages that the orientation and efficiency of the PV panel offer due to the latitude of the installation zone. Furthermore, the proposed design methodology is validated experimentally via the implementation of a solar tracker with dual axes at a specific location (27.5° latitude). In this case, the methodology enables the incorporation of a high-availability, low-accuracy, and low-cost tracking mechanism. Based on the results, the feasibility of this type of solar tracker for latitudes close to 30° is demonstrated, as this tracking system costs 27% less than the traditional commercial systems that use slew drives. This system increases the collection efficiency by 24% with respect to a fixed device. The proposed methodology, which is based on an orientation efficiency chart, can be applied to the construction or control of other types of solar tracker systems.

In the present work, parameters for adapting the behavior of the uniaxial three-element viscoelastic constitutive model with integer and fractional index derivatives to the mechanical evolution of an epoxy-composite material reinforced with long random henequen fibers, were determined. Cyclic loading–unloading with $0.1\%$, $0.2\%$, $0.3\%$, …, $1.0\%$ controlled strain and staggered fluency experiments at 5 MPa, 10 MPa, and 15 MPa constant tension were performed in stages, and the obtained data were used to determine and validate the model’s parameter values. The Inverse Method of Identification was used to calculate the parameters, and the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) method was employed to achieve minimization of the error function. A comparison between the simulated uniaxial results and the experimental data is demonstrated graphically. There exists a strong dependence between properties of the composite and the fiber content (0 wt%, 9 wt%, 14 wt%, 22 wt%, and 28 wt% weight percentage fiber/matrix), and therefore also of the model parameter values. Both uniaxial models follow the viscoelastic behavior of the material and the fractional index version presents the best accuracy. The latter method was noted to be adequate for determination of the aforementioned constants using non-large experimental data and procedures that are easy to implement.

The adequate records of climatological variables, especially temperature and radiation, constitute the basis to be able to determine the photovoltaic and agrivoltaic potential of a region, for this purpose, the data collected must be extremely precise, so it is required that they be focused, current and reliable, to have an adequate estimation. This paper presents the dataset used to estimate the photovoltaic potential of the Yaqui Valley, Sonora, México, for agrivoltaic systems, with the objective of determining the photovoltaic energy generation capacity. Specific records of temperature, radiation and humidity variables obtained from 21 meteorological stations distributed in the Yaqui Valley are used to determine the photovoltaic potential in relation to planting surfaces and commercially available agrivoltaic technologies. To do this, the data was filtered, grouped, and normalized according to the ranges of the variables required for the analysis, this data comprise the last three years.