Isn't there a good, cheap solar tracking system available yet? Seems like you are leaving a lot of money on the table by not keeping a ~90 degree angle with the sun at most times during the day.
Good, cheap, reliable? Not that I know of. Mounting costs are higher too; you something like a post in concrete to attach the panel, rather than just screw it to your roof.
People are still working on that sort of thing. An interesting system I saw a few years back was one based on the sunlight heating up a fluid. The fluid (maybe it was a gas) expands a cylinder that keeps the panel pointed at the sun. At night, the fluid cools, and the system resets to its default state, pointing east for the next day. So 100% mechanical, without any active control.
People are still working on that sort of thing. An interesting system I saw a few years back was one based on the sunlight heating up a fluid. The fluid (maybe it was a gas) expands a cylinder that keeps the panel pointed at the sun. At night, the fluid cools, and the system resets to its default state, pointing east for the next day. So 100% mechanical, without any active control.