The aim of this paper is the implementation of a PV panel system operating at its optimal state. The investigation is divided into two parts. The first part focuses on the estimation of the position of the sun at each moment of the year. Thus an optimum fixed tilt of the panel is defined in order to get the best capture of the sun power for a year in a studied area. The second part of this investigation aims at maximizing the yield of the whole PV system. A maximum power point of the PV panel is reached thanks to a chopper for which a predictive duty cycle is considered and successfully tested. This proposed control involves less oscillations and fast response resulting in better accuracy compared to the Perturb and Observe technique. (C) 2017 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.