PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF A PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM WITH SINGLE-AXIS TRACKING
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59627/cbens.2022.1187Keywords:
Performance, Solar Tracker, Solar EnergyAbstract
Abstract. Currently, solar trackers have been a constant presence in medium and large photovoltaic (PV) plants due to the increase in the capacity factor provided by their use, which also leads to a rise in the economic viability of PV projects in general. Studies show that tracked systems have a Lower Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) than fixed systems. Thus, of the several types of trackers, the most used in the market have been the horizontal single-axis ones with rotation axis in the North-South (N-S) direction for having precisely lower LCOE. In this context, the work proposed here aims, from simulations, to analyze how the design parameters of a 7.04 kWp photovoltaic system with 1-axis N-S tracking can affect the energy performance metrics. The design parameters analyzed will be the use of tracking compared to a fixed system, the tracker aperture angle (angular variation corresponding to the tracking motion), the distance between module rows, and the use of backtracking. The analysis will consider the values of the AC energy (ECA) injected into the grid, the final yield (YF), and the capacity factor as metrics used to compare the energy performance between photovoltaic systems with different technologies. In annual terms, the energy increase is 18% compared to a fixed system tilted at 10° facing north. The YF increases up to an opening angle of 110°, while the inter-row distance of 10 m showed higher ECA. Finally, found the use of backtracking has no significant benefits.
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References
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