scholarly journals Optimization of Solar Panel Tilt and Azimuth Angle for Maximum Solar Irradiation and Minimum Loss for Rural Electrification

Author(s):  
Prince N Nwankwo

Abstract: The earth receives solar power at a rate of 120 petawatts, meaning that the energy obtained from the sun in a single day could satisfy the world’s energy needs for almost twenty years. Africa is often considered and referred as the "Sun continent" or the continent where the Sun's influence is the greatest, yet over 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa live without electricity. This inexhaustible, untapped, abundant, and environmentally friendly solar energy potential encouraged solar power generation technologies to flourish faster than any other renewable energy technology most especially in Africa. The amount of electricity generated by a fixed-tilt solar PV system depends on the orientation of the PV panel (tilt and azimuth angle) relative to the sun. The panel of a solar PV system collect solar radiation more efficiently when the sun's rays are perpendicular to the panel: when the sun hits it directly at a 90o degree angle; but the sun is a moving target. Not only does it move across the sky throughout the day, but it is higher in the sky in the dry season (winter) from October to March and lower in the sky in the wet season (summer) from April to September. Since the climate is usually characterized into two seasons, the system optimization presented in this paper was carried out based on: yearly irradiation yield (fixed tilted plane) to guarantee optimum solar irradiation throughout the year, with 0.0% loss with respect to optimum. The system eliminates the challenges associated with changing the solar panel orientation every season, or using the expensive and inefficient sun tracker in tracking sun energy; while guaranteeing higher energy production, better system performance, lower system losses, and low operational cost. The system optimization was carried out with the “PVsyst simulation software” made for PV system designers and researchers to predict the performance of different solar system configurations, evaluate the results, and identify the best approach for maximum energy production. This paper investigated the optimal tilt and azimuth angle for solar panel orientation techniques for a typical rural community in Nigeria (Ndikelionwu) to advance rural electrification. After series of simulation and optimization processes; the best yearly irradiation yield was recorded when the solar panel is at 40o tilt and 0o Azimuth angle; with 0.0% loss with respect to optimum. Keywords: Optimization, PVsyst, Solar Irradiation, Tilt and Azimuth Angle, Global on Collector Plane, Fixed Tilted Plane, Rural Electrification, Solar Panel Orientation And Yearly Irradiation Yield.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric O’Shaughnessy ◽  
Dylan Cutler ◽  
Kristen Ardani ◽  
Robert Margolis

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (21) ◽  
pp. 67-74
Author(s):  
Imad Jawad Khadim

PV connected systems are worldwide installed because it allows consumer to reduce energy consumption from the electricity grid. This paper presents the results obtained from monitoring a 1.1 kWp. The system was monitored for nine months and all the electricity generated was fed to the fifth floor for physics and renewable energy building   220 V, 50 Hz. Monthly, and daily performance parameters of the PV system are evaluated which include: average generated of system Ah per day, average system efficiency, solar irradiation around these months. The average generated kWh per day was 8 kWh/day, the average solar irradiation per day was 5.6 kWh/m2/day, the average inverter efficiency was 95%, the average modules efficiency was 12%.


Author(s):  
Chris J. Astle ◽  
Gary J. Kovacik ◽  
Ted R. Heidrick

Thermophotovoltaics (TPV) is technology similar to conventional solar photovoltaics, which have been in existence for over 50 years. The main difference between traditional solar photovoltaics and TPV is that, instead of the sun, an “emitter” is used to produce light, which is then converted into electricity by the TPV system. This emitter is heated via combustion or some other method until photons are ejected. Although the light utilized in the TPV system is not as energetic as that from the sun, the fact that the TPV cells can be placed in close proximity to the source (compared with the distance to the sun) increases the intensity of the light received by the cells. This results in a higher power production density than is possible with traditional solar photovoltaic systems. One estimate of maximum achievable output power density for TPV systems is 5W/cm2, approximately 500 times that of a traditional solar PV system. Researchers in this field have already demonstrated power densities of 1.5W/cm2. Other attractions of TPV systems include fuel versatility, compact size, silent sun-independent operation, and low maintenance costs. A TPV test station has been assembled at the Alberta Research Council in Canada. A general overview of the background technology and system components will be presented, as well as preliminary experimental results. Areas that require additional improvement in order to increase system efficiency will also be addressed.


Author(s):  
Amanda Halim ◽  
Ahmad Fudholi ◽  
Stephen Phillips ◽  
Kamaruzzaman Sopian

<p>At present, solar energy is perceived to be one of the world’s contributive energy sources. Holding characteristics such as inexhaustible and non-polluting, making it as the most prominent among renewable energy (RE) sources. The application of the solar energy has been well-developed and used for electricity generation through Photovoltaic (PV) as the harvesting medium. PV cells convert heat from the sun directly into the electricity to power up the electric loads. Solar PV system is commonly built in a rural area where it cannot be powered up by the utility grid due to location constrains. In order to avoid the electricity fluctuation because of unsteady amount of solar radiation, PV solar hybrid is the efficient solution for rural electrifications. This paper presents a review on optimised Hybrid Solar-PV Diesel system configurations installed and used to power up off grid settlements at various locations worldwide.</p>


The need to electrify all rural areas in India is quite compelling. However, the focus has now shifted from traditional fuel-based systems to generate electricity to renewable sources for energy generation. Though there are subsidies and policies that encourage the use of solar Photovoltaic (PV) systems, there is a need for an appropriate framework. This framework could not only offer substantial directions but it would also act as grounds to enhance rural electrification in India using solar PVs. From this perspective, the current research attempts to structure an innovative framework for solar PV system that could facilitate rural electrification in India. In particular, the district of Damoh in Madhya Pradesh was chosen as there are many villages without electricity in this district. PVsyst software was utilized to simulate the outcomes that included mathematical models and diverse components based on PV, for simulation. Three designs were developed to facilitate the simulation. These included; PVs linked with microgrid devoid of battery, individual PV systems without microgrid link and solar PVs linked to microgrid with battey. The framework for rural electrification using solar PVs will offer policy makers with insights with regards to implementing PV systems. It will also offer inputs as to the feasibility of implementing a specific system on several parameters. These would comprise of; number of households within a village, detached households etc. Nonetheless, research in future is also warranted to explore the scope for other sources of renewable energy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 152 ◽  
pp. 02009
Author(s):  
Motlatsi Lehloka ◽  
James Swart ◽  
Pierre Hertzog

Due to global climate change as a result of pollution caused by the burning of fossil fuels, the world has changed its view when it comes to power generation. The focus is now more on natural and clean energy, such as solar PV systems. An effective solar PV system is not a simple system, as the sun is not a stationery object. The sun moves from east to west daily and that makes the design and installation of an effective solar PV system challenging for optimal power harvesting. The purpose of this paper is to compare two algorithms (linear regression and fuzzy logic) that are applied to a dual-axis tracker in order to maximize the output power yield that may be obtained from a fixed-axis system. One fixed-axis PV module serves as the baseline for comparing the results of the dual-axis trackers that are controlled by the two algorithms. A key recommendation is to align a PV module perpendicular to the sun from sunrise to sunset using a control algorithm based on fuzzy logic principles in order to extract the maximum amount of available energy.


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