Fixed versus sun tracking solar panels: an economic analysis
| Autor: | Zaid Almusaied, Andrew Bland, Eric Leake, Semih Aslan, Kyle Rainosek, Heejoo Lee, Jesus Fuentes, Marcus Mitchell, Nicholas Hawkes, Bahram Asiabanpour |
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| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
Economics and Econometrics
Environmental Engineering Data collection Meteorology business.industry BitTorrent tracker Sun tracking 020209 energy Photovoltaic system 02 engineering and technology Management Monitoring Policy and Law 021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology Solar energy General Business Management and Accounting Solar tracker Data acquisition 0202 electrical engineering electronic engineering information engineering Environmental Chemistry Environmental science 0210 nano-technology business Intensity (heat transfer) Remote sensing |
| Zdroj: | Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy. 19:1195-1203 |
| ISSN: | 1618-9558 1618-954X |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10098-016-1292-y |
| Popis: | The performance of photovoltaic panels depends on many factors. One factor involves the light reception angles at the panels in which the intensity of the received solar radiation from the sun at the earth is affected significantly by the diurnal and seasonal movement of the earth. The maximum output of the panels is achieved when the panels are perpendicular to the sun’s rays. This research is an empirical financial assessment of the benefit of using a dual-axis sun tracker versus a fixed-flat position, as well as a comparison of the performance of the two panels under such settings. The experiment was conducted using 190 W panels, a manual dual-axis sun tracker, and a data acquisition system, which collected and stored the experimental data. A significant improvement in output was noticed in the tracked panel. The overall average improvement for the entire data collection time interval was 82 %. The financial assessment was performed based on the energy market rate in Texas and the average price and operative expenses of the dual-axis sun trackers. The breakeven point for the dual-axis sun tracking system was found to be “never,” 13, and 6 years for 1-, 4-, and 9-panel configurations, respectively, in each system. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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