 A comparative study between racking systems for photovoltaic power systemsA. Barbón, P. Fortuny Ayuso, L. Bayón and C.A. Silva Renewable Energy, 2021, vol. 180, issue C, 424-437 Abstract: We present a comparative study of the different racking systems used in photovoltaic power systems, with a new methodology for determining the total energy produced by each one under usual weather conditions (not clear-skies). In systems without solar tracker, the tilt angle is a major factor contributing to the energy production, and its optimization is essential. We study the effect of tilt update frequency (daily, monthly, or constant) on the total irradiation received by a plane surface, and present a method for computing the optimal tilt angle, which we validate using previous studies. This method is easily implemented, accurate, and valid for any location. We compare all the systems with the most energy-productive one, the dual-axis tracker, in two ways: with respect to energy production, and to levelized cost of energy, both in 39 cities around the World. The results provide a new insight on the relative and objective value of trackerless systems, and some remarkable properties arise, which may be relevant in budgetary consideration. Keywords: Photovoltaic power systems; Racking systems with solar tracker; Racking systems without solar tracker; Optimum tilt angle (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:180:y:2021:i:c:p:424-437 DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2021.08.065 Access Statistics for this article Renewable Energy is currently edited by Soteris A. Kalogirou and Paul Christodoulides More articles in Renewable Energy from Elsevier |
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