Efficiency Assessment of Five Types of Photovoltaic Modules Installed on a Fixed and on a Dual-Axis Solar-Tracked Platform

Macedon Moldovan, Bogdan Gabriel Burduhos () and Ion Visa
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Macedon Moldovan: Renewable Energy Systems and Recycling Research Centre, Transilvania University of Brasov, 500036 Brasov, Romania
Bogdan Gabriel Burduhos: Renewable Energy Systems and Recycling Research Centre, Transilvania University of Brasov, 500036 Brasov, Romania
Ion Visa: Renewable Energy Systems and Recycling Research Centre, Transilvania University of Brasov, 500036 Brasov, Romania

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 3, 1-21

Abstract: A solution to increase the electrical output of the photovoltaic systems relies on solar tracking mechanisms that increase the amount of received solar energy. The experimental results obtained during a monitoring period of one year are comparatively presented in the paper for five types of photovoltaic modules installed on a fixed platform (as reference) and on a dual-axis solar tracking platform in the Renewable Energy Systems and Recycling R&D Centre of the Transilvania University of Brasov, Romania. The influence of the solar-tracking mechanism and the meteorological conditions specific to the four seasons during the monitoring period on the output of the analysed photovoltaic technologies are discussed in the paper. The solar tracking increases by 28% the amount of the yearly received solar energy and by 29.6% the electrical energy output of the entire PV platform. The solar conversion efficiency of the tracked PV platform is slightly increased (14.34%) when compared with the fixed one (14.17%). When assessing the influence of solar tracking on each type of PV, the results show that the CIGS PV module has the highest relative energy gain (34%) followed by CIS (30.8%), m-Si (30.6%), p-Si (27.3%) and CdTe (23.4%) PV modules.

Keywords: photovoltaic system; solar tracking system; solar conversion efficiency (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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