On the Optimal Tilt Angle and Orientation of an On-Site Solar Photovoltaic Energy Generation System for Sabah’s Rural Electrification

Maryon Eliza Matius, Mohd Azlan Ismail, Yan Yan Farm, Adriana Erica Amaludin, Mohd Adzrie Radzali, Ahmad Fazlizan and Wan Khairul Muzammil
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Maryon Eliza Matius: Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Malaysia
Mohd Azlan Ismail: Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Malaysia
Yan Yan Farm: Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Malaysia
Adriana Erica Amaludin: Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Malaysia
Mohd Adzrie Radzali: Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Malaysia
Ahmad Fazlizan: Solar Energy Research Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Malaysia
Wan Khairul Muzammil: Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Malaysia

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 10, 1-28

Abstract: An ongoing project to implement a mini standalone solar photovoltaic (PV) generation system of 2.5 kWp capacity at the eco-tourism centre of Liogu Ku Silou-Silou (EPLISSI), Sabah, was initiated in 2019. Since the solar panel support (ground mounting) used in this project will be erected separately, the main goals of this study are to estimate the optimum tilt angle, β opt , and orientation for the solar PV modules. To achieve these goals, the Liu and Jordan isotropic diffuse radiation model was used (1960). Another three isotropic diffuse sky radiation models (Koronakis model, Badescu model, and Tian model) were applied to estimate the optimum tilt angle with the orientation kept facing due south. For verification purposes, the PV power output data obtained from an online PV simulator known as Global Solar Atlas or GSA 2.3 was used and compared to the results of the four isotropic models. The results suggest that the Tian model is more suitable for approximating insolation, as it was proven to have the lowest difference among all models and is in close agreement with the result of the optimum tilt angle provided by GSA 2.3. However, the outcomes demonstrated from the isotropic models propose an error up to 30% (in the range of 31% to 32%) as compared to GSA 2.3.

Keywords: solar energy; solar radiation; photovoltaic system; insolation; tilt angle; orientation; isotropic models; Malaysia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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