Performance Comparison between Fixed and Dual-Axis Sun-Tracking Photovoltaic Panels with an IoT Monitoring System in the Coastal Region of Ecuador

Marcos A. Ponce-Jara, Carlos Velásquez-Figueroa, María Reyes-Mero and Catalina Rus-Casas
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Marcos A. Ponce-Jara: Faculty of Engineering, Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro de Manabí, Av. Circunvalación S/N, Manta 130213, Ecuador
Carlos Velásquez-Figueroa: Faculty of Engineering, Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro de Manabí, Av. Circunvalación S/N, Manta 130213, Ecuador
María Reyes-Mero: Faculty of Engineering, Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro de Manabí, Av. Circunvalación S/N, Manta 130213, Ecuador
Catalina Rus-Casas: Electronic Engineering and Automatic Department, Las Lagunillas Campus, University of Jaén, A3 Building, 23071 Jaén, Spain

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 3, 1-14

Abstract: Solar photovoltaic (PV) energy systems are one of the most widely deployed renewable technologies in the world. The efficiency of solar panels has been studied during the last few decades, and, to date, it has not been possible to displace the production of energy using crystalline silicon wafer-based technology whose efficiency has reached values around 26.1%. Moreover, using solar tracking PV systems has become a feasible alternative to increase the electric output of PV silicon technologies instead of using the conventional fixed PV installation on a flat or sloping surface. The following study has compared fixed and dual-axis sun-tracking PV panels in order to quantify the enhancement associated with the amount of energy harvested when using dual-axis tracking PV systems in the city of Manta, located in a coastal region of Ecuador. In order to carry out this study, an IoT monitoring system based on Raspberry Pi3 and Arduino platforms was used. Measurements of solar radiation (W/m 2 ), light intensity (Lux), temperature (°C), short-circuit current (A), and open-circuit voltage (V) were taken every minute for both systems. The results prove that the dual-axis tracking PV system produces, on average, 19.62% more energy than the static PV system. These results present an 8.62% energy increase with respect to a previous study carried out in an equatorial region with similar characteristics to those of the city of Manta, where a one-axis tracking PV system was used.

Keywords: solar radiation; fixed solar panel; sun-tracking solar panels; equatorial latitudes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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