Determination of the Optimal Tilt Angle of Solar Collectors for Different Climates of China

Haixiang Zang, Mian Guo, Zhinong Wei and Guoqiang Sun
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Haixiang Zang: College of Energy and Electrical Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 211100, China
Mian Guo: College of Energy and Electrical Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 211100, China
Zhinong Wei: College of Energy and Electrical Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 211100, China
Guoqiang Sun: College of Energy and Electrical Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 211100, China

Sustainability, 2016, vol. 8, issue 7, 1-16

Abstract: The tilt angle with the horizon (with respect to the ground) of the solar energy system affects the amount of solar radiation received. This paper suggests a simple and universal method to obtain the optimum tilt angles by estimating the monthly mean daily global solar radiation on tilted surfaces facing directly towards the equator, which is based on monthly average daily global solar radiation data produced from Typical Meteorological Year (TMY) data. The monthly, seasonal, and yearly optimum tilt angles for photovoltaic panels are calculated at six stations of different climatic types (Tropical Zone (TZ), Subtropical Zone (SZ), Warm Temperate Zone (WTZ), Mid Temperate Zone (MTZ), Cold Temperate Zone (CTZ) and Tibetan Plateau Zone (TPZ)). The results indicate that changing the monthly, seasonal, and yearly optimum tilt angles causes a significant yearly gain in the solar radiation for the region. In addition, general correlations are generated to estimate the optimum tilt angle of solar collectors at six typical climatic stations of China. The performances of the proposed models are compared using statistical error tests such as the mean absolute bias error (MABE), the root mean square error (RMSE) and the correlation coefficients (R).

Keywords: optimum tilt angle; Typical Meteorological Year; solar radiation; solar energy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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