Technical and economic assessment of fixed, single and dual-axis tracking PV panels in low latitude countries

2017-12-01
Bahrami, Arian
Okoye, Chiemeka Onyeka
Atikol, Ugur
This study aims to contribute towards developing a sustainable roadmap for electrification program via solar energy deployment in 21 low latitude countries (0-15 degrees N) with limited access to the grid. Firstly, the available electrical energy from fixed, single and dual-axis solar tracking PV panels is demonstrated using a case study of nine selected locations in Nigeria. The annual electrical energy for the locations from a fixed 1-kW PV panel tilted at an optimal angle ranges from 1485 to 2024 kWh, with the use of seven different single and dual-axis trackers; the yield would vary between 1521 and 2611 kWh. This amount of energy output, if fully harnessed, would contribute significantly to alleviating the chronic energy shortage in Nigeria. Finally, the performance of the solar trackers in terms of the energy gain and levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) is ranked to show the most preferred option for implementation. The presented ranking patterns can be used as a valuable guide by researchers and designers in the selection of the appropriate solar trackers for 21 low latitude countries located in three continents such as those around the Gulf of Guinea in Africa, the Gulf of Thailand in Asia, and the Caribbean Sea in America.
RENEWABLE ENERGY

Suggestions

Operating policies for energy generation and revenue management in single-reservoir hydropower systems
Ak, Mumtaz; Kentel Erdoğan, Elçin; Savaşaneril Tüfekci, Seçil (Elsevier BV, 2017-10-01)
We study the reservoir management problem in hydropower plants, and propose operating policies to maximize the average annual energy generation or the average annual revenue. Under revenue maximization, our policies allow for short-term electricity price variations to be incorporated into the long-term plan. First, we provide a detailed review of hydropower plant operation, focusing on implicit stochastic optimization approaches and integration of energy price variations in reservoir management. Then, we ex...
Optimization of PERC fabrication based on loss analysis in an industrially relevant environment: First results from GUNAM photovoltaic line (GPVL)
ES, FIRAT; SEMİZ, EMEL; Orhan, Efe; Genc, Ezgi; Kokbudak, Gamze; Baytemir, Gulsen; Turan, Raşit (Elsevier BV, 2020-02-01)
Passivated emitter and rear cell (PERC) concept with an already developed roadmap for 24% efficiency will be leading the photovoltaics industry in the upcoming years. In a few industrial pilot lines, efficiencies above 22% have already been attained. Pilot lines have important roles in bridging lab scale proven concepts with the products which are ready for mass production. Therefore, GUNAM Photovoltaic Line which is specialized on PERC concepts has been established to overcome the barriers that hinder the ...
Comparisons and critical assessment of global and diffuse solar irradiation estimation methodologies
Karaveli, Abdullah Bugrahan; Akınoğlu, Bülent Gültekin (Informa UK Limited, 2018-01-01)
Defining better methodologies of accurate predictions of the amount of monthly mean daily global and diffuse solar irradiation exposed is of utmost importance in order to determine the potential for utilizing the solar energy. This study compares and discusses the main methodologies, databases, and software that are used in estimating the solar irradiation to be used for the short- and long-term performances and feasibilities of solar energy systems, especially photovoltaic power plants in Turkey, and addre...
Concentrated Solar Power Harvesting Using Self-powered, Wireless, Thin-profile, Lightweight Solar Tiles
Ardanuc, Serhan M.; Lal, Amit; Jones, Samuel C. (ASME International, 2011-08-01)
This paper presents a modular and scalable approach to concentrated solar power (CSP) harvesting by using low-profile, light-weight, sun-tracking, millimeter-to-centimeter-scale mirror arrays that can be wirelessly controlled to reflect the incident solar energy to a central receiver. Conventional, utility-scale CSP plants use large-area heliostats, parabolic troughs, or dish collectors that are not only heavy and bulky, but also require significant labor for installation and maintenance infrastructure. Fur...
Development of new monthly global and diffuse solar irradiation estimation methodologies and comparisons
Karaveli, Abdullah Bugrahan; Akınoğlu, Bülent Gültekin (Informa UK Limited, 2018-01-01)
In assessing and deciding the prediction schemes of solar irradiation countrywide, better the accuracy means better the management of energy transition toward renewables. Consequently, the present study is on the development of new models to make the most accurate possible estimations of the global and diffuse solar irradiation based on ground measurements. Such analysis produces the most accurate estimations for the input of solar energy systems. This is utmost significant for deciding the investments on s...
Citation Formats
A. Bahrami, C. O. Okoye, and U. Atikol, “Technical and economic assessment of fixed, single and dual-axis tracking PV panels in low latitude countries,” RENEWABLE ENERGY, pp. 563–579, 2017, Accessed: 00, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://hdl.handle.net/11511/66468.