North/South (elivation) Single-axis Tracking - Page 2

 Brent Geery wrote:

I honestly don't remember how I came up with that figure. While
the website doesn't have an E/W axis (Tracks N/S) option, it does
have a two axis a N/S single axis option. One might suppose that
you could subtract the one from the other.

Anthony

  On Wed, 19 Dec 2007 21:53:11 -0800, Anthony Matonak


Well, I think I'm going to try it, for a couple of reasons.

First, I need a way to set the array at the correct angle anyway.  It
will get annoying to have to do it manually each and every time I
deploy the array.  If I use tracking, the array finds it's own angle,
making my life that much easier.

Second, it will cost something under $200 to install the tracker
hardware, my solar panels are costing $4.40 per rated watt, so the
tracker only has to gain me an extra 45 watts (3%) average to payoff
economically.

 On Thu, 20 Dec 2007 08:13:39 -0800, Brent Geery


HOMER https://analysis.nrel.gov/homer/  has been recently updated, and
now includes *horizontal single-axis tracking*!  It's the only
software that I know that has this capability.

So, after running the numbers, horizontal axis tracking clearly pays.
As expected, biggest benefit in summer, none in the winter.  Most
benefit in the morning and evening, very little at midday.

I go from a yearly mean daily production of 7.06kW-h with monthly
adjustments to 7.68kW-h daily with horizontal axis tracking.  A yearly
mean increase of 620 watt-hours a day, or 8.8% increase for under
$200.  It's even more substantial, as this increase is really focused
on the summer months, when I need it the most.  I go from 3 generator
starts a year (20 hours yearly runtime) to zero starts a year.

I'd need at least 130 watts more PV (that I don't have space for, BTW)
that would run $580.  But more PV would not give me the sharper peak
production in the Summer, but instead increase production more evenly
through the year (were I don't need the extra.)

 
In the real world, probably not worth the effort.

 On Tue, 18 Dec 2007 20:38:22 -0800 (PST), bealiba@gmail.com wrote:


I'd like to see for sure.  After all, the benefit will be mostly in
the summer, when I need it the most, so it might just be enough to
eliminate the 1-2 weeks a year a generator is calculated to be needed.
Plus, I've go to lock the panels into the correct angle each time
anyway, so a satellite dish actuator seems like a reasonable method of
doing this.