#Solar path finder app plus#

These graphs are for a refractive index of 1.5 (glass) and are not applicable to bare silicon. Variation of reflectance with angle of incidence. This describes that the observed brightness of an object is proportional to the cosine of the angle of incidence of the light illuminating it. This cosine relationship is very closely related to the observation formalized in 1760 by Lambert's cosine law. Or put another way, the energy intercepted is equivalent to the area of the shadow cast by the panel onto a surface perpendicular to the direct beam. This is given by the area of the panel multiplied by the cosine of the angle of incidence of the direct beam (see illustration above). The amount of solar energy available for collection from the direct beam is the amount of light intercepted by the panel. In the following sections, in which each of the main factors are described in a little more detail, the complex path of the Sun is simplified by considering its daily east-west motion separately from its yearly north-south variation with the seasons of the year. The purpose of a tracking mechanism is to follow the Sun as it moves across the sky.

As a result, high accuracy tracking is not typically used in non-concentrating PV applications.

#Solar path finder app plus#

^ a b Greater due to higher reflectance at high angles of incidence.įor example, trackers that have accuracies of ± 5° can deliver greater than 99.6% of the energy delivered by the direct beam plus 100% of the diffuse light.

^ Maximum seasonal variation (at summer or winter solstice), as compared with accurate alignment at equinox.noon) when the collector is accurately aligned. ^ Hours of rotation away from a time (e.g.Direct power loss (%) due to misalignment (angle i) where Loss = 1 − cos( i) In addition, the reflectance (averaged across all polarizations) is approximately constant for angles of incidence up to around 50°, beyond which reflectance degrades rapidly. The energy contributed by the direct beam drops off with the cosine of the angle between the incoming light and the panel. diffuse light can be as low as 60:40 or even lower. However, on cloudier days the ratio of direct vs. As the majority of the energy is in the direct beam, maximizing collection requires the Sun to be visible to the panels for as long as possible. Sunlight has two components, the 'direct beam' that carries about 90% of the solar energy, and the 'diffuse sunlight' that carries the remainder – the diffuse portion is the blue sky on a clear day, and is a larger proportion of the total on cloudy days. The effective collection area of a flat-panel solar collector varies with the cosine of the misalignment of the panel with the Sun. Tracking systems are found in all concentrator applications because such systems collect the sun's energy with maximum efficiency when the optical axis is aligned with incident solar radiation. The optics in concentrated solar applications accept the direct component of sunlight light and therefore must be oriented appropriately to collect energy. In concentrator photovoltaics (CPV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) applications, trackers are used to enable the optical components in the CPV and CSP systems. This represents growth of 32 percent year-over-year, with similar or greater growth projected as large-scale solar deployment accelerates. According to data from WoodMackenzie/GTM Research, global solar tracker shipments hit a record 14.5 gigawatts in 2017. Īs the pricing, reliability and performance of single-axis trackers have improved, the systems have been installed in an increasing percentage of utility-scale projects. In standard photovoltaic applications, it was predicted in 2008-2009 that trackers could be used in at least 85% of commercial installations greater than one megawatt from 2009 to 2012. Reducing this angle increases the amount of energy produced from a fixed amount of installed power generating capacity. Payloads are usually solar panels, parabolic troughs, fresnel reflectors, lenses or the mirrors of a heliostat.įor flat-panel photovoltaic systems, trackers are used to minimize the angle of incidence between the incoming sunlight and a photovoltaic panel, sometimes known as the cosine error. Useful for small business solar power and battery charging.Ī solar tracker is a device that orients a payload toward the Sun. Suntactics dual axis solar trackers are used for small for medium-sized solar production farms.