Investigation of production performance of a solar power plant according to the optimum panel tilt angle

Abstract

Solar energy is one of the most important renewable energy sources with its clean, unlimited and low operating costs. In solar power plants, factors such as climatic conditions of the region, panel placement and system design are very important. In particular, examining the performance differences between fixed tilt systems and systems adjusted according to optimum tilt angles plays a critical role in the optimization of investment decisions. In this study, the production increase that can be achieved by systems adjusted according to optimum tilt angles compared to fixed systems is analyzed in terms of technical and economic dimensions on the example of a 3.6 MW fixed tilt angle solar power plant located in Elmadağ district of Ankara. Considering the location of the power plant, the optimum tilt angles of the photovoltaic (PV) panels are determined monthly using MATLAB software; thus, it is aimed to maximize the solar radiation falling on the panel surface and increase electricity generation. At the same time, the monthly electricity generation potential of the system was analyzed in PVGIS simulation. In the light of the data obtained, the performances of the fixed system and the system adjusted according to the optimum tilt angles were compared and the economic and technical contributions were evaluated. As a result, it was determined that 11.3%, 16.2% and 14.5% higher revenues can be obtained compared to 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively, if the system is adjusted to the optimum monthly inclination angle and maintained under ideal conditions.  

Keywords

• Solar power plant
• Panel tilt angle
• Photovoltaic
• PVGIS
• MATLAB

Thanks

The authors thank ROC Energy Production Inc. for its technical support.

References

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