With Earth Day approaching, new research
from Binghamton University-State of New York could help U.S. residents save
more energy, regardless of location, if they adjust the angles of solar panels
four to five times a year.
"Regardless of the perks of renewable
[energy] resources, there are problems with cost and performance. Solar energy
provided by photovoltaic (PV) panels is no exception. One of the solutions is
to increase the efficiency of energy generation by tracking the sun," said
Shahrokh Akhlaghi, a PhD candidate in the Electrical and Computer Engineering
Department at Binghamton University and the co-author of "Study of
Sufficient Number of Optimal Tilt Angle Adjustment to Maximize Residential
Solar Panels Yield."
Morteza Sarailoo and Hossein Sangrody are
both co-authors of the paper and also PhD candidates in the Electrical and
Computer Engineering Department. Mandana Rezaeiahari, a PhD candidate in
industrial engineering, is also a co-author solar mounting brackets.
"Adjustments do not coincide with
seasonal changes," said Sarailoo. "Our new study shows that four
adjustments at optimally divided intervals can provide around 25 kW/m2 more
power than adjusting the tilt angle four times a year based on the
seasons."
Some residential solar setups increase
efficiency with an automated tracking system that constantly adjusts the angle
of panels. However, the mechanization adds another layer of cost on an already
expensive installation process. If residents want to save a little bit, they
can adjust their panels four to five times throughout the year according to the
research, which was based on data from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory
(NREL) website about nine different locations in the United States, adjustable
solar mounting system. The intervals and angles of the adjustments depend on
the geographic location of the panel.
"We were surprised to conclude such a
small number of intervals can result in such high performance, solar structure.
We had expected a number 3-4 times larger," Sangrody said.
"The need for only 4-5 adjustments
shows that not only is manual adjustment practically possible, but also
economical," added Akhlaghi.
The findings were presented at the 2017 Power and Energy Conference at Illinois (PECI).
