A comprehensive study of techno-economic and environmental features of different solar tracking systems for residential photovoltaic installations

Analysis and study of the potential increase in energy output generated by prototype solar tracking, roof mounted solar panels

“…It has to be noted that this project was done by the researchers themselves omitting any costs associated with professional assembly and installation which influence the cost of solar panel installation significantly as pointed out in 5. Also, due to small factor of the study, there were no batteries or inverters involved which also contribute greatly to the costs of overall installation 5,7 . Broader research should be conducted to determine the effects of abovementioned factors on the overall economical profitability of such installation, including any grants and discounts or national policies regarding renewable energy.…”

“…Renewable energy sources are increasingly perceived by the public as a beneficial alternative to fossil fuels in context of preservation of the environment by limiting the carbon emissions. Recent decades show a steady increase of public interest in percentage of renewable energy sources in the overall energy production [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] . More people are also choosing to supply their homes with renewable energy, mainly through the installation of household solar panel systems in the form of free-standing solar installations and roof mounted panels.…”

“…This method eliminates the need for determining a fixed tilt angle and allows for dynamic adjustment of solar panel tilt angle depending on the season and time of day. The difference in energy production efficiency between stationary mounted solar panels and solar panels equipped with solar tracking capabilities can vary from 10% to 60% depending on the tracking technology used and considered time of the day 7,[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] . In addition, countries that are located on higher geographic latitudes can get more benefit from tracker installations because of the higher volatility of sun position during different seasons.…”

“…The downside, however, is the lower return in additional costs associated with solar tracker and motors required for the system. The cost efficiency of different solutions may vary greatly, depending on whether there are policies in effect, that allow for either storing excess energy in the communal grid or selling it back to the grid 7 . If there are no such policies in effect, the use of two axis solar trackers may be the only option worth considering due to high amount of budget that has to be allocated for batteries that store the excess energy.…”

New Omnidirectional Sensor Based on Open-Source Software and Hardware for Tracking and Backtracking of Dual-Axis Solar Trackers in Photovoltaic Plants

“…Similarly, with regard to grid-connected PV installations, a recent study [ 28 ] has analysed, from a techno-economic-environmental point of view, the use of different solar tracking systems to maximise the photovoltaic power generation in residential solar installations connected to the grid in eight regions of Iran with diverse climates. Based on the study carried out, they found that the dual-axis monitoring system is the most efficient (32% average increase in energy production compared to an installation without monitoring), while the vertical single-axis monitoring system is the most profitable (23% increase in energy production compared to a nonmonitored installation with only 1.6% increase in energy cost).…”