Improving the Efficiency of Stand-Alone Solar PV Power Plants

Abstract

As a source of alternative energy, solar energy has apparent advantages, including a renewable, inexhaustible, and environmentally friendly resource. However, it has not become widely spread in the Russian Federation. Among the disadvantages of using solar energy are high equipment cost, low efficiency of photovoltaic solar cells, the generated electrical energy instability. The spatio-temporal variability of solar access causes electrical energy instability. It is possible to increase solar photovoltaic plant efficiency by using a tracking system to change the plant sun's spatial orientation. The paper offers mathematical and simulation models of a solar photovoltaic plant with a solar tracking system that allows the plant to be automatically oriented to the sun by matching the production mode and the solar access level. The use of the azimuth plant control system on the sun will increase the power production of the solar PV plant by an average of 28%. The same value will increase by 40% when using the full plant control system.