Abstract
Roof mounted solar panels come in form of fixed panels, unable to adjust to sun's position during day and throughout the year. As an effect, the efficiency of such solution is usually dependent on the roof slope and position of the building in relation to sun's day arc during seasons. These problems can be bypassed in free standing solar installations by equipping solar panels with solar tracker installations. Thanks to solar tracking, solar panels can be dynamically positioned perpendicular to the sun position and gather energy more efficiently throughout the day. This article presents a possibility of creating a roof mounted solar tracking panel to increase its efficiency. A prototype of solar tracking panel with two axes of movement was designed with an intention of an easy adaptation to being mounted on sloped surfaces of building roofs. A reference stationary panel was used to compare the efficiency of both solutions. A 5-day study was carried out to determine if the proposed solution could provide any benefits. Based on the study, the authors made an attempt to draw a conclusion whether the design could considerably increase the solar energy output to be worth the extra spending associated with solar tracker installation.
Highlights
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
Even the citizens of countries located in higher latitudes with less annual access to solar energy due to weather and seasons have showed an increase of interest in household solar panel installations
A study will involve an analysis of the solar tracking panel efficiency versus a fixed solar panel in a configuration resembling a mounting on a sloped roof
Summary
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. Thanks to the financial support it is possible to fund a household solar installation with relatively small financial outlay which attracts many household owners previously discounting such solution due to large entry costs. Another factor that contributes to this situation is the advancement in solar cell efficiency and energy storage technologies. This further decreases the payback time for investment costs which attracts more people
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