Abstract
The population growth in the Ghanaian urban areas and the high energy consumption per unit area compared to the low solar energy capture by Photovoltaic (PV) systems makes solar PV energy systems investment an unattractive venture for most urban settlers. Because building architectures mostly do not incorporate solar PV systems in facility planning, most building roofs pose challenges for solar PV array installation leading to lower PV energy output. The effects of tilt angle on the output of Solar Photovoltaic Systems were analyzed in this study using RETScreen 4. The optimum tilt angle and the corresponding PV output were estimated annually for three different PV systems. It was found that, the optimum tilt angle for all the systems that would give better yield and allow self-cleaning is 10°. The information presented in this study can serve as inputs for the development of grid-tied PV system without battery storage, grid-tied PV system with battery storage and stand-alone systems in Kumasi, Ghana.
Highlights
Solar Photovoltaic (PV) technology has the ability to convert solar energy into electricity consuming no fossil fuels, using no moving parts, creating no pollution and noise, and lasting for years with little maintenance
The optimum tilt angle for all the systems that would give better yield and allow self-cleaning is 10°. Deviation from this optimum tilt angle would cause a reduction of 0.01% or more depending on how far the tilt is from the equator [8]
This study investigates the optimum tilt angle for rooftop Solar Photovoltaic System installation KikuKinderhause in Kumasi
Summary
Solar Photovoltaic (PV) technology has the ability to convert solar energy into electricity consuming no fossil fuels, using no moving parts, creating no pollution and noise, and lasting for years with little maintenance. Since building architectures mostly do not incorporate solar PV systems into building designs, most building roofs pose challenges for maximum solar energy capture due to wrong PV array orientation and tilt angle. Khatib, Mohamed and Sopian, presented a review of the PV system optimization techniques for PV systems [15]. They revealed that; orientation, tilt and shading on the PV array must be of special importance, as they all have a major impact on the amount of sunlight that reaches the photovoltaic panels. The optimum tilt angle is generally the angle that would make the sun’s ray perpendicular to the Theophilus Frimpong Adu et al.: Determination of Optimum Tilt Angle for Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic System
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