Sun tracking orientation

The Solar8 system is mounted on our laboratorial facilities with its tracking axis oriented in the East — West position. It is possible to simulate the received irradiation by a tracking surface both with the axis in East-West and North-South direction for several climates at different latitudes. The results are given in Table 3.

By the analysis of the results, one can conclude that it is always better to track the sun around an axis with North-South direction. This effect is even more relevant when the system is moved closer to the equator where the sun reaches higher altitudes and moves around the sky from East to West direction, mostly.

Table 3. Incoming beam and global irradiation onto a tracking surface with axis in East-West and North-South

direction for Stockholm, Lisbon and Lusaka.

Sun tracking orientation of the surface

Stockholm (lat=59.2°N)

Lisbon (lat=38.7°N)

Lusaka (lat= 15.4°S)

G

(kWh/m2,yr)

Gb

(kWh/m2,yr)

G

(kWh/m2,yr)

Gb

(kWh/m2,yr)

G

(kWh/m2,yr)

Gb

(kWh/m2,yr)

Tracking surface around North-South axis

1343.0

787.3

2187.0

1445.0

2594.0

1754.0

Tracking surface around East-West axis

1262.0

717.6

1973.0

1263.0

2289.0

1474.0

Ratio N-S/E-W tracking

1.06

1.10

1.11

1.14

1.13

1.19