Photovoltaic Array and Shading Loss Simulation for the Optimization of Solar Tracking PV Farms

Date
2013-09-23
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Solar photovoltaic tracking systems differ from fixed-tilt systems in that they track the position of the sun and in the process, partially shade one another over a range of solar angles. The resulting power loss calculations are non-linear and computationally intensive, so broad approximations are often applied in PV simulation tools. However, if one is to optimize the design of a solar PV tracking system, such as the arrangement and interconnection of PV cells and modules on a tracker, and the spacing between trackers and tracker rows, shading losses must be well understood and accurately accounted for. This thesis aims to design and implement a PV simulation model in MATLAB which predicts annual energy production using site-specific weather parameters while accurately accounting for shading losses at a PV-cell level. The model is then used to optimize the spacing of a hypothetical tracking system.
Description
Keywords
Electronics and Electrical
Citation
Anderson, K. A. (2013). Photovoltaic Array and Shading Loss Simulation for the Optimization of Solar Tracking PV Farms (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/27341