Optimal solar panels positioning for Beirut

Abstract

Determining the optimal position of the solar collectors is essential for the maximum benefit of solar energy received by the solar panels and facilities including large sizes such as concentrated solar energy systems or large-scale solar photovoltaic installations. In this paper we study the optimal position for solar sensors located in Beirut (33.89; 35.50) in 3 configurations: constant optimal angle; Monthly variable tilt angle; and solar sensors with a tracking system of the solar race. After validating the numerical model comparing it to a weather file data for normal, diffused, and global horizontal average hourly solar radiation per month; optimization was made to determine the optimal position of solar collectors according the Generalized Reduced Gradient (GRG2) Algorithm which is normally used for optimizing nonlinear problems. The results show that the optimum angle of inclination for the city of Beirut is close to 30° (27.9°). By varying this angle monthly (i.e. through an adjustable tilt chassis), a 6% increase of collected energy is obtained compared to a constant optimal angle. As for the system, it has great interest as it allows an increase of 37% of solar energy compared to a constant optimal angle. The method adopted is of great interest since it could be applied to any region, not just in Beirut by changing the latitude parameter and the clearness index for the site concerned.