Energy Output Increase by Using a Periodic Orientation System for Fixed Photovoltaic Panels

Abstract

The orientation of the photovoltaic panels is one of the main possibilities to increase the amount of solar radiation on the photovoltaic (PV) panels’s surface. These orientation systems usually can track the sun’s position on one or two axis in a permanent manner throughout the entire day. However, such systems are quite expensive and another possibility is to implement a periodic orientation system which allows the manual adjustment of the PV panel’s tilt angle according to an optimum value determined for a certain time interval, like monthly, seasonal or biannual. This paper aims to investigate the efficiency of a such periodic orientation system in terms of energy output gains and compare it with the gains obtained by using a permanent orientation system on one and two axis.