Fixed Solar Panels Vs Tracking

Advantages of fixed mounts over trackers include the following.

Fixed solar panels vs tracking.

The roi of a pv tracker vs. An additional 20 of acreage for tracking systems is a good rule of thumb for checking the economics. When solar trackers are coupled with solar panels the panels can follow the path of the sun and produce more renewable energy for you to use. Solar trackers are usually paired with ground mount solar systems but recently rooftop mounted trackers have come onto the.

Residential and small capacity commercial or industrial rooftop solar panels and solar water heater panels are usually fixed often flush mounted on an appropriately facing pitched roof. Typically fixed tilt systems require 4 5 acres per megawatt while tracking systems need 4 7 acres per megawatt. Compared to a fixed mount the additional cost per watt or premium to track is 1 33 per watt 2 24 0 91. Fixed tracking systems offer more field adjustability than single axis tracking systems.

Lastly tracking systems are more expensive to maintain over the 25 year life of a system. Fixed pv systems when it comes to cost the difference between fixed solar whether it be roof or ground mount and solar tracker systems generally comes down to whether you want to spend less money up front or save considerably more over the life system. Trackers increase the production of a site by more than 15 to 25 over fixed tilt. Possible types of installation can be shown on the picture.

In a fixed form their efficiency is low since the panels will be tilted in a particular angle whereas in a tracking system the panel is made to move either in single axis or dual axis. Fixed rack system 3 vs tracked system 4 cost breakdown the tracking price is 2 24 per dc watt. In a world of rapidly decreasing prices for solar ppas increased power production is critical in helping project owners achieve a viable roi. This research is an empirical financial assessment of the benefit of using a dual axis sun tracker versus a fixed flat position as well as a comparison of the performance of the two panels under such settings.

That increases the installed cost for a tracked pv system from 8 63 to 9 96 per dc watt. The maximum output of the panels is achieved when the panels are perpendicular to the sun s rays. A solar tracker is a device that follows the sun as it moves across the sky.