Issue with solar tracking model

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#1

Hello guys, I’m facing some problems while trying to running solar PV simulations with 2-axis tracking.

Weirdly, I’m getting the same capacity factor results while running simulations with 2-axis tracking and without tracking (for coordinates LAT : -22,9483 LON : -67,4725 )

In addition, for LAT: 10,3906 LON : -86,6169, the mean capacity factor is, indeed, different. But looking at the daily profile, it looks like the 2-axis tracking profile is not “squared” enough, I mean, it is very similar to the simulation without tracking, and I would expect that the curves were much more different (please, see figure below). All simulations were ran with tilt angle = 0.

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Is there any explanation for this?

Thanks in advance,
Taina

#2

Hi Taina,

I have run a couple of trials and wonder if this is down to how high the solar insolation is at your location? A 2-axis tracker yields a very rounded daily profile in the UK (see the top chart). But, a 2-axis tracker in northern Australia looks more squared off.


UK average diurnal profile during July:

image




Australian average diurnal profile during January:

image



Does that help explain what you’re seeing? I wonder if using the 0 degree tilt would make the effect stronger for you?

Kind regards,
Iain

#3

Hi Iain, thanks for the fast reply

I’m not sure if it depends on the solar insolation, because, in my experience, solar plants with 2-axis tracking generate output profiles with clearly squared forms.

So I was testing your PV API (github.com/renewables-ninja/gsee) and got different results for 2-axis tracking for the same coordinates LAT: 10,3906 LON : -86,6169 (see figure below)

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This result totally make sense to me. But now I can’t understand the difference between the API and the result from the main interface (https://www.renewables.ninja/).

Could you help me with that, please?

Thanks!