Choose solar trackers: HSAT, VSAT, or AADAT?

Fig. 1: HSAT and VSAT.

Energy3D now supports three major types of solar trackers: Horizontal single-axis trackers (HSAT), vertical single-axis trackers (VSAT), and altazimuth dual-axis trackers (AADAT). I have blogged about HSAT and AADAT earlier. Figure 1 shows the difference between HSAT and VSAT.

With all these options, which should we choose? The decision is based on the additional output of the solar panels, the space required to operate the system, and, of course, the cost of the tracking system. For instance, AADAT may be more complex as it rotates around two perpendicular axes. Space is always an important constraint and it is even more so for large solar farms considering the issue of inter-panel shading. Fixed arrays and HSAT systems may be more efficient in space usage if the inter-row shading is not significant.

Fig. 2 Energy3D predictions of annual outputs.

Let's first compare the annual output of a single solar panel under different conditions, as shown in Figure 2 and summarized in Table 1, calculated using Energy3D.

Table 1. Comparison of total annual outputs of a solar panel that has a fixed tilt angle equal to its latitude, a solar panel that is rotated by a HSAT, a solar panel that is rotated by a VSAT, and a solar panel that is rotated by an AADAT, at four different locations in the US. The unit is kWh.

Locations	Fixed (tilt=lat.)	HSAT	VSAT	AADAT
Boston, MA	428	520	559	603
Anchorage, AK	258	310	371	380
Miami, FL	507	654	617	711
San Juan, PR	523	694	617	738

 
These results suggest that the AADAT system, not surprisingly, generates the most electricity throughout the year at all four locations, as it always faces the sun. The second best, for low-latitude locations, is the HSAT system and, for high-latitude locations, is the VSAT system. In the case of HSAT, the lower the latitude, the closer the performance of the HSAT approaches that of the AADAT. In the case of VSAT, the higher the latitude, the closer the performance of the VSAT approaches that of the AADAT. This means that, considering the cost factor, HSAT at a very low latitude such as the equator is a better choice than AADAT and VSAT at a very high latitude such as Alaska is a better choice than AADAT.

Fig. 3 Optimal layout through heat map tessellation. 

The above analysis is based on a single, isolated solar panel. For arrays of panels, we must consider the shading area each panel sweeps when it is driven by a tracker. Energy3D's heat map visualization of solar irradiance may be a useful tool for designing optimal layouts for VSAT or AADAT panels that cannot be seamlessly aligned into rows such is in the case of HSAT arrays. From a mathematical point of view, an optimal layout must minimize land use. Hence, it can be imagined as a tessellation of effective shade area of individual panels (Figure 3). This may be something interesting to think about.