Solar Tracking

Nature did it first: Numerous plants, like the sunfl ower for example, orient themselves towards the sun during the course of a day. It is a simple, but brilliant principle that can be applied perfectly to optimizing efficiency in solar energy systems. The reason: Photovoltaic modules that follow the sun’s path capture a higher amount of energy and therefore produce decidedly more power than modules in a fixed installation.

DEGERenergie- Solar Tracking Systems

Higher efficiency with intelligent tracking

Even though photovoltaic modules’ efficiency factor has been improved considerably over the last few years, the physical ceiling has essentially been reached. A genuine leap in a systems' efficiency can only be achieved by intelligent tracking. Only then can more energy be generated no matter which modules are used.

This is best demonstrated with an example. The Spanish solar park operator Picanda Solar has been comparing the yields of its photovoltaic systems for years. The results showed that the fixed module installations yielded about 1,500 kWh/kWp – identical modules that tracked with DEGERtracker 5000NT achieved 2,200 kWh/kWp. That is a yield improvement of 46 percent.

When compared to astronomically-guided dual-axis tracking systems, the DEGERtrackers enjoy a clear advantage. The Zentrum für Sonnenenergie und Wasserstoff-Forschung (ZSW) [=Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research] calculated an increase of around 27 percent for astronomically-guided systems over fixed systems in European latitudes. DEGERtracker's yield in conjunction with the Maximum Light Detection Technology (MLD) shows an average global increase of up to 45 percent over fixed systems. Depending on the location, the yields can be even higher.