DESENVOLVIMENTO E ANÁLISE DO GANHO ENERGÉTICO LÍQUIDO DE UM RASTREADOR SOLAR DE EIXO ÚNICO CONECTADO A REDE ELÉTRICA

Abstract

In recent years, photovoltaic generation systems have gained important prominence in the Brazilian energy matrix. In these systems, energy conversion is carried out by modules that are installed in fixed structures with an angle varying according to the latitude of its location. Despite the constant growth of solar photovoltaic energy, the main impairment for solar modules is the low conversion efficiency. In this respect, solar tracking systems - which are automated mechanisms capable of following the path of the Sun throughout the day - can be used as an alternative to increase the efficiency of the modules. This work evaluates the performance of two equivalent photovoltaic modules under the same climatic conditions, one of them installed in a conventional way (fixed) and the other installed in a single-axis solar tracker. The modules were connected to a Hoymiles on-grid microinverter, which injects the power generated from both modules into the local electrical grid. The objective of the research is to analyze the net gain of the solar tracker compared to the fixed system.  For this, the system is equipped with a digital wattmeter that measures the energy consumption of the control system and actuator. To evaluate the results, three days under different weather conditions were chosen: a sunny day; a partially cloudy day, that is, with sporadic passages of clouds; and a completely cloudy day. The solar tracker showed a net gain of 22.81% and 10.64% for sunny and partially cloudy days, respectively. However, it presented an inferior performance for the totally cloudy day. The average net gain of the solar tracker for the total period of analysis (from July 15th to August 4th, 2021) was 17.94%.