POW 3 PART 1: Research and Calculations

You will complete all your work in this document, preferably with a partner (1 other person). Use non-bold text to answer the
questions. Insert diagrams and excel graphs where indicated. Have fun learning about solar panels and applying what you know
about trig/mathematics!
PROBLEM:
What is the optimal combination of azimuth and tilt to maximize solar gain (kWh per year) from a 5kW photovoltaic
system in La Plata County, Colorado?
RESEARCH (10 pts)
Do some research on photovoltaic systems using the NREL site and other sites as indicated. List your sources. Define/explain the
following terms: You may directly quote the NREL site, but please indicate this in your definitions, i.e. According to NREL, the tilt is
..
What are
Photovoltaic cells is a specialized semiconductor diode that converts visible
photovoltaic cells light into direct current.
(i.e. solar panel
cells)? Briefly
describe how
they work.
SOURCE FOR
https://www.google.com/search?q=What+are+photovoltaic+cells&oq=What+are+photovoltaic+cells&aqs=chro
ABOVE INFO:
me..69i57j0l5.1697j0j7&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8
What is NREL?
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), located in Golden,
Colorado, is the United States' primary laboratory for renewable energy and
energy efficiency research and development.

What is the
PVWatts
Calcuator by

Estimates the energy production and cost of energy of grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) energy systems
throughout the world. It allows homeowners, small building owners, installers and manufacturers to easily
develop estimates of the performance of potential PV installations.

NREL? What
does it do?
SOURCE FOR
http://pvwatts.nrel.gov/pvwatts.php
NREL INFO:
Define/explain the different SYSTEM INFO settings for the PVWatts Calculator (1-5 sentences for each, use more if needed and
include diagrams if needed):
System Size
The DC system size is the direct current power rating of the photovoltaic array in kilowatts at standard test
conditions. PVWatts can model any size of array, from residential rooftop systems to large ground-mounted
power generation systems.
Module Type
The module type describes the photovoltaic modules in the array. If you do not have information about the
modules in the system, use the default Standard module type. Otherwise, you can use the nominal module
efficiency, cell material, and temperature coefficient from the module data sheet to choose the module type.
Array Type
The array type describes whether the PV modules in the array are fixed, or whether they move to track the
movement of the sun across the sky with one or two axes of rotation.
System Losses

The system losses account for you would expect in a real system that are not explicitly calculated by model
equations.

System Loss
Categories (List)

Soiling, Shading, Snow, Mismatch, Wiring, Connections, Light Induced Degradation, Nameplate Rating, Age and
Availability.

Tilt * MOST
IMPORTANT!

The tilt angle is the angle from horizontal of the photovoltaic modules in the array. For a fixed array, the tilt
angle is the angle from horizontal of the array where 0 = horizontal, and 90 = vertical. For arrays with one-axis
tracking, the tilt angle is the angle from horizontal of the tracking axis. The tilt angle does not apply to arrays
with two-axis tracking.

Azimuth What
is it? Hows it
relate to true
North? *MOST
IMPORTANT!

For a fixed array, the azimuth angle is the angle clockwise from true north describing the direction that the

DC to AC Size
Ratio

The DC to AC size ratio is the ratio of the inverter's AC rated size to the array's DC rated size. Increasing the ratio

array faces. An azimuth angle of 180 is for a south-facing array, and an azimuth angle of zero degrees is for a
north-facing array.

increases the system's output over the year, but also increases the array's cost. The default value is 1.10, which
means that a 4 kW system size would be for an array with a 4 DC kW nameplate size at standard test conditions
and an inverter with a 3.63 AC kW nameplate size.

Inverter
Efficiency

The inverter's nominal rated DC-to-AC conversion efficiency, defined as the inverter's rated AC power output
divided by its rated DC power output. The default value is 96%.

SYSTEM PARAMETERS TO INPUT:

DC System Size (kW):
5
Module Type:
Standard
Array Type:
Fixed Roof Mount
System Losses (%):
18
*We will vary Tilt and Azimuth below and look at how this affects kWh per year output from the PV system by graphing the results
we find.*

PLAYING WITH TILT (10 pts)

o o
o
o
o
o
Step 1: Choose an azimuth to test: 45
, 90
, 180
, 225
, 270
, 315

Which azimuth did you choose: ____135___________

Step 2: Vary the tilt of the solar panels according to the chart below and record the power output per year in the table below.
YOU MUST CALCULATE THE TILT USING TRIG. Explain your steps to determine the tilt given the pitch below, INCLUDE A
DIAGRAM.
Roof pitch as
rise/run
3/12
4/12
5/12
6/12
7/12
8/12
9/12
10/12
11/12
12/12

Tilt (degrees)
14
18.4
22.6
26.5
30.3
33.7
36.9
39.8
42.5
45

kWh per year output

for a given azimuth
7,999
8,177
8,313
8,418
8,492
8,534
8,557
8,572
8,572
8,562

Step 3: Graph the kWh per year output (y-axis) versus Tilt (x-axis) using Excel. Label your axes and scales. Use a line graph to
plot. Insert graph below.

Step 4: Answer this question. Based on this graph, what is the optimal tilt (max kWh per year) for this azimuth?
The max kWh per year, based on the graph, was (36.9, 8557).
PLAYING WITH AZIMUTH (10 pts)

Step 1: Choose a tilt to test from the table above.

Tilt Kept Constant at: ___20____________
Step 2: Vary the tilt of the solar panels according to the chart below and record the power output per year in the table below.
Azimuth
0
45
90
135
180
225
270
315

kWh per year output

for a given azimuth
4,594
5,232
6,222
6,907
7,074
6,695
5,922
4,995

Step 3: Graph the kWh per year output (y-axis) versus Azimuth (x-axis) using Excel. Label your axes and scales. Use a line graph
to plot. Insert graph below.

Step 4: Answer this question. Based on this graph, what is the optimal azimuth (max kWh per year) for this tilt?
The max kWh per year, based on the graph, was point (180, 7074).
CONCLUSIONS: Based on the above calculations, what do you think the optimal combination of azimuth and tilt is for optimizing
kWh per year output from a 5kW PV system in La Plata County? How can you test this?
We found that based on the calculations, the optimal of azimuth and the tilt is for optimizing kWh per year output from 5kW PV
system in the La Plata County will change by changing the azimuth and keeping the tilt the same, there was a change in the kWh per
year output. In the graph above we set the azimuth at 135 then changed the azimuth to 180 showing that the kWh per year output
was different.