The Angle Of Solar Panel Inclination For Maximum Output

ABSTRACT

A study to determine the angle of inclination for installing photovoltaic solar panels in Ogun State has been conducted. The study determined the optimum monthly angle of inclination of PV solar panels and the seasonal adjustments needed for the panels in order to collect maximum solar radiation throughout the year. The solar panel was first mounted at 0^o to the horizontal and after ten minutes, the voltage and current generated with the corresponding atmospheric temperature were recorded. The same procedure was repeated for 2^o to 30^o at a succession of 2^o at ten minutes time interval over the entire measurement period. The result obtained shows that the average optimal tilt angle at which a solar panel will be mounted for maximum power performance at fixed position in Ogun is 22^o. This optimum angle of inclination of the solar panel and the orientation are dependent on the month of the year and the location of the site of study.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

COVER PAGE

TITLE PAGE

APPROVAL PAGE

DEDICATION

ACKNOWELDGEMENT

ABSTRACT

CHAPTER ONE

• INTRODUCTION
• BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT
• PROBLEM STATEMENT
• OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT
• IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY
• SCOPE OF THE PROJECT
• RESEARCH QUESTION
• PROJECT ORGANISATION

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

• OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
• OVERVIEW OF SOLAR ENERGY
• MAXIMIUM ANGLE OF INCLINATION
• SOLAR PANEL
• HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF SOLAR PANEL

CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

• INTRODUCTION
• AREA OF THE STUDY
• MATERIALS USED
• METHOD USED

CHAPTER FOUR

• RESULT AND CONCLUSION

CHAPTER FIVE

• CONCLUSION
• RECOMMENDATION
• REFERENCES

CHAPTER ONE

1.0                                                        INTRODUCTION

1.1                                           BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Non-renewable energy sources, such as fossil fuel, have been the major source of energy in many countries, including Nigeria. But because of the problems associated with the use of these non renewable energy sources, there is a need for alternative energy sources that are sustainable and nonpolluting. Kalogirou [S. A. Kalogirou, 2004] observed that solar energy offers one of the best solutions to the problem of climate change. It also offers the possibility of reducing high demand for grid electricity and shortage of cooking and heating energy in rural and poor-urban households [D. H. W. Li, 2007]. Madhlopa [A. Madhlopa, 2006] further observed that Nigeria has abundant solar radiation for most of the year.

There are several ways in which solar energy is being used, either directly or indirectly [4]. For direct usage, solar energy can be used as thermal energy or indirectly by converting it into electrical energy using photovoltaic systems. For larger, utility-scale applications, solar energy can feed vast photovoltaic (PV) solar panel farms or can be concentrated to vaporize fluids or to run heat engines [P. Roth, 2005]. Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels are used to convert solar radiation directly into electricity. Among the many renewable energy alternatives, solar energy remains one of the most well-known and adaptable methods for producing heat and electricity [S. A. Kalogirou, 2004]. The conversion of solar energy into electricity by the solar panels is affected by, amongst other factors, absorption and scattering of direct solar radiation (DSR) by the atmosphere, angle of inclination of the PV solar panels, declination, and efficiency of the PV solar panels [Bosshard, 2006].

Solar energy is abundant in Nigeria though locally measured data is not available for most locations. Internationally available remote sensed databases, however, provide sufficient data for most design purposes. The solar energy resource in Nigeria is thus well within the limits normally considered to represent technical and commercial exploitability [C. Tenthani, 2011]. Despite this, there have been many projects on photovoltaic systems in Nigeria that have not succeeded [J. S. Fonash, 2010]. This is partly because these systems are not competitive on the energy market that is dominated by fossil fuel. These photovoltaic systems have high capital cost and modest conversion efficiency and suffer from the intermittency of solar radiation. Fonash [J. S. Fonash, 2010] argues that to increase the use of terrestrial solar photovoltaic energy, more efforts are needed to enhance cell energy-conversion efficiency, increase module lifetime, reduce manufacturing costs, reduce installation costs, and reduce the environmental impact of manufacturing and deploying solar cells. The development of new technologies with higher conversion efficiencies is one of the key requirements for enabling the deployment of photovoltaic systems at a large scale. High conversion efficiency of photovoltaic systems largely depends on how the direct solar radiation (DSR) is incident of the PV solar panels (angle of inclination of the panels), latitude, and the day of the year. The latitude and the day of the year are factors which cannot be changed depending on the location. The efficiency of solar panels to convert the DSR to electrical energy thus largely depends on its angle of inclination.

The optimum  angle of inclination of solar collectors such as PV solar panels is important for conversion of solar radiation into heat or electricity [E. J. Mahdi, 2011]. The best way to achieve the optimum angle is by using a tracking system. Tracking systems are usually expensive, need energy input for their operation, and cannot easily be made applicable to solar collectors such as PV systems [J. M. Ahmad, 2009]. It is for this reason that fixed PV systems are usually used.

There are recommended angles of solar panels that are based on the sun’s movement throughout the year that depends on the latitude of the location. In some cases, seasonal adjustments to the angle of inclination may be necessary depending on the location of the area. Such information on the optimum angles of inclination is normally based on data of the global solar radiation (GSR) for that particular area that is measured on tilted surfaces. Unfortunately for Nigeria, such data is not available and all the installed solar panels have tilt angles based on the theoretical angle. Thus there is always a need to determine the maximium angles of inclination for various cities in Ogun state of Nigeria which is the aim of this work.

1.2                                                  PROBLEM STATEMENT

Solar panels or PV arrays are inefficient, when they are not perpendicular to the sun’s rays and this affects their output power. To solve this problem there is need to consider and determine the angle of inclination of a particular environment before mounting solar panel which is the purpose of the study.

1.3                                  AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

For maximium output of solar panel, roof-mounted solar energy system should be at an angle that is equal to the latitude of the location where it is installed. The main aim of this work is to determine angle of inclination of PV solar panels in Ogun state. In this study, the optimum angle of inclination for PV solar panels in Ogun State was investigated. The study also determined the seasonal adjustments for the fixed PV solar panels that are needed for the panels to receive maximum solar radiation throughout the year.

1.4                                            IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY

The determination of angle of inclination of panels is important because your panels will produce a maximum of energy when the sun is directly perpendicular to them. During the winter in the northern hemisphere, for example, the sun is low in relation to the horizon.

1.5                                                 SCOPE OF THE PROJECT

There are many factors that affect the performance of your solar energy system, including how sunny it is where you live, which way your house faces, and even the pitch of your roof.

Ideally, a fixed, roof-mounted solar energy system should be at an angle that is equal to the latitude of the location where it is installed. However, angles between 30 and 45 degrees will work well in most situations. Overall, the angle of your rooftop has less impact on solar panel performance than the direction your roof faces.

1.6                                                   RESEARCH QUESTION

1. How does angle affect solar panels?
2. What should be the angle of solar panel in ogun state?

• How important is solar panel angle?

1.7                                                         PROJECT ORGANISATION

The work is organized as follows: chapter one discuses the introductory part of the work,   chapter two presents the literature review of the study,  chapter three describes the methods applied,  chapter four discusses the results of the work, chapter five summarizes the research outcomes and the recommendations.