Idea for a tilting solar panel.

I suggest you perform an experiment with a panel and see what power you get from it at different angles to the sun.
If you do that, please report your findings. I'd be interested to know if it 'maxes-out' before being perpendicular to the sun or not, then the power comparison at 10° intervals.
 
There are sites for PV harvest estimators. You simply put the relevant data in, and calculates the energy harvested. Much simpler than spend out for a experiment. I use PV output EU and is spot on. There is PV org, and other sites, where you can see installations live and compare.
A tracker is good when the sun is out. When overcast, the panel pointing directly to the sky, produces the most, due to reflections and albedo light. I have mentioned here before, if you want to improve harvest on fixed panel, then you need hybrid, tuned to a wider spectrum of light.
But no doubt, trackers have they benefit to, just make your homework to see if is right for you.
 
The reason that I would prefer to experiment is that I'd get practical experience rather than a theoretical result. I could also determine the effect of different lighting conditions (sun-set/rise and overcast vs clear sky). There are so many additional parameters to consider in the equation than just the angle of the sun.
I did the (mathematical) theory a long time ago and tracking panels seemed the way to go (ignoring costs).
I also did a few rough experiments. Since then, panel technologies have changed (or the marketing claims have become more optimistic) and it may be that some panel types have become much better at capturing energy from a non-perpendicular source.
I did ask the Centre of Advanced Technology (somewhere in Wales) what they knew about the effect of angle of incidence on a panel. In spite of the number of years they had been investigating solar energy, they did not know. They were, however, pretty swift to invite me to fund an experiment!
I've just had a brief look at some sites to see what's out on the web at the moment. First I had to battle through a mass of sites trying to sell systems before finding some offering information (but I'm used to that). Sadly, I lost enthusiasm when the reports I found had no date to indicate at what time in history they were written and contained spelling mistakes on their first page...
 
Top PV manufacturers have always led the way in R&D, some like LG, Panasonic, Jinco, Trina, etc. Have used innovative technologies to improve harvest and efficiency. Each came with different things and as time goes by, it seems to get better. The technology for mass market has reached 20-21% module efficiency already. With 25% at cell level. Ten years back, this was unheard of and such efficiency was only available for space market. Now you can get a panel 1m by 1,7m that produces at least 370w. Many are tuned for specific advantages, “first solar“ does CIGS for low light, LG for space saving, Panasonic for mixed irradiation, certain models of course. Then you got PERC, low iron glass, ARC, PID, low temp coef. And they did think of those panels that are installed at less than optimum angle. So they came up with a glass that’s not flat, the light bounces towards the cell even at a low angle. The photons change angle as soon as they hit the glass. This has been adopted by most PV manufactures, less the budget ones. If you want to put a bit of time in, read about PV and se the amazing leap we had in the last ten years. Once you document yourself a bit, you will realise the mistakes some do in respect of choosing the right gear for solar energy harvest.
 
  • Informative
Reactions: two
the1andonly said:
the cost power wise of monitoring / moving the system
Click to expand...

I'd take a guess at 5A for 5 seconds once an hour. Nothing really.

Twice a day maybe 30 seconds to and from parking.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
For OP
For a very simple system of just tilting 3 positions i used the data available on the net and 2 apps to create this table
Angle of Panel
latitude Summer Spring Autum Winter
50.8 Portsmouth 21.7 46.7 68.5
52.2 Northampton 23.5 48.7 70.5
55.0 Newcastle 26.3 51.6 73
57.1 Aberdeen 28.1 53.6 74.7
58.0 Stornaway 29.1 54.5 75.6
43.0 south of france 15.3 39.8 62.3
38.7 Lisbon 10 34 57
these are from averaged values across a season
what can be seen: if you set at Northampton you will only ever be 5 degrees from optimum anywhare in Mainland GB. 5 manual settings is the most you'll need.
The vertical tilt is the easiest of the orientations to achieve.
Rotationaly a lazy suesan is a simple approach but i couldn't suss a simple mechanical control.
When i started looking at the shaowing effect of a moving panel on adjacent panel area i jacked in the idea and bought a 330W panel 1.6 x1m . best use of space.
 
Last edited:
A clear blue sky isn't good for charging if the sun isn't hitting the panel, the next best sky after full sun is a bright white overcast. Suppose it's like the sun's diffuser ?
 
eddievanbitz said:
OK So, the "yield" apparently is, on average five times that of a conventional flat mounted 100w panel.

This is because the Phenix 100w panel is in a polar axis, which means that the surface spins on an axis facing south and is tilted at an angle equal to latitude.

The rotation is adjusted so that the with the terrestrial meridian containing the sun's speed is 15 ° per hour,

What this means in real terms is that, I could sit outside the van (don't have one on my current camper) and at Sunset the 100w solar panel would be at a right angle to the roof of the motorhome, as the sun is sliding down over the horizon, still working, prior to automatically returning itself to its park position.

It will be working as efficiently as a conventional panel is at midday, from first thing in the morning till Sunset.

Nothing to do with marketing material.

However, the clever man that designed the automatic solar charging system, a system that is changing its elevation and its direction hourly, all day long, for maximum efficiency, knowing when to put itself to bed when the sun goes, is French and is, like me in lockdown.

But, if any one has a question about his statement that on average a tracking panel will produce on average five times more power than the same 100w panel flat mounted I am happy to put them to him for a response if it is a mathematically based question, questioning the maths, rather than a "I ain't got one, I can't afford one, it's rubbish" type of question :cheers:

My company installs them, we didn't and couldn't design one, and frankly trigonometry was my Nemesis in mathematics, I struggled with the concept even using a calculator at School
Click to expand...
I think something has been lost in translation. :) Over say a twelve hour day in summer a tracking solar panel will generate about 50% more power than a fixed horizontal panel.
Where you could get five times more power would be in the depths of winter when a tracking panel would follow the low sun and collect whatever energy was available. A flat panel would generate even at noon probably less than half what a panel facing the sun could and this wouldn't last very long.
So, the five times is probably true but only I think in winter. In summer there will be a benefit but it won't be so marked. The explanation needs a diagram which I can't draw. :) But if you imagine a sine curve going up and then back down, like the arch of a bridge, this is the theoretical power curve you could harvest from a fixed panel. A tracking panel could generate over the same period power equal to the top of the curve, assuming the sun is overhead at noon, for the whole day. The difference in power is the difference between the area under the curve and the area under the flat line. It's about 50% more. The big difference comes in winter when the flat line might be double the peak of the sine curve. This is when the five times claim is probably correct. Of course the amount of power harvested will still be less than in summer because the sun is shining through more atmosphere.
 
So many theories

However, I guarantee that at 07.00 when the Phenix is perpendicular to the Sun it is charging at a much higher rate than the same size conventionally mounted panel next to it

Depending on how long the lock down goes on for, if I get bored enough, I will set up a 100w panel and see what it produces first thing in the morning and take a reading say at 19:00 adjacent to the Phenix on the Van Bitz exhibition unit.

Once I have finished the decorating, the gardening and all the other jobs that my wife has decided that it would be "nice" to get done together!

As I have repeatedly said, multiple panels is a much better, much cheaper option which is why I have 3 x 150w panels on my camper, but, if your roof space is limited and you really want solar (no one "needs" solar) it is an option that people take and have always been pleased with
 
eddievanbitz said:
So many theories

However, I guarantee that at 07.00 when the Phenix is perpendicular to the Sun it is charging at a much higher rate than the same size conventionally mounted panel next to it

Depending on how long the lock down goes on for, if I get bored enough, I will set up a 100w panel and see what it produces first thing in the morning and take a reading say at 19:00 adjacent to the Phenix on the Van Bitz exhibition unit.

Once I have finished the decorating, the gardening and all the other jobs that my wife has decided that it would be "nice" to get done together!

As I have repeatedly said, multiple panels is a much better, much cheaper option which is why I have 3 x 150w panels on my camper, but, if your roof space is limited and you really want solar (no one "needs" solar) it is an option that people take and have always been pleased with
Click to expand...
The theoretical maximum advantage, based on geometry of a tracking panel over a flat one, assuming the sun goes overhead at noon, is Pi/2 or 3.14/2 which is about 1.5 hence the 50% figure I suggested. Apart from geometry the power will fall off at the start and end of the day because the sun is shining through more of the atmosphere but I think both types of panel would be equally impacted so the difference should balance out. A flat panel I suspect also doesn't perform as well when the light falls on it at an angle, if only because it will be travelling through more glass.

I agree more panels is the simplest answer if you have the roof space but I can see the Phenix being useful for some customers.

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Dbk While you got your trig head on ( not that im suggesting youre worzel gummage)
What are the implications of a fixed inclined panel. (At best selected elevation one per day).
 
Gaffa tape the solar panel to your sat dish and set it on self locate and the sun as the location, self tracking and no need to move the van or dig holes !

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
Oldbob said:
Gaffa tape the solar panel to your sat dish and set it on self locate and the sun as the location, self tracking and no need to move the van or dig holes !
Click to expand...
Great idea?? Sadly all of the legal satellites are East of South, so your panel would face North
 
Oldbob said:
With your engineering wizardry, more gaffa tape, a squirt of tiger seal and a bent coat hanger am sure you could make it fit ::bigsmile:
Click to expand...
There you go, already done it ??

1586939835165.jpeg

Subscribers  do not see these advertisements

 
This picture by the way is my Sons camper, not the Exhibition unit
 

Join us or log in to post a reply.

To join in you must be a member of MotorhomeFun

Join MotorhomeFun

Join us, it quick and easy!

Join us

Log in

Already a member? Log in here.

Latest journal entries

Back
Top