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BAICSEM 2020 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 613 (2020) 012092 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/613/1/012092

Improving the energy efficiency of using solar panels

G V Nikitenko1, E V Konoplev1, V K Salpagarov1, I V Danchenko2 and G V

Masyutina2
1
Stavropol State Agrarian University, 12 Zootechnicheskiy Ln. Stavropol, Russian
Federation
2
North-Caucasus Federal University, 56 ave. 40 let Oktyabrya, Pyatigorsk, Russian
Federation

E-mail: konoplev82@mail.ru

Abstract. The article describes a method for increasing the efficiency of using solar panels when
using a two-axis system for tracking the sun. A mathematical model of solar panel operation has
been developed for the following applications: stationary installation of solar panels and the use
of a two-axis solar tracker. The solar tracker has the ability to rotate the solar panel by the
azimuth angle from 0 to 170 degrees, by the Zenith angle from 0 to 90 degrees. The paper
presents a method for calculating power generation by solar panels using a solar tracker and a
variant of stationary installation of solar panels. Plots of the PV panel as a function of time at
stationary position of the solar panels and using a solar tracker. As a result of mathematical
modeling, when using a solar tracker, compared with a stationary installation of a solar panel,
electricity generation increases by 89.9% on the example of June 22, and by the example of
December 22, the increase in electricity generation is 19.6 %. Using a solar tracker during the
year increases the efficiency of electricity generation by solar panels by an average of 45-55%.
Data on azimuth angles of sunrise and sunset, as well as the Zenith angle depending on the time
of day for the 22nd day of each month are given in the table below. The results obtained are
presented for coordinates: 45 degrees 3 minutes North latitude 41 degrees 59 minutes East
longitude, which corresponds to the locality of the city of Stavropol in the Russian Federation.

1. Introduction
To increase the energy efficiency of using a solar panel, it is assumed to use a two- axis system for
tracking the sun [1–5, 6–9].
Let's present a mathematical model of how solar panels work for the following applications:
stationary installation of solar panels and the use of a two- axis solar tracker.
Data on azimuthal angles of sunrise and sunset, as well as the Zenith angle depending on the time of
day for the 22nd day of each month are given in the table below. Data is given for coordinates 45 degrees
3 minutes North latitude 41 degrees 59 minutes East longitude.

Table 1. Azimuth and Zenith angle of the sun depending on the time of day.
Time of day 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
January 79 90 100 110 121 132 145 159 174 189 204 218 230 242 252 262 272
-39 -28 -18 -8 2 10 17 22 25 25 22 16 9 0 -10 -20 -31
February 70 82 93 103 114 126 140 155 172 190 207 222 236 247 258 269 280

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BAICSEM 2020 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 613 (2020) 012092 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/613/1/012092

-33 -22 -12 -1 9 18 26 31 34 34 31 25 17 7 -3 -13 -24

Martha 64 75 86 97 108 121 135 153 173 194 214 230 244 256 267 278 289
-23 -14 -3 7 18 27 36 42 45 44 40 33 24 14 4 -7 -17
April's 58 69 80 90 101 114 130 150 175 202 224 241 255 266 277 287 298
-13 -4 7 17 28 38 47 54 57 55 50 41 31 21 10 0 -10
May 53 64 74 84 94 107 122 145 175 207 232 249 262 273 283 293 304
-6 3 13 23 34 44 54 61 65 63 56 47 37 26 16 6 -4
June's 50 61 71 80 91 102 117 139 171 207 234 251 264 275 285 295 305
-4 4 14 24 35 45 55 64 68 66 59 50 40 29 19 9 0
July's 51 62 72 82 93 104 119 140 170 203 229 247 260 271 282 292 302
-7 1 11 21 32 42 52 60 65 64 58 49 39 28 17 7 -2
Aug 57 68 79 89 100 113 128 148 173 200 222 240 254 265 276 286 297
-14 -4 6 16 27 37 46 53 57 56 50 42 32 22 11 1 -9
September 66 78 89 99 111 124 139 157 178 199 218 234 247 259 269 280 292
-21 -11 -1 10 20 30 38 43 45 44 39 31 22 12 1 -9 -19
Oct 77 88 98 109 120 133 147 163 181 198 215 229 241 252 263 273 285
-28 -18 -7 3 13 21 28 33 34 32 28 20 12 2 -8 -19 -29
November 84 95 105 115 126 137 151 165 181 196 210 223 235 246 256 266 277
-35 -24 -14 -4 5 13 20 24 25 23 19 13 5 -4 -14 -25 -35
December's 85 96 105 115 125 137 149 162 177 192 206 219 231 241 251 261 271
-39 -29 -18 -8 1 9 15 20 21 20 17 11 4 -5 -15 -25 -35

Table 1 shows that the maximum azimuth angle of sunrise for the selected point of installation of the
solar generator is 61, sunset – 305. The minimum Zenith angle corresponding to the month of
December is 21, and the maximum Zenith angle (June) is 68.
Based on the analysis of the data in table 1, when stationary solar panels are installed for year-round
operation, the optimal azimuth angle is 183°, the Zenith angle is 44.5°.
Light day in June is 16 hours, light day in December – 9 hours.
The average daily installation of solar energy is shown in table 2.

Table 2. Average daily value of solar energy installation per surface unit.
Month Solar insolation, kWh/m2
January 2.90
February 3.37
March 3.75
April 4.55
May 5.60
June 5.85
July 6.09
August 5.49
September 4.56
October 3.56
November 2.62
December 2.25
Average per year 4.22

The table shows that the average daily installation per surface unit for July is 6.09 kWh/m2, the
minimum value corresponds to December and is 2.25 kWh/m2.

2
BAICSEM 2020 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 613 (2020) 012092 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/613/1/012092

2. Materials and methods

The power of the solar panel as a function of time is determined from the expression
𝑃𝑠𝑝 (𝑡) = 𝑃𝑖𝑛 (𝑡)𝜂𝑠𝑝 − 𝑃𝑝𝑜𝑡 (𝑡) (1)
2
where 𝑃𝑠𝑝 (𝑡) - solar installation capacity, W/m ;
𝑃𝑖𝑛 (𝑡) – solar radiation installation, W/m2;
𝜂𝑠𝑝 - efficiency of the solar panel;
𝑃𝑝𝑜𝑡 (𝑡) - power loss of the solar installation, W/m2.
The power loss of a solar installation depends on the angle of deviation from the normal to the solar
panel and is determined by
𝑃𝑝𝑜𝑡 (𝑡) = 𝑃𝑖𝑛 (𝑡)𝜂𝑠𝑝 (1 − 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝛾) (2)
where cosγ - the cosine of the angle of deviation from the normal to the solar panel.
The angle of deviation from the normal to the solar panel is determined
𝛾 = √𝛼 2 + 𝛽2 (3)
where 𝛼 - angle of deviation from the normal to the solar panel in azimuth;
𝛽 – Zenith angle of deviation from the normal to the solar panel.
The angle of deviation from the normal to the solar panel by azimuth is determined
𝛼 = 𝛼𝑎𝑧 − 𝛼𝑧 (𝑡) (4)
where 𝛼𝑎𝑧 - azimuth angle of solar panel installation;
𝛼𝑧 (𝑡) - azimuth angle of the sun's position.
The Zenith angle of deviation from the normal to the solar panel can be found from the expression
𝛽 = 𝛽𝑧𝑢 − 𝛽𝑧 (𝑡) (5)
where 𝛽𝑧𝑢 - Zenith angle of solar panel installation;
𝛽𝑧 (𝑡) - Zenith angle of the sun's position.

3. Results and discussion

Delivering value power of solar installation by time and loss of solar installations over time in the
expression 1 will construct the graphs of the power solar panel as a function of time at stationary position
of the solar panels and using a solar tracker [10].
The solar tracker has the ability to rotate the solar panel at an azimuth angle from 0 to 170 degrees,
along the Zenith angle from 0 to 90 degrees.

3
BAICSEM 2020 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 613 (2020) 012092 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/613/1/012092

Figure 1. Power of the solar panel on June 22 with an area of 1 m2

depending on the time of day when installing the solar panel : 1 - on the
solar tracker; 2-Zenith angle 68, azimuth angle 183; 3-Zenith angle
44.5, azimuth angle 183.

Figure 2. Power of the solar panel on December 22 with an area of 1 m2

depending on the time of day when installing the solar panel: 1 - on the
solar tracker; 2-Zenith angle 21, azimuth angle 183; 3-Zenith angle
44.5, azimuth angle 183.

Based on the graphs in figures 2 and 3, it can be concluded that when using a solar tracker in
comparison with a stationary solar panel installation, electricity generation increases by 89.9% on the
example of June 22, and by 19.6% on the example of December 22. At the same time, for December 22,

4
BAICSEM 2020 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 613 (2020) 012092 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/613/1/012092

the Zenith angle was 21, for June 22. 68. The azimuth angle for both graphs is 183. Changing the
Zenith angle leads to a decrease in power generation by solar panels.
Using the solar tracker throughout the year, based on the analysis of graphical dependencies (figure.
1, 2) increases the efficiency of power generation by solar panels by an average of 45–55%.
To determine the effectiveness of using a solar tracker, a system for tracking the sun has been created.
The efficiency of using a solar tracker was compared to a stationary solar panel. The experiment to
determine the effectiveness was performed in June and December.
The solar tracker is shown in figure 3.

a b

4
5

Figure 3. Solar tracker.

Figure 3 a shows a view of a solar tracker with solar panels installed in the front, and figure3 b shows
a view from the back.
In a rigid frame, solar panels 1 are installed, the frame with solar panels is welded to a shaft mounted
in housing bearings 2, which allow changing the positions of the solar panels horizontally. The beam
with the installed housing bearings is attached by means of a loop 5 to the solar collector rack. Linear
drive 3 based on a DC motor connected via a reducer to the rod, one end is attached to the frame with
solar panels, the other to the outrigger part of the beam, which provides a controlled change in the
position of the solar panels horizontally. The linear drive 4 is attached to the rack and beam of the solar
collector, which provides a controlled change in the vertical position of the solar panels.
The sun position sensor is based on four photoresistors separated by partitions, which allows you to
position the solar tracker with sufficient accuracy.
The appearance of the experimental installation for determining the efficiency of using solar panels
with a solar tracking system is shown in figure 4.

5
BAICSEM 2020 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 613 (2020) 012092 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/613/1/012092

b
2

4
1

Figure 4. Experimental setup for determining the efficiency of using a solar tracker.

Figure 4 a shows the installation of solar panel 1 permanently for the month of June-Zenith angle
68. The solar panel 2 is installed on a solar tracker, tracking the position of the sun is performed using
the sun position sensor 4 and the control system 3. The sun position sensor itself is shown in figure 4 b
and consists of four photoresistors separated by opaque partitions. Depending on the dimming of a
particular photoresistor, the solar panel is positioned perpendicular to the sun.
To determine the increase in electric power generation by solar panels using a solar tracker, an
experiment was carried out, the results of which are shown in figure 5. The load was a 100-watt
incandescent lamp. 100 W solar panel.

Figure 5. Solar panel power over time for June 22, 2019: 1 - when using a solar
tracker, 2 - when installing a stationary solar panel.

6
BAICSEM 2020 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 613 (2020) 012092 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/613/1/012092

Figure 5 shows that the power generation of the solar panel installed on the tracker is significantly
higher than when it is installed permanently. For June 22, generation of electricity when using solar
tracker with one solar panel 100W amounted to 1160 Wh, with permanent installation, solar panel
electricity generation amounted to 655 Wh. Thus, the solar tracker allows you to increase the power
generation of a solar panel compared to its fixed installation by 76.9 %.
On June 22, 2019, there was clear Sunny weather, which allowed for a significant increase in
electricity generation when using a solar tracker.
If the weather is overcast or cloudy, the tracker's effectiveness is reduced. The use of a two-axis solar
tracker in summer allows an average increase in electricity generation compared to a stationary location
of solar panels by 65 %, in winter – 17%, the average annual increase in electricity generation is 41%.

4. Conclusion
1. Mathematical modeling of the efficiency of using a solar tracker is carried out. Based on the results
of mathematical modeling , it was determined that in winter, the use of a solar tracker can increase the
power generation of solar panels by 19.6%, in summer by 89.9%.
2. It is experimentally determined that the use of a two-axis solar tracker can increase the power
generation of solar panels in comparison with their stationary installation in the summer by 76.9%, in
winter by 17%, and the average annual electricity generation increases by 41%.

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