Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and

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Optimization of the Tilt Angle of Solar Panels for

Malaysia

T. Khatib, A. Mohamed, M. Mahmoud & K. Sopian

To cite this article: T. Khatib, A. Mohamed, M. Mahmoud & K. Sopian (2015) Optimization of
the Tilt Angle of Solar Panels for Malaysia, Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and
Environmental Effects, 37:6, 606-613, DOI: 10.1080/15567036.2011.588680

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Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects, 37:606–613, 2015
Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN: 1556-7036 print/1556-7230 online
DOI: 10.1080/15567036.2011.588680

Optimization of the Tilt Angle of Solar Panels for Malaysia

T. Khatib,1 A. Mohamed,1 M. Mahmoud,2 and K. Sopian3

1
Institute of Networked & Embedded Systems/Lakeside Labs, Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt,
Klagenfurt, Austria
2
Department of Electrical Engineering, Engineering Faculty, An-Najah National University,
Nablus, Palestine
3
Solar Energy Research Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

This article presents a method for optimizing the tilt angle of photovoltaic module/array installed in the
five sites in Malaysia. The optimization method is based on the Liu and Jordan model for solar energy
incident on a tilt surface considering monthly and seasonal tilt angles. The optimization results showed
that a seasonal optimum tilt angle change is recommended for the peninsular Malaysia, while a monthly
optimum tilt angle change is recommended for east Malaysia comprising the states of Sabah and
Sarawak. By applying the monthly optimum tilt angle, the collected yields by the PV module/array in
Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bharu, Ipoh, Kuching, and Alor Setar increased by 5.03, 5.02, 5.65, 7.96, and
6.13%, respectively. On the other hand, applying the seasonal optimum tilt angle for the same regions
increased the collected yields by 4.54, 4.58, 5.70, 4.11, and 5.85%, respectively.

Keywords: Malaysia, optimization, optimum tilt angle, photovoltaic system, solar energy

1. INTRODUCTION

The amount of solar energy collected by a solar panel is a function of local solar radiation, ground
reflection property, and collecting a panel’s tilt and orientation. As a matter of fact, the orientation
and the tilt of a solar panel strongly affect the amount of the collected yield. Therefore, solar panels
must be slanted and oriented at optimum angles so as to collect the maximum solar energy
available in a specific region. The best method to optimize the tilt and the orientation of a solar
panel is by applying an active sun tracker. Active sun trackers are electromechanical or pure
mechanical devices that keep changing the tilt and the orientation of a solar panel/solar array
periodically during the day. However, the capital cost of such a system is high and it consumes
energy during tracking. Thus, changing the tilt angle and the orientation monthly, seasonal, or
yearly for a photovoltaic (PV) panel may be more feasible than applying an active sun tracker
(Khatib, 2010).
In recent years, many research works have been developed with the objective of optimizing the
tilt and orientation angles at specific regions. Benghanem (2011) calculated the optimum tilt angle

Address correspondence to Dr. T. Khatib, Institute of Networked & Embedded Systems/Lakeside Labs, University of
Klagenfufrt, Klagenfurt 9020, Austria. E-mail: tamer_khat@hotmail.com
Color versions of one or more of the figures in the article can be found online at www.tandfonline.com/ueso.

606
 TILT ANGLE OF SOLAR PANELS FOR MALAYSIA 607

of a solar panel for Madinah, Saudi Arabia using historical data. The total solar irradiation versus
tilt angle for each month was used to fit the curves represented by second-order polynomial
equations. These polynomial equations were differentiated with respect to the tilt angle and then
equated to zero to obtain the optimum tilt angle. Kacira et al. (2004) calculated the optimum tilt
angle for Sanliurfa, Turkey and applied it for a dual axis sun tracker. The output of the tracking PV
module was compared with an identical PV module but with zero tilt angles. Skeiker in (2009)
calculated the optimum tilt angle for solar panels in Syria and it was based on the instantaneous
extraterrestrial radiation fall on a tilt surface. In Ghosh (2010), a calculation of optimum tilt angle
for solar panels in Dhaka was done using three solar models. In Yakup and Malik (2001) the
optimum angle was computed by searching for the values for which the total radiation on the
collector surface is a maximum for a particular day or a specific period in Brunei Darussalam. The
only tilt angle optimization work was done by Weixiang (2008) by calculating the yearly optimum
angle for Sabah and Sarawak. However, the optimum tilt angle value calculated in Weixiang (2008)
is not applicable for the whole region in Malaysia because of the differences in the location
coordinates. In this article, the optimum tilt angle for solar panels in Malaysia is calculated by
considering five sites in Malaysia. The optimum tilt angles are calculated for monthly and seasonal
periods using historical data (1975–2005) for global and diffuse solar radiation. These data were
provided by the Solar Energy Research Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Eventually, a
generalization of the results for all of Malaysia is done so as to draw a map of optimum tilt angle
for Malaysia.

2. MODELING OF SOLAR RADIATION ON TILT SURFACE

The component of incident global solar radiation on a tilt surface can be expressed by:
GTLT ¼ BTLT þ DTLT þ RTLT ; (1)
where GTLT ; BTLT ; DTLT ; and RTLT are global, direct (beam), diffuse, and reflected solar energy on a
tilt surface.
However, Eq. (1) can be rewritten in terms of solar energy components on a horizontal surface
as follows:
GTLT ¼ ðG  DÞRB þ DRD þ GρRR ; (2)
where G and D are the global and diffuse solar energy on a horizontal surface. Meanwhile,
RB ; RD ; andRR are coefficients and ρ is ground Aledo. RB is the ratio between global solar energy
on a horizontal surface and global solar energy on a tilt surface. Meanwhile, RD is the ratio
between diffuse solar energy on a horizontal surface and diffuse solar energy on a tilt surface, and
RR is the amount of reflected solar energy on a tilt surface.
From Eq. (2), it is clear that the key to finding solar energy components on a tilt surface is to
estimate the coefficients RB ; RD ; andRR . The most often used model for calculating RB is the Liu
and Jordan model (Liu and Jordan, 1962), which defines RB as:

cosðLAT  TLT Þ cos DEC sin ωss þ ωss sinðLAT  TLT Þsin DEC
RB ¼ : (3)
cos LAT cos DEC sin ωss þ ωss sin LAT sin DEC
As for surfaces in the southern hemisphere, the slope towards the equator, the equation for RB is
given as:
cosðLAT  TLT Þ cos DEC sin ωss þ ωss sinðLAT þ TLT Þsin DEC
RB ¼ ; (4)
cos LAT cos DEC sin ωss þ ωss sin LAT sin DEC
608 T. KHATIB ET AL.

where LAT is the latitude of the location and TLT is the tilt angle. DEC and ωss are angle of
declination and sunshine hour angle, respectively. DEC is given by:

DEC ¼ sin1 f0:39795 cos½0:98563ðDN  173Þg; (5)

while ωss is given by:

ωss ¼ cos1 ð tanðLAT ÞtanðDEC Þ: (6)

The equation for RR is given by:

1  cos TLT
RR ¼ : (7)
2

However, many solar models classified as isotropic and anisotropic are used to estimate RD .

2.1. Isotropic Diffuse Solar Energy Models

Isotropic solar models are based on the hypothesis that isotropic radiation has the same
intensity regardless of the direction of measurement, and an isotropic field exerts the same
action regardless of how the test particle is oriented. It radiates uniformly in all directions
from a point source sometimes called an isotropic radiator. One of the most famous isotropic
diffuse solar models is the Liu and Jordan model (Liu and Jordan, 1962) with RD being
formulated as:

1 þ cos TLT
RD ¼ : (8)
2

Meanwhile, Koronakis (1986) proposed a new formula for RD as follows:

1
RD ¼ : (9)
3½2 þ cos TLT 

Basescu (2002) recommended Eq. (10) to calculate RD :

3 þ cosð2 TLT Þ
RD ¼ : (10)
4
Tian et al. (2001) defined RD as:
TLT
RD ¼ 1  : (11)
180
 TILT ANGLE OF SOLAR PANELS FOR MALAYSIA 609

2.2. Anisotropic Solar Energy Models

Anisotropy is the property of being directionally dependent, as opposed to isotropy, which implies
identical properties in all directions. It can be defined as a difference when measured along
different axes in a material’s physical property (absorbance, refractive index, density, etc.).
Therefore, anisotropic solar models are based on the hypothesis that anisotropic radiation has a
different intensity depending on the direction of measurement and it radiates non-uniformly in all
directions. However, Hay (1979) defined RD as:



B B 1 þ cos TLT
RD ¼ Rb þ 1  : (12)
G G 2

Steven et al. (1980) suggested a different equation to calculate RD:

 

1 þ cos TLT 1:74 π  TLT
RD ¼ :51RB þ  sin TLT ¼ TLT cos TLT  πsin2 : (13)
2 1:26π 180 2

Finally, Reindl et al. (1990) recommended the following equation for calculating RD:


 rffiffiffiffi

B B 1 þ cos TLT B 3 TLT
RD ¼ Rb þ 1  1þ sin : (14)
G G 2 G 2

3. OPTIMIZATION OF THE TILT ANGLE

Monthly global solar energy averages on a horizontal surface for chosen sites and the following
equation are used to calculate the global solar radiation on a tilt surface in Malaysia. This equation
is based on the Liu and Jordan model for RB and RD :

cosðLAT  TLT Þ cos DEC sin ωss þ ωss sinðLAT  TLT Þ sin DEC
GTLT ¼ ðG  DÞ
cos LAT cos DEC sin ωss þ ωss sin LAT sin DEC
1 þ cos TLT 1  cos TLT
þD þ Gρ ; (15)
2 2
where ρ is supposed to be 0.3 for grass land. The average daily global, diffuse, and direct solar
energy are first calculated for the five chosen sites using the provided historical data. Then, the
global solar energy is calculated for each station using the tilt angle equation (18) from 1–90
degrees in order to determine the optimum tilt angle, which gives the maximum global energy.
Here, the monthly optimum tilt angles are first calculated, and then the seasonal tilt angles are
calculated. The seasonal tilt angle optimization is based on the fact that Malaysia has two seasons
in a year, namely, the wet season (October to March) and dry season (April to September).
After finding the optimum tilt angles for the chosen sites, a map of optimum tilt angle for
Malaysia is constructed. The construction of this map is based on the latitude of regions. Therefore,
many regions’ latitudes in Malaysia are compared with the latitudes of the chosen sites so as to
classify these regions based on these five sites.
610 T. KHATIB ET AL.

4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

In this section, the results of the monthly and seasonal optimum tilt angles of a solar panel for
Malaysia are presented. The collected yields using the horizontal surface and the surface tilted by
the optimum tilt angles are then compared so as to evaluate the effectiveness of the optimum tilt
angles.

4.1. Optimization of Monthly Tilt Angle

Figure 1 shows an example of searching for the monthly optimum tilt angles for Kuala Lumpur.
From the figure, the optimization process can be concluded. The daily solar radiation at different
tilt angles is calculated using Eq. (15), then the monthly average of solar energy is calculated.
Eventually, a search for the tilt angle, which investigated the maximum average of solar energy, is
done. This angle is named the optimum tilt angle. Table 1 shows the monthly optimum tilt angles

FIGURE 1 Searching for monthly optimum tilt angles for Kuala Lumpur.

TABLE 1
Monthly Tilt Angles for the Chosen Sites

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Kuala Lumpur 29 19 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 24 24
Johor Bharu 24 17 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 22 23
Ipoh 28 19 6 0 0 0 0 0 2 13 22 25
Kuching 19 16 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 21 22
Alor Setar 32 22 8 0 0 0 0 0 2 15 26 31
 TILT ANGLE OF SOLAR PANELS FOR MALAYSIA 611

TABLE 2
Collected Yields on Horizontal and Tilted Surfaces by Applying Monthly Optimum Tilt Angle

Month 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Av.

Kuala Lumpur
H.S 5.25 5.24 5.16 5.3 5.35 4.76 4.60 5.32 5.08 4.93 4.34 3.58 4.91
O.T 6.01 5.71 5.57 5.3 5.35 4.76 4.60 5.32 5.08 5.21 4.97 4.15 5.17
Johor Bharu
H.S 4.09 4.87 4.50 5.14 4.26 4.34 3.69 4.81 4.14 4.38 4.47 3.49 4.35
O.T 4.71 5.40 4.71 5.14 4.26 4.34 3.69 4.81 4.14 4.62 5.08 4.04 4.58
Ipoh
H.S 4.74 4.79 4.82 5.17 5.08 4.18 4.27 4.82 4.60 4.07 4.00 3.67 4.52
O.T 5.50 5.35 5.03 5.17 5.08 4.18 4.27 4.82 4.70 4.55 4.54 4.27 4.79
Kuching
H.S 3.05 4.67 4.85 5.24 4.76 5.33 4.33 5.20 4.28 4.41 4.30 3.65 4.51
O.T 5.54 5.18 5.01 5.24 4.76 5.33 4.33 5.20 4.28 4.66 4.88 4.20 4.90
Alor Setar
H.S 5.23 5.53 5.39 5.56 4.95 4.55 4.92 4.72 4.90 4.10 4.52 4.47 4.90
O.T 6.30 6.21 5.62 5.56 4.95 4.55 4.92 4.72 5.00 4.38 5.21 5.21 5.22

for the chosen sites. Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, and Alor Setar zones have almost the same optimum tilt
angle values. The biggest tilt angle values at these zones are in the months of January, November,
and December. Meanwhile, the optimum tilt angle value decreases in February and October by
almost 10°. As for March, the optimum tilt angle becomes almost equal to the latitude angle. The
zones of Johor Bharu and Kuching can also be considered the same with a difference in tilt angle
value in January. In general, the optimum tilt angle scenarios for all zones are almost the same
because the highest optimal tilt angle values are at the beginning and the end of the year, and then
it decreases to zero till the dry season.
Table 2 shows a comparison of the collected yield by a horizontal surface (H.S) and optimally
tilted (O.T) surface in Malaysia. From Table 2 it can be seen that, by applying the optimum tilt
angles on a PV module/array at Kuala Lumpur, the collected yield increases by 5.03%. While
slanting the PV module/array at the optimum tilt angles for Johor Bharu, increases the collected
yield by 5.02%. As for Ipoh, Kuching, and Alor Setar, by applying the optimum tilt angles, the
collected yields at these zones increase by 5.64, 7.96, and 6.13%, respectively.

4.2. Optimization of Seasonal Tilt Angle

Based on Eq. (15), the wet season optimum tilt angels are 19°, 17°, 19°, 15°, and 23° for Kuala
Lumpur, Johor Buhru, Ipoh, Kuching, and Alor Setar, respectively, while the optimum tilt angle for
the dry season from April to September is zero for all zones. Therefore, the PV modules in the
tropical and nearby countries must be slanted at zero tilt angles in these months. However, many
researches include close results, whereas in Ghosh et al. (2010) it is recommended to slant PV
modules at zero degrees for Dhaka in the period between May to July. Yakup and Malik (2001)
suggested slanting PV modules at zero tilt angle in the period between April to August for Brunei
Darussalam. In addition, in Tang and Wu (2004) it is noted that the optimum tilt angle is zero for
the PV module in most of China’s regions during the months between May to July.
Table 3 shows a comparison of collected yield using a horizontal surface and a surface slanted
by the seasonal optimum tilt angles. By applying the seasonal optimum tilt angles for Kuala
612 T. KHATIB ET AL.

TABLE 3
Collected Yield on Horizontal and Tilted Surfaces by Optimum Seasonally Tilt Angles

Wet Season Dry Season Average (AV)

Kuala Lumpur Horizontal surface 4.61 5.07 4.84

Optimal angle 5.07 5.07 5.07
Johor Bharu Horizontal surface 4.16 4.39 4.28
Optimal angle 4.56 4.39 4.48
Ipoh Horizontal surface 4.15 4.79 4.47
Optimal angle 4.68 4.79 4.74
Kuching Horizontal surface 4.02 4,84 4.43
Optimal angle 4.39 4.84 4.62
Alor Setar Horizontal surface 4.70 4.95 4.83
Optimal angle 5.30 4.95 5.13

FIGURE 2 Optimum tilt angles map for Malaysia.

Lumpur, Johor Bharu, Ipoh, Kuching, and Alor Setar, the collected yields increased by 4.54, 4.58,
5.70, 4.11, and 5.85, respectively.
However, the collected yield is gained by a small amount (0.5%) by applying the monthly
optimum tilt angle compared with the collected yield by applying the seasonal optimum tilt angle.
However, the Kuching zone, which is located in the Sarawak state, has a different situation since
the collected yield is increased by 4% by applying the monthly optimum tilt angle compared with
the collected yield by the seasonal tilt angle. The difference may be due to differences in the
locations since all of the chosen zones have longitudes in the range of 100.417–103.667 except for
Kuching, in which its longitude is 110.333. This means that the seasonal optimum tilt angle change
is recommended for peninsular Malaysia while the monthly optimum tilt angle change is recom-
mended for Sabah and Sarawak.

4.3. Optimum Tilt Angles for the Various Regions in Malaysia

From the results of the optimum tilt angles for the chosen sites, it is noted that the optimum tilt
angle is a function of the region’s latitude and the respective day. Therefore, it is recommended that
 TILT ANGLE OF SOLAR PANELS FOR MALAYSIA 613

the optimum tilt angle for the various regions in Malaysia are done based on latitude. Alphabet
codes are given for the chosen sites in which each site is represented by zone A to E. Thus, the
solar sites in Malaysia are grouped based on the defined regions, namely, Kuala Lumpur (Zone A),
Johor Bharu (Zone B), Ipoh (Zone C), Kuching (Zone D), and Alor Setar (Zone E). For example,
for the site in Seremban with a latitude of 2.45°, the nearest region to be considered is Kuala
Lumpur with a latitude of 3.2°. Hence, the recommended optimum tilt angle of a solar panel in
Kuala Lumpur is also recommended for Seremban. Figure 2 shows the optimum tilt angle map for
Malaysia.

5. CONCLUSION

Optimization of PV module/array tilt angle for the five sites in Malaysia has been done by
considering the Liu and Jordan model for solar energy incident on a tilt surface. The results
showed that the tilt angle of the PV module/ array must be changed seasonally. A monthly
optimum tilt angle change is recommended for east Malaysia comprising the Sabah and Sarawak
states. By changing the optimum tilt angles monthly, the PV module collected yields for Kuala
Lumpur, Johor Bharu, Ipoh, Kuching, and Alor Setar increased by 5.03, 5.02, 5.65, 7.96, and
6.13%, respectively, while changing the optimum tilt angle seasonally for the same regions, the
collected yields increased by 4.54, 4.58, 5.70, 4.11, and 5.85%, respectively. Finally, a general-
ization of the results was done to develop an optimum tilt angle map for Malaysia.

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