Solar Panel Design
The solar panel is a rectangular shaped panel with a dimension of 993 millimeter by 1685 millimeter and a thickness of 50mm. There are two ground holes, each with a diameter of 4.25 millimeteres. There are also four (4) mounting holes each with a diameter of 9 millimeteres.
Solar Panel Layout
The size of the parking lot is taken into consideration when evaluating the layout of the panel. There are parts of the parking lot where overhead cables are present. It is not advised to have panels right underneath the cables. The panels will be layed out in a rectangular format and equally spaced out in order to allow tilt if needed.
Solar Panel Support
The solar support will be angle at about 40 degrees and will have similar dimensions as that of the panels. The stand will be positioned on the canopy and will be a major factor in determining the tilt of the panel.
Solar Panel Canopy
The canopy is expected to be about 5486.4 mm long and 2590.78 mm wide with a thicknee of 152.4 mm. The graph below is an image of how the solar panel and solar stand will fit on the canopy.
Canopy Location
The canopy is expected to be located at two parking lots on the University campus. The 8A and 9C parking lots are the expected location for the canopy and there after the stands and the solar panel.
Tilt
In order optimize the utility of photovoltaic cells, they must be pointed in the direction that captures the most sunlight. For those in the northern hemisphere to get optimal utility, the solar panels should always face the true south and vice versa for those in the southern hemisphere. The panel we are dealing with is fixed but has a tilt from the stand which can be adjusted [20].
The tilt of the solar panels can be adjusted depending on the season. The sun tends to be higher in the summer and lower in the winter. Making these adjustments at least twice a year has shown to increase its percentage of optimal yield by at about 4%. An experiment was done, testing the percent yield of solar panels located at a 40-degree latitude which were fixed, adjusted twice (2 seasons), and adjusted four seasons in a year [20].
The tilt of the solar panels can be adjusted depending on the season. The sun tends to be higher in the summer and lower in the winter. Making these adjustments at least twice a year has shown to increase its percentage of optimal yield by at about 4%. An experiment was done, testing the percent yield of solar panels located at a 40-degree latitude which were fixed, adjusted twice (2 seasons), and adjusted four seasons in a year [20].
There isn’t that much of an incentive to adjust every four seasons because the optimum percent difference Is only about 0.5%. There are formulas in place to be used in deciding which solar panel design is best for the season in a particular reason with respect to the latitude. The formulas also change depending on if panels are fixed or are adjusted every two or four seasons.
Fixed tilt
Getting a fixed tilt would not get as much percent optimization as that of two or four seasonal adjustment as stated above. For those in areas where there is less sunlight and an unfavorable weather such as snow areas, it is not advised to get a fixed tilt, because the snow conditions would reduce the amount of power produced by the panel. The table below shows areas around the world at different latitudes and their respective optimal yield.
Obtaining the full year angel of areas of latitude below 25 degrees, its latitude is multiplied by a factor of 0.87. For areas where the latitude is between 25 degrees and 50 degrees, the full year angle is obtained by multiplying the latitude by 0.76 and adding the result by 3.1 degrees. For areas greater than 50-degree latitude, the formulas become a little more complex. The average isolation on the panels over a year vary from 6.5 which generally get more days of sunlight in a year to 5.1 areas which don’t get as much. This decreases as we move away from the equator [20].
The tilt angle deals with respect to what position the face of a solar panel is aimed towards. When the panel faces a lot more towards the equator, it is considered to be at a positive tilt angle. When it is faced away from the equator, it is considered to be at a negative tilt angle. Having a positive tilt angle in the northern hemisphere would mean tilting the face of the panel towards the south and vice versa.
The tilt angle deals with respect to what position the face of a solar panel is aimed towards. When the panel faces a lot more towards the equator, it is considered to be at a positive tilt angle. When it is faced away from the equator, it is considered to be at a negative tilt angle. Having a positive tilt angle in the northern hemisphere would mean tilting the face of the panel towards the south and vice versa.
System Information
Modules
230W Poly Specifications
Inverters
M215 Micro Inverter Specifications
- Manufacturer – Schott Solar
- Product – 230W Poly
230W Poly Specifications
- Power/Unit Area – 137.5W/
- Peak Efficiency – 13.75%
- Maximum System Voltage – 600V
- Number of Cells – 60
- Dimensions (LxWxD) – 1,685mm x 993mm x 50mm
- Weight – 23kg
Inverters
- Manufacturer – Enphase Energy
- Product - M215 Micro Inverter
M215 Micro Inverter Specifications
- Peak Output Power – 225W
- Dimensions (WxHxD) – 171mm x 173x 30mm
- Weight – 1.6kg
- Number of Solar Panels – 2691
- 681.03 kW (Direct Current)