Abstract:
Optimizing the output power of any PV module
involves a number of factors, including the tilt angle, orientation
angle and environmental conditions. However, many PV modules
are not installed at the suggested orientation angle of 0° N in
South Africa, thereby indicating a non-alignment to the
maximum solar radiation available for a given day. The purpose
of this research is to highlight the importance of this installation
by validating its acceptance zone using a simplified measuring
approach. Results confirm that the incident angle on a specific
PV module installation varies around 44° for winter months.
This indicates an acceptance zone of around 88°, which must be
optimally aligned to the solar radiation curve, thereby yielding
the optimum amount of output power for a given location.
