Comparison of Energy Production Between Fixed-Mount and Tracking Systems of Solar PV Systems in Jakarta, Indonesia

Abstract

Most of the electrical energy demand is consumed by urban activities. One of the renewable sources that can be used by urban communities is solar energy through photovoltaic (PV) systems. The amount of energy produced by a PV system is directly affected by the level of irradiation received by PV modules. Conventional PV systems are commonly installed with a fixed-mount system where the angle of incidence of radiation on solar modules changes over time. Solar irradiation would be optimum received by solar modules if the angle of incidence is kept at zero degrees, i.e., radiation is perpendicular to the surface of the modules. This condition can be achieved by employing a solar tracker system for solar modules. This paper studies the comparison of the energy output of PV systems between fixed-mount and without solar tracking in the urban area of Jakarta, Indonesia. The studies are carried out using Photovoltaic Geographical Information System (PVGIS) online simulation tools. The objective of the study is to compare and figure out the specific energy output between the optimized fixed-mount installation (without a tracking system) with solar tracking. In general, the results showed that the specific energy output PV system of a fixed-mount PV system in Jakarta is about 1379 kWh/kWp per year, while for the system with a solar tracking system, the specific energy production is about 1672 kWh/kWp. The information found is expected to be a useful reference for the development and promotion of solar energy, particularly in Indonesia.

Keywords

• pv system
• fixed-mount
• tracking system
• pvgis
• energy output