Development of a model for highly efficient solar power panels

Abstract

Solar energy is one of the highly-regarded sources of energy given its massive availability, cost-effectiveness and human and environment friendliness. However, energy-conversion platforms such as photovoltaic (PV) modules and solar collectors face critics for unsatisfactorily converting the readily available solar energy into end use form of energy. Only about 30 % of the solar energy at disposal is useful because solar modules and collectors are commonly flat and statically mounted on building roofs and cannot track the sun that cyclically moves latitudinally and longitudinally. PVs being a case study, this article is suggesting a novel way of increasing the energy conversion ratio of solar arrays through a design designated as open-structure multisided PV (OSM) systems. PV systems were therefore structurally designed, modelled and their performance was quantitatively evaluated. An according mathematical model had to be first developed, verified, validated, translated into a MATLAB code then applied to a systematically picked sample of OSM PV systems. Obtained results for strategic performance parameters suggest that an increase in the irradiance collection of 32 % over a flat and fixed-tilt PV panel could be recorded in terms of percentage and a gain in power of 1.32 times could be observed in terms of conversion ratio. OSM systems further offer the novelty of simplicity, little maintenance requirements and operational cost as well as longer working with regards to performing the sun-tracking duties.