Study on the tree-mimic array of solar cell modules

This study is about the installation of the solar cell modules. The solar cell modules are built by the tree-mimic structure, and the performance is compared with that of the flat-plate type solar cell module installation. The mathematical tree model, which was suggested by Fisher and Honda, is utilized to determine the location of the solar cell modules for the tree-mimic type. The experiment shows that the generated electric power of the flat-plate type is higher than that of the tree-mimic type by 30% for one month of July. This lower performance for the tree-mimic type comes from the shading effects among the solar cell modules. The theoretical calculation for the absorbed solar radiation on the two types of solar cell installation shows that the tree-mimic type is higher than the flat-plate type by 8.5%. The shading area for the tree-mimic model is calculated with time by using the 3D-CAD, which will be utilized for the optimization of the tree-mimic model in the future.