Estimation of solar radiation on PV panel surface with optimum tilt angle using vortex search algorithm

The amount of solar energy incidence on a photovoltaic (PV) panel depends on the PV tilt angles with respect to the horizon. It is thus crucial to investigate the optimum tilt angles to maximise the efficiency of PV panels and at the same time to increase the performance of solar energy systems. The objective of this study is to estimate the optimum tilt angle for PV panels in order to collect the maximum solar radiation for the city of Dhahran in Saudi Arabia. A newly developed optimisation algorithm called the vortex search algorithm is used to estimate the solar radiation on the tilted surface. Moreover, one year can be divided into different periods in the proposed approach, and the optimum angle can be obtained for each one of these periods separately. The horizontal solar data (i.e. direct, diffuse and global solar radiation) is used to estimate the optimum tilt angle. The results demonstrate that the solar radiation estimated using the optimum tilt angle is maximised compared with the one estimated on a horizontal surface.

[1]  Farzad Jafarkazemi,et al.  Optimum tilt angle and orientation of solar surfaces in Abu Dhabi, UAE , 2013 .

[2]  H.M.S. Hussein,et al.  Performance evaluation of photovoltaic modules at different tilt angles and orientations , 2004 .

[3]  Bulent Yaniktepe,et al.  Establishing new model for predicting the global solar radiation on horizontal surface , 2015 .

[4]  Ramesh C. Bansal,et al.  Optimisation of grid connected hybrid photovoltaic–wind–battery system using model predictive control design , 2017 .

[5]  Teuku Meurah Indra Mahlia,et al.  Analysis and evaluation of various aspects of solar radiation in the Palestinian territories , 2013 .

[6]  Tamer Ölmez,et al.  A new metaheuristic for numerical function optimization: Vortex Search algorithm , 2015, Inf. Sci..

[7]  Ying-Pin Chang.  Optimal the tilt angles for photovoltaic modules using PSO method with nonlinear time-varying evolution , 2010 .

[8]  M. Benghanem.  Optimization of tilt angle for solar panel: Case study for Madinah, Saudi Arabia , 2011 .

[9]  Shahnawaz Farhan Khahro,et al.  Evaluation of solar energy resources by establishing empirical models for diffuse solar radiation on tilted surface and analysis for optimum tilt angle for a prospective location in southern region of Sindh, Pakistan , 2015 .

[10]  Xinhua Xue,et al.  Prediction of daily diffuse solar radiation using artificial neural networks , 2017 .

[11]  Anjali Awasthi,et al.  Optimal design and analysis of grid-connected photovoltaic under different tracking systems using HOMER , 2018 .

[12]  Hossein Sangrody,et al.  Efficient operation of residential solar panels with determination of the optimal tilt angle and optimal intervals based on forecasting model , 2017 .

[13]  Yusuf Al-Turki,et al.  Investigating the performance of support vector machine and artificial neural networks in predicting solar radiation on a tilted surface: Saudi Arabia case study , 2015 .

[14]  R. H. Buitrago,et al.  Photovoltaic generated energy and module optimum tilt angle from weather data , 2011 .

[15]  Ki-Hyun Kim,et al.  Solar energy: Potential and future prospects , 2018 .

[16]  Herman Jacobus Vermaak.  Techno-economic Analysis of Solar Tracking Systems in South Africa , 2014 .

[17]  P. Fernández-Ibáñez,et al.  UV solar radiation on a tilted and horizontal plane: Analysis and comparison of 4years of measurements , 2012 .

[18]  Ying-Pin Chang.  Optimal the tilt angles for photovoltaic modules in Taiwan , 2010 .

[19]  Faik Hamad,et al.  Optimum tilt angle for a flat plate solar collector , 1988 .

[20]  Sunanda Sinha,et al.  Analysis of fixed tilt and sun tracking photovoltaic–micro wind based hybrid power systems , 2016 .

[21]  Hamdy A. Kandil,et al.  Feasibility of solar tracking systems for PV panels in hot and cold regions , 2016 .

[22]  G. Seckmeyer,et al.  Case study showing that the tilt angle of photovoltaic plants is nearly irrelevant , 2011 .

[23]  Xiangyang Gong,et al.  Design optimization of a large scale rooftop photovoltaic system , 2005 .

[24]  Cinzia Mortarino,et al.  Forecasting the impact of renewable energies in competition with non-renewable sources , 2018 .

[25]  Sulaiman AlYahya,et al.  The techno-economic potential of Saudi Arabia׳s solar industry , 2016 .

[26]  T. Chang.  The Sun’s apparent position and the optimal tilt angle of a solar collector in the northern hemisphere , 2009 .

[27]  Emanuele Calabrò,et al.  An Algorithm to Determine the Optimum Tilt Angle of a Solar Panel from Global Horizontal Solar Radiation , 2013 .

[28]  M. Despotovic,et al.  Comparison of optimum tilt angles of solar collectors determined at yearly, seasonal and monthly levels , 2015 .

[29]  Ying-Pin Chang,et al.  An ant direction hybrid differential evolution algorithm in determining the tilt angle for photovoltaic modules , 2010, Expert Syst. Appl..