SOLAR PANEL ORIENTATION BASED ON BUILDING POWER CONSUMPTION

摘要

In the present work electric energy consumption of a typical building based on its cooling load for summers of five consecutive years were evaluated. The cooling load hourly variations were evaluated based on the eQuest software. It was determined that the peak electric energy consumption of the building occurs around 4:00PM during months of June, July and August. Then the clear sky model was used to determine the solar panel orientation to best match peak energy consumption. The best solar panel orientation to meet building's peak demand is about 50 degrees tilt angle with azimuth angle of about between fifty and sixty degrees westward. The clearness index model is then used to evaluate the annual energy production of solar panel. It was determined that the annual energy production of the panel based on the present model is approximately 22-23% less than a southward orientation. The present model however, produces twice more electric power during peak demanding hours, when it is needed most.