Collective Optimization of Sun-Tracking Trajectories

摘要

This paper presents a tool for designing new photovoltaic power plants based on a collective optimization of the tracking trajectory of the sun-tracking systems. The presented tool can also be used to improve production in existing tracking power plants. By analyzing an array of Sun-tracking systems as a collective system, an optimization model was developed to determine the individual positions for each tracker along the day, which render the maximum global output for the array. This improvement in global output, relative to the same array without optimized positions, is achieved by minimizing the amount of shadow, cast on some systems by others, due to their relative position and location. Based on the premise that, by using collectively optimized movements for the sun trackers, the same global output can be obtained in a smaller installation area, a design tool was created to compute a production performance parameter for different inter system distances, which can then be crossed with installation cost information to obtain the most cost effective locations for each system on a sun tracking photovoltaic power plant.