Performance Evaluation of Tracking Limit on Single Axis Tracking Photovoltaic System in Malaysia

This paper compares the performance of non-tracking and tracking PV system while considering the tracking limit on the single axis tracking PV system. To demonstrate the tracking mechanism, a numerical model of a single axis tracking PV system was developed in MATLAB. The energy yield for tracking and non-tracking systems, as well as the energy yield between theoretical and practical tracking limits, were determined. The single axis tracking PV system outperformed the non-tracking PV system by 37.5 %. While the theoretical tracking limit of −90° to 90° which tracks from east to west, is not practical. The simulation results show that a tracking limit of −45° to 45° has a loss of 2.7 % and tracking gain of 6.1 % against tracking limit of −60° to 60° and −30° to 30° respectively. Therefore, a tracking limit of −45° to 45° is found optimum to be installed for Malaysia. Taking the complexity of the tracking mechanism into consideration, the more complicated the system, the more costly the system is, which does not beneficial for a minor difference. This paper contributes with the consideration of practical tracking limit that can be applied in the design of single axis tracking PV systems.