Yield Assessment of Tracked PV Systems in Desert Climates

This work presents performance analysis of 2-in- portrait Horizontal Single Axis Tracker (HSAT) system in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The system features seven rows of 30m long trackers populated with a variety of PV module technologies in configurations that facilitate direct comparisons of multiple yield- influencing factors. Specifically, the impact of string configuration, i.e. east, west or east-west of torque tube, Ground Coverage Ratio (GCR), string size and module technology are assessed across the seasons of the year. A comparison is also made with similar strings in the fixed tilt system. The results show that the energy yield was surprisingly similar for east, west and east-west layouts, and for small and large strings. The yearly daily average bifacial gain in tracker for a fixed-tilt GCR equivalent (0.33) was 12.1% with the highest gains during low irradiation months. Compared to the fixed tilt system, the yearly daily average tracker gain was ~14.4%, with a maximum gain of ~36.0%. The tracker was advantageous only during February to September, with mostly negative gain during October to January. Detailed analysis of performance and reliability of the different technologies in tracker and in fixed tilt systems will be presented.