tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517549322994180820.post1561843358691235473..comments2023-10-12T04:25:45.960-07:00Comments on AmericanSolarEconomy: Does Solar Tracking make sense?Don Phttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104669577099290246noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517549322994180820.post-53539725446375720312009-09-28T03:05:50.179-07:002009-09-28T03:05:50.179-07:001st comment: the price difference between your sta...1st comment: the price difference between your stationary and two-axis systems are less than the cost of the tracking system parts themselves. Better then to assume that the two-axis system cost is = stationary cost + tracker parts.<br /><br />2nd comment: The added effect from the tracker should be compared to the added effect of spending the same money on more panels. <br /><br />3rd comment: you assume a cost of $0.12/kWh, which skews the equation in favour of bigger systems (if the cell is profitable at all). Calculating the average cost of production would be more comparable (or see 2nd comment).<br /><br />4th comment: Some advantages of solar systems are no moving parts, low maintentance and building integration. The major disadvantage is high up-front cost. Tracking systems remove advantages and adds to the weakness.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517549322994180820.post-2839106911918909542009-07-24T20:51:23.796-07:002009-07-24T20:51:23.796-07:00The potential purchaser of a PV system will need m...The potential purchaser of a PV system will need much more information to make a decision. What is the expected life of a tracker ? What are the repair and replacement costs of trackers over the same 25 yr period? What would the picture look like if the purchaser applied the cost savings of a fixed system to a larger fixed system? What are the rebates and tax credits providing to the picture? What is the local electric provider offering in the way of incentives for grid-tie systems?Fred Wetlauferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12614679310607182864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517549322994180820.post-45764753565255230062009-03-13T21:07:00.000-07:002009-03-13T21:07:00.000-07:00Hi Chris,The Insolation Ratio that I mention the v...Hi Chris,<BR/><BR/>The Insolation Ratio that I mention the value of 8.33% for is roughly based on the difference between the measured values for tracking vs stationary insolation values found at http://rredc.nrel.gov/solar/old_data/nsrdb/redbook/atlas/<BR/><BR/>Then See http://americansolareconomy.blogspot.com/2009/01/note-on-units-of-energy-and-insolation.html<BR/><BR/>So, what it ends up being, is that the insolation ratio that I calculated for the various colors on the Insolation Map is increased by 8.33%, which works out to roughly 30% increase in Total Average Energy over the year.<BR/><BR/>Of course, the numbers are rough, and will definately vary based on the local details, but I just wanted a rough estimate to use as a base for other calculations.Don Phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02104669577099290246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1517549322994180820.post-46236284996816676062009-03-13T11:27:00.000-07:002009-03-13T11:27:00.000-07:00I'm not sure how you obtained this "insolation rat...I'm not sure how you obtained this "insolation ratio of 8.33%", and what you actually mean with this. <BR/>I have analyzed all the available U.S. data about this, and the result is that a 2-axis tracking flat-plate receives 25 to 40% more radiation than a fixed latitude-tilt collector. This ratio is directly affected by climate: the lower value is for the cloudiest areas, the higher value is for sunniest areas, i.e. in the southwest.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com