Mounting of Solar Panels to Get Maximum Power Yield
Solar power is a type of clean energy that is generated from sun rays. Solar power can be generated in two distinct ways which include electrical energy and heat or thermal energy. In order to capture the heat energy from the sun, thermal systems are required. These systems capture the sun’s infrared radiation and redirect it to a collector that boils water. The water is left to boil until it turns into steam that is then used to generate energy. Alternatively, the heated water can be used to power the generator to produce electricity.
In order to generate electrical energy directly from the sun, photovoltaic systems are used. For these systems to work, they depend on solar radiation. The sun produces both ultra violet and visible high-frequency radiations which are necessary for solar power generation. The photovoltaic cell system traps both the ultra violet and observable high frequency rays using a semiconductor into its photovoltaic cells that would then convert the sun energy (rays) into electrical energy.
It is important to note that the collectors can only receive the highest amount of solar radiation (insolation) when the sun is right above (overhead). If not then the collectors need to be tilted at a 90 degrees angle facing the sun. You may purchase solar panels but you are not sure on how to position them in order to maximise on the insolation received.
The best way possible, first, is to establish an open area to place your solar panels. The location chosen should be free from any obstruction from the sun. If possible, a rooftop will be the ideal location but if you have a larger field or a larger compound, you can also place it in a raised surface so that accessibility to the sun is not impeded for the whole or better part of the day.
Always ensure that the panel is far from trees or under a building which may prevent proper lighting to reach the panels. Secondly, determine the angle of inclination of the solar panels in order to get a good incident solar radiation angle. In a physics class, you were told that due to the spherical nature of the earth, the angle between the earth surface plane and the incident solar radiation increases from 90 degrees if you are getting further way from the equator. This angle is dependent on the point at which your location is far away from the equator. You can determine that by observing the latitude of your position using GPS (Global Positioning Systems) technology which is commonly available in most mobile phone devices.
This angle widens gradually from the equator as you move to the lower or upper latitudes
and the increase is equivalent to the latitude of your location. In order to receive sufficient insolation, then you can reposition or adjust your solar panels to be facing the sun’s rays perpendicularly. This means that the angle of tilt of the solar panels from the flat surface should be equal to the latitude angle of your location. The smaller the size of the solar panel, the lesser the amount of solar power it can generate because the solar radiation absorption rate is lower.
