Are there better point angles for alignment of photovoltaic solar panels given a seasonal usage?

Question

I am planning on a small array of photovoltaic panels to supplement lighting needs in a new summer camp. It will only be occupied May to September, and I wondered if the southerly point angle and the inclination angles should be modified for seasonal use.

Lat N43 1.661 Lon W71 48.957

I would gladly trade increased output during the summer season for the “cookbook” answers given for “year round” performance. I already have the zero degree, true south, for the northern hemisphere, point angle and Latitude plus 15 degrees for inclination, “cookbook answers”, I’m looking for something better.

Answer 1

The only way you are going to get it better is to use a Sun tracker  Good luck ..

Answer 2

If you Google "solar modeling software" or similar terms, you will find various programs people have created for modeling the sun falling on a location, given a particular latitude and longitude.  An example is at

http://www.f1.fhtw-berlin.de/studiengang...

but I'm not endorsing that program in any way.

There is also insolation data for the USA gathered by the National Renewable Energy Labs at

http://rredc.nrel.gov/solar/old_data/nsr...

The above is VERY good, as it is real data gathered over decades, and as such, takes into account the effects of clouds, prevailing temperatures, winds, etc.  You could go month by month with that data, and model a particular tilt.

In general, if you want to crudely optimize for summer, go with latitude MINUS 15 degrees in the northern hemisphere.  You will also want to make sure the panels are mounted with good airflow around them (that is, not flush against a hot roof surface), as you can lose 10, maybe even 20% of the production when the panels get really hot.

Consider also whether you might be able to grid-tie and net meter your solar (check with the power company)  - in which case, you would build up a financial credit during the winter.  If the array is in the thousands of watts, that would make sense.

If you are just thinking about small, point light sources, with (say) rechargable NiCd batteries, then I'd say it sounds like fun, but would be hesitant about either the cost or the performance of the lights.  Hope it works out, just the same!