Possible Energy Gain at High Latitudes in Southern Hemisphere
Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Institute for Applied Sciences and technology, Applied Physics Department, Damascus P. O. Box 31983, Syria
2 Institute for Applied Sciences and technology, Micatronics Systems Department, Damascus P. O. Box 31983, Syria
Abstract
It is reasonable to answer to the question: is the rule of thumb, which says that solar collector should be orientated towards the Equator with a tilt equal to latitude, is valid for high latitudes region in Southern Hemisphere? In addition, the question that may arise: how many times is reasonable for adjusting collector tilt angle for Equator facing collectors? A mathematical model was used for estimating the solar radiation on a tilted surface, and to determine the optimum tilt angle and orientation for the solar collector at any latitude. This model was applied for determining optimum tilt angle in the high latitudes zone in the Southern Hemisphere, on a daily basis, as well as for a specific period. The results reveal that changing the tilt angle 12 times in a year maintains approximately the total amount of solar radiation near the maximum value that is found by changing the tilt angle daily to its optimum value. This achieves a yearly gain in solar radiation up to 1.8 times of the case of a horizontal surface while the daily gain reaches 60 times approximately. Moreover, general formulas are proposed for predicting daily optimum tilt angle and optimum tilt angle over any period.
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