A Design Model and Comparison of Fixed and Tracking Photovoltaic Systems for a Single-Family House in Erbil, Iraq

This thesis reviewed the photovoltaic (PV) technology. It also analyzed the potential of the PV plants to solve the problem of power shortages in Iraq. The use of PV power is the most advanced renewable energy application; however, it has not been commercialized in the study location. In this thesis, three separate PV plant systems were assessed in Erbil, Kurdistan region for installation. The study examined the feasibility of the plants proposed and compares the efficiency of both a fixed and dual axis tracking systems for an off-grid PV system. This thesis presented a study on an off-grid photovoltaic system for electrification of a residential household in Erbil (36.18° N, 44.01 ° E, 392 m) using PVsyst software for household load estimation and solar energy requirements. According to meteorological data, Iraq is characterized by a solarity ranging from 1800 kWh/m2/year to 2390 kWh/m2/year of direct normal solar irradiation(Al-Kayiem,2019). Using the Meteonorm solar radiation map, a suitable location was selected for the plant, calculating PV arrays and arrangements to determine the appropriate number of panels, maximizing AC power generation, storage capacity of the battery, and charge controller size to fulfil the required load. To calculate the annual energy generation, the design data was used in a simulation. Three scenarios were simulated; fixed panels, East-West single, and dual-axis tracking systems based on the altitude of azimuth angle tracking. The study compared both the photovoltaic properties and the amount of energy generated by the installed systems: one with a fixed tilt angle, and the other fitted with solar trackers. The results showed that the dual-axis tracking system is 30% more efficient than the other systems, although the single-axis tracking system offers an economically better alternative. Keywords: photovoltaic system (PV), fixed-tilt PV installation, single-axis tracking system, dual-axis tracking system, off-grid system design, PVsyst software.