Energy efficiency analysis of 1 MW PV farm mounted on fixed and tracking systems

Abstract The article presents a comparison of results from a simulation of the energy production by a photovoltaic installation with a tracking system and a stationary PV farm in the PVSyst program. The analyzed 1 MW PV installations were located in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. Energy production results obtained from the installation with a tracking system were compared with a stationary farm with panels placed at an angle of 20° and an azimuth 0°. The paper also presents the types of tracking systems and discusses the advantages of this solution and its risks compared to traditional panel mounting. The results obtained in the study indicated that the use of a tracking system increased the annual energy production compared to a stationary farm.