Solar Trackers: Poised To Boom With Solar Once Again

Solar trackers are usually paired with ground mount solar systems in order to increase energy output of the solar panel. Recently, rooftop-mounted trackers have also emerged in the market. So, what is a solar tracker? How is it instrumental in boosting energy output of solar panels?

In the simplest of terms, a solar tracker is a device that follows the sun as it moves across the sky from sunrise to sunset. When solar panels are mounted with solar trackers, the panels can follow the path of the sun and produce more renewable energy than otherwise.

Thus, using Solar Trackers increases the amount of solar energy received by the solar panels and improves the energy output of the heat/electricity which is generated. Solar Trackers can increase the output of solar panels by upto 20-30%. This improves the economics of the solar panel project substantially. Obviously, as we get more and more efficient panels, the utility of solar trackers, all else being equal, goes up too. That explains the strong rebound in the solar tracker market even in India, as large projects phase out polycrystalline modules in favour of mono and bifacials.

Types of Solar Trackers

The way a solar tracking system moves is dependent on the type of system it is – Manual, Passive, or Active solar tracker. Further, depending on the direction in which the solar trackers can move they are categorised as Single axis or Dual axis tracker. While the single axis tracker only tracks the sun in its movement from east to west, Dual axis tracker also follows it as it moves from north to south, in addition to east-west movement. Single axis trackers are suitable for utility-scale projects and can increase energy production about 25-35 per cent. On the other hand, Dual axis trackers are more suitable for residential and small commercial solar projects that have limited space, so they can produce enough power to meet their energy needs. They can increase energy production by up to 40 per cent according to claims by some firms.

Feasibility of Solar Trackers

While the solar trackers do increase the efficiency of a solar panel, but installation of solar tracker requires high cost of investments. Further, the cost of labour and space gets added to the cost of implementation of a solar tracker. Moreover, since the solar panels are now cheaper than ever, it would cost less to install more solar panels than it would to include a tracking system. This brings us to the question: is installing solar tracker really feasible in long run?

Well, the answer is simple: it depends on the efficiency. For instance, a standard size 60-cell (1m x 1.65m) polycrystalline panel with 18-20% efficiency typically with a power rating of 300-330 Watts, is less efficient than say, a monocrystalline one that can produce up to 370W/440 W. Thus, we can say that cost of using tracker will be same for both panels of same size. Yet, the energy production will be different. Furthermore, when we say a 30 per cent of energy production is increased by the help of solar tracker, power production will be much higher in high efficiency cells panel. Thus, solar tracker for highly efficient solar panels is not just feasible but advisable as well.

Efficiency of Solar Panels Saves Money

In environmental terms, increased efficiency generally means a solar panel will pay back the embodied energy (energy used to extract the raw materials and manufacture the solar panel) in less time. However, as panel efficiency has increased beyond 20%, payback time has reduced to less than less than 2 years in many locations.

Solar panel efficiency generally gives a good indication of performance, especially as many high-efficiency panels use higher grade N-type silicon cells with improved temperature coefficient and lower power degradation over time. Some manufacturers such as LG, Panasonic and SunPower even offer warranties with 90% or higher retained power output after 25 years of use.

Bifacial Solar Panels are one such type of high energy solar panels with power output ratings regularly over 500W now. They go perfectly with solar trackers, increasing efficiency significantly.

Bifacial Solar Panels Following Sun: Most Cost Effective

A bifacial solar panel is a solar panel that can collect energy from the front side and the rear side. The technology traces back it genesis to as early as 1960s. Yet, being too costly, it remained dormant while the broader PV market exploded. Thanks to cost drops and efficiency improvements, bifacial solar cells and panels are again getting boost in the market.

When bifacial modules are mounted on a highly reflective surface, some bifacial module manufacturers say that the extra power produced from the rear will result in an increase in output by 30%.

Coupled With Solar Trackers

It is widely accepted now that pairing two technologies will definitely result in bifacial modules generating more energy than their front side power rating. Bifacial cells made up 50% of the world market share of solar cells in 2021. As per International Technology Roadmap for Photovoltaics (ITRPV), the percentage is expected to increase to 85% by 2023. In fact, the solar tracker manufacturers also stated that the majority of recent solar projects using their tracking systems include bifacial panels.

Bifacial solar PV technology can get boost from solar tracking technology, capturing much more sunlight than a normal solar array ever could. As per one report ‘Global Techno-Economic Performance of Bifacial and Tracking Photovoltaic Systems’, tilting toward the light, for optimal sunlight collection from both sides, can be the most cost-effective solar option to date. The combination system enhances the energy production, producing around 35 per cent more energy, on average, than mobile single panel photovoltaic systems. Overall, the arrangement helps to reduce cost of electricity by an average of 16 per cent, as per the report.

The Boosting Market

According to Precedence Research, the global solar tracker market size is expected to be worth around US$ 64.6 billion by 2030 and will clock the growth at a CAGR of 15.6% from 2022 to 2030. This is against the global solar tracker market size in 2021 which was estimated at US$ 19.94 billion in the year.

The solar tracker technology has reached a share of over 30% of the utility market, from basically nil only a handful of years ago. The stake is only expected to increase over the coming years. Leading solar tracker firms like Nextracker, Trina, Arctech besides others are poised to reap the gains from the strong revival in the market.