Field Comparison Study of Fixed-Tilted and Single-Axis Tracking PV Structures in the Desert Environment of Dubai, UAE

This paper evaluates a fixed-tilted and a single-axis sun tracking photovoltaic (PV) test setups located within a harsh desert environment. We compare multiple parameters, including energy yields, temperature losses, and soiling losses. Four monocrystalline (sc-Si) PV modules and one thin-film (TF) module are considered in this study during the period January-December 2019. The improvement in the energy yield from the east-west sun tracking system compared to the fixed-tilted system at 25° was found to be 16% and 24% on average for the sc-Si and TF PV technologies, respectively. The single-axis tracking modules showed higher month-to-month variability in energy yields, where the highest yields occurred in summer months. The differences in temperature losses between the two test setups were found to be negligible; however, the losses due to soiling were significantly lower for the single-axis tracker as characterized by an average daily soiling rate of -0.156%/day compared to -0.366%/day for the fixed-tilted modules.