Maximizing Energy Drawn from the Sun
Not every home or business is suitable for a rooftop solar energy system. In these rare situations, there are upgrade options available which deliver improved performance at a slightly higher cost.
As a next step, Exact Solar may recommend a standard ground mounted where appropriate and suitable adjacent land is available. Click here to learn more about ground mounted solar energy systems.
For premium performance where a standard ground mounted system may be unsuitable, automated solar trackers are available. By design, these systems require less space and in some cases may be the most practical option to work within limiting land contours.
About Solar Trackers
Rooftop and ground mounted solar energy systems are generally designed to be “fixed tilt”, where the angle (tilt) of the panels relative to the earth stays the same. Solar Trackers are also ground mounted systems, with a difference:
They are designed to change the tilt of multiple solar panels at one time.
Relying on sensors and actuators, these systems automatically move the panels to more directly face the sun.
Depending on design, over time the devices can produce from 10% to as much as 45% more electricity when compared to the same panels mounted as fixed-tilt.
Why Aren’t All Systems Solar Trackers?
Solar Trackers require motors and different racking and support structures. This adds varying degrees of cost and weight. For the vast majority of homeowners and small businesses a rooftop solar energy system will still deliver great value, thanks to pricing and years of design experience. The energy demands can be met while the savings will quickly pay back the initial investment and lead to years of low cost or no cost electricity.
We provide tracker options for special circumstances where they may be the better option. Our goal for our customer is always to make sure the customer is getting the best value at the best cost.
About Solar Tracker Design
In the most basic sense, solar trackers are designed to rotate along either one axis (single-axis tracker) or two (dual-axis tracker). Click the illustrations to see the larger versions.
Single-axis tracker — As the names imply, a single-axis tracker rotates a row or many rows of panels along an axis. This design is suitable for moderately sized residential solar installations all the way up to very large utility scale installations. This design typically delivers from 10% to 25% more energy when compared to the equivalently sized fixed-tilt ground mounted solar energy system.
Dual-axis tracker — A dual-axis tracker requires more hardware, more sophisticated controls, and usually more space to allow the freedom of movements. Most dual-axis trackers are designed to deliver from 20% to 45% more energy when compared to the equivalently sized fixed-tilt ground mounted solar energy system. Often this design may be the only way to fully offset a site’s annual energy demand. However, most of the unique circumstances making solar trackers a more viable option are satisfied by lower cost, less complex, and slightly more reliable single-axis designs.
Click here to see more detail about the design and purpose of solar trackers.
Is a Solar Tracker for You?
See solar tracking project examples here, including a tracker in action.
There isn’t a simply formula we can use to determine if your needs are best met by a solar tracker. The unique circumstances vary where trackers deliver the best value. Exact Solar has the experience to assess every option from a rooftop solar energy system, to fixed-tilt ground mounted systems, as well as both solar tracker designs. We invite you to contact us to learn more.
