Performance Analysis of 1MW Grid Connected Photovoltaic System with Orientation Variation for Xi’an, China

Abstract

The grid integration rate of renewable energy is increasing rapidly. The ratio of energy fed to the grid needs to be optimized. This research aims to do a comparative performance analysis of a 1 MW grid-connected PV system by utilizing four field orientations for the geographical site of Xi’an, Shaanxi, in PVSYST software. The four orientations include fixed tilt, seasonal tilt, one-axis tracking, and two-axis tracking.  The average, summer, winter, minimum, and maximum tilts used are 29°, 17°, 54°, 1°, and 60°, respectively. The simulation results of output parameters including performance ratio, annual energy generated and injected, and capacity factor show that two-axis tracking can serve as the best placement for grid-connected PV systems in Xi’an among the four evaluated orientations.