Increasing energy yield in challenging terrain and high wind scenarios
- Jan 15
- 1 min read
Single-axis trackers enhance solar energy yield by following the sun, even in challenging environments. Progressive wind stow and terrain optimized backtracking strategies significantly reduce energy loss, improving performance in high winds and uneven terrains.
With the proliferation of solar power plants worldwide, single axis trackers are proving an invaluable resource. Rotating solar panels throughout the day to follow the sun increases energy yield, providing more consistent energy output. These solar trackers are increasingly installed in challenging environmental and topographical areas. Projects are now being installed in hurricane prone areas with high windspeeds and sites with steep, quickly changing slopes, like mountainsides.
The need for structural solutions to these complicating factors is currently being addressed through increased damping for wind, improved hail mitigation, and flexible table designs for terrain, among others. However, the impact on power production over a project’s lifetime is less accurately estimated and understood. Developing and accurately modeling tracking algorithms for challenging terrain and wind stow strategies is critical to the continued adoption of single axis trackers.