DETERMINATION OF

OPTIMUM TILT ANGLES

OF PV PANELS IN GHANA
GROUP 47
MEMBERS:
COBBINA JULIET - 8222819
AFREH CALEB WINNER -8227019
OPPONG AFUA GYAPOMAA - 8244119

SUPERVISED BY: DR. E. K. ANTO

 OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION

• INTRODUCTION
• LITERATURE REVIEW
• THEORY
• METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
1.1.BACKGROUND OF PROJECT
 Due to infrastructure and technological growth, the need for power to meet social demands is
increasing at an alarming rate.
 Other renewable means of power generation have been adapted to support the conventional
hydropower generation such as solar.
 Solar plays the role of a very clean and environmentally friendly form of energy.
 There is no fuel to burn so greenhouse gas emissions are not released into the atmosphere during
generation.
 It is important that solar PV systems receive very high solar radiation to ensure maximum
output.
 This is done by determining the optimum tilt angles of solar panels.
 The geographucal position of the earth with respect to the sun changes all year round, hence, one
particular angle must be chosen for a fixed system which will be ideal even as the seasons
change.
 1.2 THE ISSUE
 Ghana benefits from good exposure to solar radiation due to its geographic location.

 Despite the high amount of solar radiation, random selection of position or orientation of
PV panels greatly affects the amount of solar energy received by the panel, thereby,
affects the power output.

 A poor tilt angle ( angle higher or lower than the optimum) will lead to poor solar
irradiation on the panel which results in poor PV power output.

 There is ,therefore, the need to determine the optimum tilt angle for installation, to be
able to realize the optimum performance of the system for maximum yield.

 Rooftop PV panel installation requires knowledge of the optimum tilt anlge so that the
roofs can be inclined to suit it.
AIM
Aim
AND OBJECTIVES
Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the optimum tilt angle for three different
types of PV panels in Ghana.

The objectives of this study are:

 To review literature on the effects of tilt angle on rooftop grid connected solar PV panels.

 To obtain solar radiation data for various cities in the Northern, Middle and Southern
Belts of Ghana for three PV technologies (Monocrystalline, polycrystalline and thin film)
and simulate the impacts of tilt angle on the output of PV panels in those solar belts in
Ghana, using MATLAB.

 To determine the optimum tilt angles for PV panels in the three major solar belts in
Ghana.
LITERATURE REVIEW
1)Assessment of the Potential Solar Energy with the Models for Optimum Tilt Angles of
Maximum Solar Irradiance for Iraq by Qusay Hassan et al ,2021. (1)

What was done

• Potential solar energy was assessed and the optimum tilt angles of maximum
solar irradiance in Iraq were determined.

How it was done

• Hourly experimental solar radiation data for nineteen years was gathered and
used in the process.
• Extra-terrestrial radiation, declination angle, latitude, sunset hour angle and
clearness index were used to estimate the various components of global solar
radiation
1)Assessment of the Potential Solar Energy with the Models for Optimum Tilt Angles of
Maximum Solar Irradiance for Iraq by Qusay Hassan et al,2021 (2)

Results and Findings

• This work obtained the optimum tilt angles of the maximum solar irradiance
when the tilt angle was varied from 0° to 64° in the steps of 1°.
• The largest expected amount of solar energy collected during the year was the
monthly optimum tilt angle, and the lowest was when setting the tilt angle as
the latitude value (0 degrees).

Merit
• Compared to other publications results were consistent.
2) Determination of Optimum Tilt Angle for Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic System
Installation for Kikukinderhaus in Kumasi by Theophilus Frimpong Adu et al, 2020. (1)
What was done
• The purpose of this study was to establish the ideal rooftop solar photovoltaic system tilt angle for
KikuKinderhaus in Kumasi and to examine how deviating from the ideal affects the PV system's
output.
How it was done
• The roof's North, South, East, and West facing orientations, angle of inclination, and area were all
measured using a compass, level meter, and tape measure, respectively.
• The Stand-alone system was designed using the lowest monthly daily solar irradiation whereas the
Grid-tied systems used the average monthly daily solar irradiation.
• This study used RETScreen 4 (experimental method) to investigate how tilt angle affected solar
photovoltaic systems' production.
• Annual estimates of the ideal tilt angle and the accompanying PV production were made for three
different PV units by varying the angles from 5° to 30° .
2) Determination of Optimum Tilt Angle for Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic System
Installation for Kikukinderhaus in Kumasi by Theophilus Frimpong Adu et al, 2020. (2)

 Graphs were plotted, showing how the energy yield varied with the tilt angles.

Results and Findings

• The ideal tilt angle for all systems that would increase yield and for self-cleaning was
discovered to be 10°.
Merit
• The study made estimates from three different PVs which made room for more accurate result.

Demerit
• The study only considered data from one location in Ghana, which may limit its relevance in
other parts of the country.
3)Determination of Optimum TiltAngle for Different Photovoltaic Technologies
Considering Ambient Conditions: A Case Study for Burdur, Turkey by
Ramazan Ayaz et al,2021(1).
What was done:
 The optimum tilt angle for different photovoltaic technologies in Burdur, Turkey, was determined
considering ambient conditions.

How it was done:

 The global radiation on tilted surface was calculated by using extraterrestrial radiation, global
radiation on horizontal surface,sun angles, and latitude
 The calculation method is also verified with comparison of measured and calculated data.
 The MATLAB/SIMULINK models of PV technologies were developed to obtain energy output of
PVs. In the PV model,
 In the PV model, the radiation on tilted surface, ambient temperature, wind speed, and PV
specifications were the input parameters, and PV voltage and PV current were the output
parameters
3)Determination of Optimum TiltAngle for Different Photovoltaic Technologies Considering
Ambient Conditions: A Case Study for Burdur, Turke by Ramazan Ayaz et al,2021(2).
 Total energy output of PVs is calculated for different tilt angles

Results and findings

 Annual optimum tilt angles are calculated as 11 deg, 13 deg, and 15 deg for
monocrystalline,polycrystalline, and thin film technologies, respectively.
 The results showed that not only radiation but also wind speed and temperature have an important
role on PV power generation.
Merit
 The consideration of the three PV system provide a more reliable basis for selection of tilt angle
for rooftop installations.
 THEORY
(CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK)
This section presents a definition of concepts and the
framework used in the study.
PV PANELS
 The main component of a pv system is the
solar cell
 It is a semi-connductor electronic
component
 Made up of silicon that absorbs photons
emitted by the sun.
 A number of solarcells are connected to
form a module
 One or more modules are assembled as a
prewired unit called a panel
 PV panels can either be grid tied or off grid.
PV PANELS
 Power produced by the photovoltaic panels is
passed through a power inverter unit.

 It converts DC electricity produced by the PV

to AC so they can be used directly by AC loads

 When PV systems produce more electricity than is

actually needed, the surplus can be stored in
batteries or can be fed back into the electrical
grid network.

 A pv cell can be modelled as a basic PN junction

EQUIVALENT MODEL FOR A SOLAR CELL
 IL= Iph -ID1-ID2- Where ;

I01= Diode 1 saturation current (accounts

for diffusion)

I02= Diode 2 saturaton current (accounts

for recombination)

a1,a2= Ideality factors. Measures how

much a practical diode deviates from
ideal diode operation.

V1,V2= Thermal voltages

 TYPES OF PV PANELS
Three types of PV systems (Monocrystalline, polycrystalline and thin-film) will be considered in this project.
ASPECT MONOCRYSTALLINE POLYCRYSTALLINE THIN FILM
Efficiency High Moderate Low to moderate
Appearance Uniform black Blue or mottled Sleek and dark
Manufacturing Single crystal Multiple crystals Semi conductor layers

Space efficiency High Moderate Low

Heat tolerance Good Moderate Low
Durability High Moderate Moderate
Performance in low light Good Moderate Moderate

Installation Common Common Flexible, easy

Lifespan Long Moderate Moderate
Cost High Moderate Moderate
SOLAR RADIATION AND
IRRADIATION
 Solar radiation is the energy and light that the sun transmits. It can also be
described as the amount of photons emitted by the sun.
 Solar irradiation of a PV panel refers to the amount of solar radiation hitting
its surface.

There are two main types of solar irradiation.

 Extraterrestrial radiation
 Terrestrial radiation; Diffuse radiation
Beam or direct radiation
SOLAR BELTS OF GHANA
There are three main solar belts in Ghana:
 The northern belt
 The middle belt
 The southern belt

Northern Belt (Savannah Belt)

 It consists of the regions in the northern part of Ghana .

 Characterized by a dry savannah climate and a high potential for solar energy generation with
radiation of about 200W/m2
 The region has a flat terrain, which makes it easier to install and maintain solar energy
infrastructure.
 The town selected to represent this belt is Tamale.
SOLAR BELTS OF GHANA (2)
Middle Belt (Forest Belt)
 This region is characterized by its dense rainforest vegetation and high biodiversity.
 The region has a hot and humid tropical climate, with solar irradiation of about 170
W/m2
 The town selected to represent this belt is Sunyani.

 Southern Belt (Coastal Belt)

 This region is characterized by its abundant sunshine and high potential for solar
energy production.
 The Coastal Solar Belt is situated in the tropics and has a hot and humid climate, with
solar irradiation of about 190W/m2
 The town selected to represent this belt is Accra.
USING STATISTICAL METHOD TO FIND THE
REPRESENTATIVE TOWN FOR EACH BELT.(1)
Northern Belt

Low standard deviation means that the data

is clustered around the mean. The average
solar radiation of Tamale is closer to the
mean, therefore Tamale is chosen as the
representative city of the Northern belt.
USING STATISTICAL METHOD TO FIND THE
REPRESENTATIVE TOWN FOR EACH BELT.(2)
Middle Belt

Low standard deviation means that the

data is clustered around the mean.The
average solar radiation of Sunyani,
Akuse and Koforidua are the same very
close to the mean. Sunyani is chosen as
the representative city for the middle belt.
USING STATISTICAL METHOD TO FIND THE
REPRESENTATIVE TOWN FOR EACH BELT.(3)
SOUTHERN BELT

Low standard deviation means that the data is

clustered around the mean.The average solar
radiation of Accra is closer to the mean,
therefore Accra is chosen as the
representative city of the southern belt.
SOLAR RADIATION MAP OF THE VARIOUS SOLAR
BELTS
AVERAGE RADIATION IN THE VARIOUS SOLAR BELTS
SOLAR BELT REGION TOWN AVERAGE SOLAR
RADIATION (W/m2)

NORTHERN SAVANNAH TAMALE 198.75

MIDDLE BONO SUNYANI 173.58

SOUTHERN GREATER ACCRA ACCRA 190.67

Source: GMA (Average solar radiation in the three solar belts for 2018.)

These three towns were selected beacuse they have solar radiation closest to the average solar
radiation of the respective solar belts
THE TILT ANGLE(1)
• The tilt angle of a solar panel is the angle of
inclination of the panel measured from the
horizontal.
• A solar panel will produce maximum energy
when the sun is directly perpendicular to it.
• The amount of power output of a pv panel is
dependent on; its efficiency (ɳ), the intensity of light
hitting its sirface (I) and its surface area (A).
• P= ɳIA
 THE TILT ANGLE (2)
The PV panel has to ideally be installed at an angle such that it absorbs maximum
solar energy throughout the day. This angle is known as the optimum tilt angle

 Optimum tilt angle (β)= arctan(0.636tan(α))

Where α is the elevation angle

 EQUATIONS AND CLIMATOLOGICAL PARAMETERS(1)
 Elevation angle (α):
α= arcsin(sin(φ)sin(δ)+cos(φ)cos(δ)cos(ω)
Where: δ is the declination angle depending on the year
φ is the latitude angle of the location
ω is the hour angle
 Latitude(φ):
It is a geographic coordinate that specifies the north–south angular position of a point on the earth's
surface relative to the equator. It ranges from 0° at the equator to 90° at the poles.

 Declination Angle(δ):
The angle between the equator and a line drawn from the centre of the Earth to the centre of the Sun.

where d refers to the day of the year.

 EQUATIONS AND CLIMATOLOGICAL PARAMETERS(2)
 Hour Angle (ω):
It is the angular displacement of the sun east or west of the local meridian due to rotation of the earth
on its axis at 15° per hour.

ω= 15(12-local solar time in hours )

 Sunrise or Sunset Hour Angle (ωs):

It refers to the hour angle at sunrise or sunset.
ωs = (-tan tan δ)

 Clearness Index ()

Clearness Index () This is the ratio of the monthly mean horizontal daily radiation to the monthly
mean horizontal daily total extra-terrestrial solar radiation.
 EQUATIONS AND CLIMATOLOGICAL PARAMETERS(3)

Extra terrestrial Radiation:

Gsc (solar constant) = 1.367 kW/m2

SI Unit of Ho is W/m2

 Tilt Factor:
Tilt factor is the ratio of the solar radiation on a tilted surface to that on a horizontal surface.
Tilt Factor (Rb):
where is the tilt angle.
 EQUATIONS AND CLIMATOLOGICAL PARAMETERS(4)

When ω=0,
When this value is multiplied by the beam solar radiation on a horizontal surface
(Hb), you derive the beam solar radiation on the surface tilted at the optimum tilt angle.

Tilt Factor for Diffuse Radiation(Rd):

When this value is multiplied by the diffuse solar radiation on a horizontal surface
(Hd), you derive the diffuse solar radiation on the surface tilted at the optimum tilt angle.
Tilt Factor for Ground Reflected Radiation(Rr):
 EQUATIONS AND CLIMATOLOGICAL PARAMETERS(5)

When this value is multiplied by the ground reflected solar radiation on a horizontal surface
(Hr), you derive the ground reflected solar radiation on the surface tilted at the optimum tilt angle.

 Global Solar Radiation on a Tilted Surface(HT):

This refers to the solar radiation that will be received on the surface when it is tilted at the optimum
tilt angle. The SI Unit is

= []
 EQUATIONS AND CLIMATOLOGICAL PARAMETERS(6)

 Power Output of a PV Panel:

This refers to the power outputted by the solar panel as a result of incident solar
radiation.
x Area of PV panel x efficiency
[]x Area of PV panel x efficiency
MODEL SPECIFICATION FOR MONOCRYSTALLINE
MODEL SPECICATION FOR POLY-CRYSTALLINE
MODEL SPECIFICATION FOR THIN FILM
METHODOLOGY
 METHODOLOGY
The process will be carried out for all three solar PV types.
FLOWCHART
 SIMULINK MODEL OF PV PANEL
A SIMULINK model which is the graphical representation of the MATLAB code was designed to
estimate the maximum irradiation and power output corresponding to the optimum tilt angle.
 MODEL VALIDATION
 The PV module takes solar irradiance and temperature as inputs.
 The output of the PV is fed into an MPPT (boost converter) to maximize the power that
will be supplied to the load.
 The current measurement block and voltage measurement blocks record measurements of
current and voltage of the PV module respectively as outputs.
 The Product block shows the estimation of PV power output.
 The functional block allows for the implementation of the MPPT algorithm. Various steps
are carried out as per the algorithms and the final output is the duty cycle of the PWM
signal
 The Scope block plots the solar radiation on a tilted surface as well as power output of
the PV module corresponding to each tilt angle.
CHARACTERISTIC CURVES FOR MONOCRYSTALLINE
(1)
CHARACTERISTIC CURVES FOR MONOCRYSTALLINE(2)
CHARACTERISTIC CURVES FOR POLY-CRYSTALLINE
CHARACTERISTIC CURVES FOR THIN FILM
RESULTS AND ANALYSIS
 RESULTS FOR MONOCRYSTALLINE(1)
• The curves below show the variation of solar radiation with respect to tilt angle
for the Northern, Middle and Southern belts. Accra is represented by the blue lines,
Sunyani is represented by the green and Tamale is represented by the red lines.

• The curves vary like cos functions; they increase till it get to their
maximum, then start to reduce and even past the negative region.

• This is expected as the equations relating tilt angle and solar radiation
consist of cos functions.
 The optimum tilt angle for the various towns and their correspoonding
solar radiations are tabulated below
RESULTS FOR MONOCRYSTALLINE(2)
RESULTS FOR MONOCRYSTALLINE(3)
RESULTS FOR MONOCRYSTALLINE (2)
TOWN RADIATION (W/m2) OPTIMUM TILT ANGLE(°)

ACCRA 229.3637 26

SUNYANI 218.2565 28

TAMALE 243.1088 31

From the table, it is observed that Tamale receives the maximum solar radiation out
of all the three towns, followed by Accra, then Sunyani which is expected due to the
amount of sunlight received in their geographic locations.
RESULTS FOR POLYCRYSTALLINE(1)
RESULTS FOR POLYCRYSTALLINE(2)
 RESULTS FOR POLYCRYSTALLINE(3)
Similar to the monocrystalline PV, the graph of this system also behaves like a
cosine function; It increases to a certain maximum value then decreases as the
tilt angle is increased.
TOWN RADIATION (W/m2) TILT ANGLE(°)

ACCRA 210.25004 29

SUNYANI 200.0684 31

TAMALE 222.84977 33

From the table above, it is shown that the radiation received by the
polycrytalline PV in each of the locations , even at their optimum tilt angles is
still less than that received by the monocrystalline PV.
RESULTS FOR THIN FILM(1)
RESULTS FOR THIN FILM(2)
 RESULTS FOR THIN FILM
TOWN RADIATION (W/m2) TILT ANGLE(°)

ACCRA 191.1364 32

SUNYANI 181.8804 33

TAMALE 202.5907 37

It is observed that, for optimum performance, this PV technology must be tilted higher than its two
counterparts .
Even so, it receives the least amount of solar radiation out of all three.
RELATING TILT ANGLE TO THE OUTPUT POWER
• Taking the monocrystalline PV into
consideration for the three towns, the
curve for output power varies
proportionally to that of solar radiation,
as expected from the equations. ().

• The point of maximum power

coincides with the point of maximum
solar radiation at the optimum tilt angle.

• Therefore, at the optimum tilt angle, the

solar panel records the highest yeild.
 ANALYSIS(1)
 We observe that the solar radiation on the tilted surface varied sinusoidally (like
a cos function) with tilt angles for all 3 solar belts due to their cosine relationship.
 The values for optimum tilt angles obtained for maximum solar radiation were the
same as those found for the maximum output power
 The maximum solar radiation, maximum power and optimum tilt for the 3
belts did not differ much from each other since their latitudes were also close to
each other.
 ANALYSIS(2)
 The belt with the highest power output and highest solar radiation at the
optimum tilt angle was Northern Belt.

 The next was Southern Belt and last was Middle Belt.

 This is as expected since from the solar map of Ghana, we could see that the
Northern Belt has the highest solar power potential as compared to the other
two.
 ANALYSIS(3)
 In terms of the PV technologies, the higest values of solar ration were recorded
for the Monocrystalline PV, followed by the Polycrystalline, then thin film

 The optimum tilt anlges for the various PVs varied, and so did their solar
radiation received.
 Thia result is as expected due to the difference in their performance
characteristics.
 CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
 CONCLUSION
 The solar radiation and hence, the output power of the pv panel depend greatly on the tilt angle.
 The selection of the tilt angle can determine whether the pv panel will be under-utilized or used
to its maximum potential.
 Selecting the right tilt angle will ensure a higher energy yield all year.

 The optimum tilt angles in degrees obtined for Accra were, 26,29 and 32. For Sunyani were;
28,31 and 33 and for Tamale were; 31, 33 and 37 for monocrystalline, polycrystalline and
thin film PVs respectively.

 Due to the difference in tilt angles for the PV types and their corresponding towns, the
optimum tilt angles are not interchangeable for the various PV types.
 CONCLUSION
 These angles should be adopted for maximum performance and output power yield of
PV panels.
 The angles obtained must also be taken into account for roof design.

 Importance must also be placed on the type of pv system used as they all differ in their
efficiency and hence, their yield.
 For residential use, the thin film PV will be able to provide a sustainable amount of
power and will also be cost efficient.
 Monocrystalline and poly-crystalline are well suited for commercial use due to their
higher efficiency and output power, although they are more expensive as compared to
thin film technologies.
 RECOMMENDATIONS
 In future works, the effect of weather conditions such as wind, relative humidity
and rainfall at the respective solar belts should be taken into consideration in the
simulations.
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THANK YOU