3D backtracking in solar trackers offers significant improvements in energy optimization and adaptability for photovoltaic systems. Here are the main benefits:
1. Energy Yield Enhancement
Provides up to 4% more annual energy production compared to traditional backtracking by optimizing panel angles to prioritize sun exposure over total shadow elimination. During sunrise/sunset, it delivers 50–300% higher energy output by minimizing suboptimal orientations.
2. Terrain Adaptability
Adjusts to East-West and North-South slopes and uneven landscapes by calculating tilt angles for individual trackers based on 3D terrain models. This outperforms conventional methods that treat tracker groups as flat planes, making it ideal for irregular topographies with hills or depressions.
3. Shadow Management
Employs balanced optimization to tolerate minor edge shading if it leads to better overall energy capture, unlike traditional systems that force panels into inefficient positions to eliminate all shadows. This prevents the “domino effect” of shading on neighboring modules.
4. Precision Adjustments
Uses real-time 3D polygonal analysis to account for installation deviations and tracker-specific conditions, even in seemingly flat terrains. This reduces energy losses caused by manual parameter adjustments or grouped tracker settings.
5. Future-Proofing
Supports integration with IoT and advanced analytics for smarter, autonomous systems, reducing operational costs while improving resilience in high-density installations.
Original article by NenPower, If reposted, please credit the source: https://nenpower.com/blog/what-are-the-main-benefits-of-using-3d-backtracking-in-solar-trackers/
