Performance evaluation of solar tracking systems for power generation based on simulation analysis: Solar island concept

Solar island concept was built in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE for the purpose of power generation using renewable technologies while tracking the azimuth of the sun with high precision. In this paper the concept of floating solar tracking platform is presented, looking into details other similar developments around the world. Taking the Solar Island concept, simulation is carried out to estimate the power generated from installing solar system on the structure. Skelion and PVsyst 6.0 were used to simulate the power output from PV modules. While a calculation procedure was followed to evaluate the power output from CSP (Concentrated Solar Power) linear Fresnel technology. The analysis showed power yield increase of 14.8 % and 15.03% when PV solar system and CSP solar system were evaluated respectively, as compared to fixed PV solar system.