Novel Approach to Investigate the Influence of Optimum Tilt Angle on Minimum Cost of Energy-Based Maximum Power Generation and Sizing of PV Systems: A Case Study of Diverse Climatic Zones in India

Optimum Photovoltaic (PV) system integration in power grid depend upon the total of power accessible from the PV. To figure the PV systems highest power yield, PV panels must be positioned at an optimal tilt angle (OPTA) to absorb maximum solar radiation (SR). This OPTA is a function of the latitude, clearness index, diffuse SR, global SR, direct SR and optimum PV size. Therefore OPTA has an impact on maximum power generation and optimal PV system sizing. The PV is not installed at OPTA for most of the sites in India which is important for maximum power generation and optimum sizing of standalone PV systems. This results in variation of OPTA from site to site and its effect on PV sizing needs to be investigated. The innovative aspect of this work is the calculation of OPTA, which are employed as sensitive factors in Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources (HOMER), to determine their impact on maximum optimum sizing and power generation for 26 cities in India’s various climate zones. This methodology can be applied all over the world to determine the impact of OPTA on maximum power generation and size. It is found that OPTA varies from 63° to 0° throughout year in India and it is maximum for December in India. The results indicates that Net Present Cost varies from
$\$ $
1105 to
$\$ $
1280 and Cost of Energy (COE) variation is 0.041 to 0.048
$\$ $
/kWh throughout India cities and low temperature sites are good for photovoltaic (PV) power generation. Two axis tracking system produces more power in comparison to other tracking systems. This research is beneficial for researcher and industry to install PV system in different climatic zones of India to generate maximum power at minimum cost of energy.