Stepwise Single-Axis Tracking of Flat-Plate Solar Collectors: Optimal Rotation Step Size in a Continental Climate.
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| Title: | Stepwise Single-Axis Tracking of Flat-Plate Solar Collectors: Optimal Rotation Step Size in a Continental Climate. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Kowalik, Robert1 (AUTHOR) rkowalik@tu.kielce.pl, Nešović, Aleksandar2 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Energies (19961073). Nov2025, Vol. 18 Issue 21, p5776. 31p. |
| Subjects: | Solar collectors, Temperate climate, Simulation software, Energy consumption |
| Geographic Terms: | Kragujevac (Serbia), Serbia |
| Abstract: | This study investigates the effect of rotation step size on the performance of flat-plate solar collectors (FPSC) equipped with single-axis tracking. Numerical simulations were carried out in EnergyPlus, coupled with a custom Python interface enabling dynamic control of collector orientation. The analysis was carried out for the city of Kragujevac in Serbia, located in a temperate continental climate zone, based on five representative summer days (3 July–29 September) to account for seasonal variability. Three collector types with different efficiency parameters were considered, and inlet water temperatures of 20 °C, 30 °C, and 40 °C were applied to represent typical operating conditions. The results show that single-axis tracking increased the incident irradiance by up to 28% and the useful seasonal heat gain by up to 25% compared to the fixed configuration. Continuous tracking (ψ = 1°) achieved the highest energy yield but required 181 daily movements, which makes it mechanically demanding. Stepwise tracking with ψ = 10–15° retained more than 90–95% of the energy benefit of continuous tracking while reducing the number of daily movements to 13–19. For larger steps (ψ = 45–90°), the advantage of tracking decreased sharply, with thermal output only 5–10% higher than the fixed case. Increasing the inlet temperature from 20 °C to 40 °C reduced seasonal heat gain by approximately 30% across all scenarios. Overall, the findings indicate that relative single-axis tracking with ψ between 10° and 15° provides the most practical balance between energy efficiency, reliability, and economic viability, making it well-suited for residential-scale solar thermal systems. This is the first study to quantify how discrete rotation steps in single-axis tracking affect both thermal and economic performance of flat-plate collectors. The proposed EnergyPlus–Python model demonstrates that a 10–15° step offers 90–95% of the continuous-tracking energy gain while reducing actuator motion by ~85%. The results provide practical guidance for optimizing low-cost solar-thermal tracking in continental climates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Energies (19961073) is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Engineering Source |
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| Header | DbId: egs DbLabel: Engineering Source An: 189611035 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Stepwise Single-Axis Tracking of Flat-Plate Solar Collectors: Optimal Rotation Step Size in a Continental Climate. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kowalik%2C+Robert%22">Kowalik, Robert</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> rkowalik@tu.kielce.pl</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Nešović%2C+Aleksandar%22">Nešović, Aleksandar</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Energies+%2819961073%29%22">Energies (19961073)</searchLink>. Nov2025, Vol. 18 Issue 21, p5776. 31p. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Solar+collectors%22">Solar collectors</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Temperate+climate%22">Temperate climate</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Simulation+software%22">Simulation software</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Energy+consumption%22">Energy consumption</searchLink> – Name: SubjectGeographic Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Kragujevac+%28Serbia%29%22">Kragujevac (Serbia)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Serbia%22">Serbia</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: This study investigates the effect of rotation step size on the performance of flat-plate solar collectors (FPSC) equipped with single-axis tracking. Numerical simulations were carried out in EnergyPlus, coupled with a custom Python interface enabling dynamic control of collector orientation. The analysis was carried out for the city of Kragujevac in Serbia, located in a temperate continental climate zone, based on five representative summer days (3 July–29 September) to account for seasonal variability. Three collector types with different efficiency parameters were considered, and inlet water temperatures of 20 °C, 30 °C, and 40 °C were applied to represent typical operating conditions. The results show that single-axis tracking increased the incident irradiance by up to 28% and the useful seasonal heat gain by up to 25% compared to the fixed configuration. Continuous tracking (ψ = 1°) achieved the highest energy yield but required 181 daily movements, which makes it mechanically demanding. Stepwise tracking with ψ = 10–15° retained more than 90–95% of the energy benefit of continuous tracking while reducing the number of daily movements to 13–19. For larger steps (ψ = 45–90°), the advantage of tracking decreased sharply, with thermal output only 5–10% higher than the fixed case. Increasing the inlet temperature from 20 °C to 40 °C reduced seasonal heat gain by approximately 30% across all scenarios. Overall, the findings indicate that relative single-axis tracking with ψ between 10° and 15° provides the most practical balance between energy efficiency, reliability, and economic viability, making it well-suited for residential-scale solar thermal systems. This is the first study to quantify how discrete rotation steps in single-axis tracking affect both thermal and economic performance of flat-plate collectors. The proposed EnergyPlus–Python model demonstrates that a 10–15° step offers 90–95% of the continuous-tracking energy gain while reducing actuator motion by ~85%. The results provide practical guidance for optimizing low-cost solar-thermal tracking in continental climates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Energies (19961073) is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.3390/en18215776 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 31 StartPage: 5776 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Solar collectors Type: general – SubjectFull: Temperate climate Type: general – SubjectFull: Simulation software Type: general – SubjectFull: Energy consumption Type: general – SubjectFull: Kragujevac (Serbia) Type: general – SubjectFull: Serbia Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Stepwise Single-Axis Tracking of Flat-Plate Solar Collectors: Optimal Rotation Step Size in a Continental Climate. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Kowalik, Robert – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Nešović, Aleksandar IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 11 Text: Nov2025 Type: published Y: 2025 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 19961073 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 18 – Type: issue Value: 21 Titles: – TitleFull: Energies (19961073) Type: main |
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