API field
GCR (ground cover ratio)
Collector band width divided by the row pitch
Unit –
What it is
The ground cover ratio is the collector band width divided by the row pitch; the inactive bands lie outside that width and do not count. It lies between 0 and 1. A higher value packs the rows closer, which raises the row-to-row shading and lowers the diffuse light the modules see. The form takes the row pitch in metres and derives this ratio; the API takes the ratio.
Typical values and how to get it
0.40 to 0.50 for fixed rows and 0.30 to 0.45 for trackers; from the pitch and the collector band width of the layout drawings. If not given: 0.4.
References
- Duffie & Beckman, Solar Engineering of Thermal Processes, 4th ed., Wiley 2013
API
array.gcr