Model step
Backtracking angle
One rotation for the field, or each tracker's own from its neighbours
Inputs used: Backtracking angle, Backtracking, Backtracking width, Collector band width
What it is
Backtracking turns a tracker back toward flat at low sun so that its shadow misses its neighbour. With the common angle every tracker of an orientation group takes one rotation, computed as if the field were one plane. On uneven ground the neighbours stand higher or lower, so one rotation leaves some trackers shaded and others backtracking more than they need. Terrain-aware backtracking gives each tracker of a scene its own rotation from its neighbours' heights.
Options
- Planar backtracking, PVsyst application: one backtracking rotation per orientation group
- Terrain-aware backtracking: each tracker's own rotation from its neighbours' heights
References
- Anderson & Mikofski 2020, Slope-Aware Backtracking for Single-Axis Trackers, NREL/TP-5K00-76626
API
array.backtracking_angle = common_angle | terrain_aware