Performance analysis of fixed tilted solar systems and tracking systems: A case study on azimuth and tilt configurations

Singgih Dwi Prasetyo; Yuki Trisnoaji; Meirna Permatasari; Misbahul Munir; Mochamad Subhcan Mauludin; Marsya Aulia Rizkita; Zainal Arifin; Mohd Afzanizam Mohd Rosli

doi:10.15282/ijame.23.3.2026.7.1043

Authors

Singgih Dwi Prasetyo Power Plant Engineering Technology, Faculty of Vocational Studies, State University of Malang, 65145 Malang, Indonesia , State University of Malang https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5391-5819
Yuki Trisnoaji Department of Informatics Engineering, Universitas Wahid Hasyim, Semarang, Indonesia , Universitas Wahid Hasyim
Meirna Permatasari Accounting, Faculty of Vocational Studies, State University of Malang, 65145 Malang, Indonesia , State University of Malang
Misbahul Munir Power Plant Engineering Technology, Faculty of Vocational Studies, State University of Malang, 65145 Malang, Indonesia , State University of Malang https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8085-4190
Mochamad Subhcan Mauludin Department of Informatics Engineering, Universitas Wahid Hasyim, Semarang, Indonesia , Universitas Wahid Hasyim https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7276-7062
Marsya Aulia Rizkita Applied Marketing Management, Faculty of Vocational Studies, State University of Malang, 65146 Malang, Indonesia , State University of Malang
Zainal Arifin Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Sebelas Maret, 57126 Surakarta, Indonesia , Sebelas Maret University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2091-5828
Mohd Afzanizam Mohd Rosli Fakulti Teknologi dan Kejuruan Mekanikal, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Malaka, Hang Tuah Jaya, 76110 Durian Tunggal, Melaka, Malaysia , Technical University of Malaysia Malacca

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15282/ijame.23.3.2026.7.1043

Keywords:

Photovoltaic, Solar Tracker, Standlone

Abstract

The arrangement of panel orientation and tracking has a significant effect on the performance of stand-alone photovoltaic (PV) systems, especially for the suboptimal solar incidence angle that can limit the use of solar energy during the daytime. Solar tracking systems can increase the capture of solar irradiation, but the higher energy production can also lead to additional losses in case the energy storage capacity is not enough. Therefore, the selection of a suitable PV configuration should take into account both energy generation and effective utilization of the energy. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the performance of stand-alone PV systems with different panel orientations and solar-tracking configurations using PVsyst simulation. The configurations studied were fixed tilted-plane systems with azimuths of 10° and 20° and tilts of 20° and 30°, single-axis solar tracking systems, and dual-axis solar tracking systems. The simulation was performed at the Faculty of Vocational Studies, State University of Malang, Indonesia which has a tropical climate and a large potential of solar energy. The results indicate that dual-axis solar tracker has the highest Solar Fraction (SF) of 0.986 and daily energy yield of 4.82 kWh/kWp/day. However, this configuration also showed high collection and unused-energy losses, which shows the effect of limited battery storage capacity. The best energy utilization was achieved for the fixed configurations at the combination of 10° azimuth and 20° tilt with an annual energy output of 1670.1 kWh and lower energy losses than the tracking systems. The results indicate that the PV configuration should consider a trade-off between energy generation, energy utilization and storage capability, instead of only the maximum energy production.

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