Current PV cells technology takes advantage mainly from beam radiation. In this context the sun trackers\nare such devices for efficiency improvement. On the other hand, projected shadows between\ndevices make mandatory to increase the distances between mounting systems. Thus, the\nlandââ?¬â?¢s capacity for mounting PV panels can be dramatically decreased. This fact conducts us to\nwonder where the optimum efficient point is. First, in this paper different types of sun-tracking\nsystems are classified according to the movement they perform (cinematic classification). Further,\nthree real PV installations-fixed, horizontal-axis tracking and dual-axis mount trackingââ?¬â?located\nin the same geographical area in Spain (they are approximately under the same weather conditions)\nare analyzed. These installations have been studied in order to establish which one is the\nmost efficient and affordableââ?¬â?Specific Energy Production (SEP) and Performance Ratio (PR)\nanalysis. PVGIS solar radiation estimate tool has been used for comparing the theoretical radiation\npotential on each plant. The land requirements have been considered in the analysis of the\nGround Cover Ratio (GCR) and the Surface Performance Ratio (SPR). Moreover, comparing three\nmain financial indicators let us carry out a financial study: Payback Time (PBT), Net Present Value\n(NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR). In the case study, final annual energetic results demonstrate\nthat the dual-axis plant shows a relevant SEP advantage, but if we take into account the land\noccupied for this sort of devices we find much more profitable the horizontal-axis sun-tracking\nsystem, with a SPR value 4.24% higher than the fixed system we have studied. Its PBT is also a 22%\nlower than the dual-axis tracking installation.
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