International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 25-28, 1993 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / The first telemetry tracking system was desired in 1959 for the space program. Cost was of little concern. The tracking technique used was 3 channel monopulse which is still today, after all these years, the optimum in performance for any type of tracking requirement. Telemetry tracking really got off the ground in the early 1970's with the move from P-Band to S-Band for telemetry. In the design of early tracking systems, performance was on the top of the list, and cost was on the bottom of the list in establishing the design criteria. By the beginning of the 1980's cost was approaching performance in importance. Today, with the demise of the cold war and a considerable reduction in global threats coupled with the state of the world economy, cost has now reached the top of the list. The cost of a telemetry tracking system can be reduced by more than a factor of two by going to a single axis tracking technique. The lowest cost single axis approach heretofore has been the use of a cosecant squared (CSC²) distribution. To improve the efficiency of a single axis system and increase the overhead coverage capability, the use of a dual beam antenna has been widely used as another type of single axis approach. The dual beam technique involves additional costs since two tracking antennas are required. Except for satellite tracking, almost all telemetry tracking is performed at low elevation angles and, like it or not, multipath is there. The multipath fade varies from a few dB, to over 20 dB depending upon the reflecting terrain. Most general purpose systems should be designed for at least a 10 dB multipath fade. For all telemetry tracking applications, the multipath effect is completely negligible at elevation angles greater than 10 degrees. The Augustin-Sullivan Distribution, in effect, fades away the multipath margin as the multipath effect decreases. Because of the multipath phenomenon, an antenna beam should not be shaped at the one dB point as is the case with a CSC² distribution, but only needs to be shaped from somewhere between the 15 - 20 dB level based on the mission requirements. This involves a gain reduction from a pencil beam on the order of 1/2 dB or less, rather than the 3 dB reduction associated with the CSC² distribution. The Augustin-Sullivan distribution does not start shaping the beam until shaping is retired, and shapes the beam for constant altitude coverage from the horizon to zenith. For the first time, coverage is provided from the peak of the beam to directly overhead with a single antenna and a single axis rotator. When GPS information is available from the tracked vehicle, the Augustin-Sullivan distribution, with a single axis rotator and using the GPS-TRAK technique, results in the lowest possible cost alternate to autotracking.

As part of Nigeria’s drive to increase electricity production capacity and shift to renewable sources, a new 50 MW photovoltaic (PV) plant is proposed for a town in north-west Nigeria. Rather than using conventional monofacial modules and fixed mounting, it is of interest to consider a selection of new technologies which are attracting growing attention in the global utility PV market. These can increase energy output, and could be used to advantage in this 50 MW plant. However, the technologies, namely bifacial modules and solar tracking, are more expensive than their conventional counterparts, while their relative performance depends on the latitude and climate of the plant location. Thus their economic benefit cannot be taken for granted. The aim of this study is to propose multiple designs for the 50 MW plant using different combinations of module and mounting technologies, finding their economic order of merit by estimating their respective levelised costs of electricity (LCOEs).Using the simulation software PVsyst, the electricity production of different plant layouts and component configurations was estimated. Key parameters such as tilt angle and pitch distance were varied in order to optimise each configuration of technologies. Having sourced economic data from the industry and literature, lifetime plant costs were calculated, which in combination with lifetime electricity production, were used to estimate the LCOE.As expected, results indicated that the optimum configuration was bifacial modules mounted on horizontal single-axis tracking (SAT), followed by monofacial modules on horizontal SAT. Fixed installations had greater LCOEs by a reasonable margin, while the LCOE difference between monofacial and bifacial modules on fixed mounting was within the error of the calculation, meaning this choice relies on more accurate input data. A sensitivity analysis allowed uncertainty in the results to be gauged, and highlighted the factors which most influence LCOE, so that efforts to increase profitability can be focussed in the right places. Finally, suggestions are offered to help optimise bifacial and tracking installations by comparison with conventional plants.The conclusions drawn herein will be specifically relevant to the Swedish developer and EPC contractor Svenska Solenergigruppen which, in due course, will submit a plant design proposal to the project developer of the 50 MW plant. However, it is hoped that this work will act as a guide for any EPC contractor or developer working on a utility PV plant in sub-Saharan Africa, allowing efficient design of an optimal system.

Bifacial photovoltaic (PV) modules have greater energy yield than traditional monofacial modules because they convert front and rear incident irradiance to electrical energy. Single-axis tracking systems can further increase energy yield and reduce the levelized cost of energy by rotating the modules throughout the day. However, racking elements in tracking systems introduce both shade and reflections on the rear face, increasing irradiance nonuniformity and fostering further electrical mismatch that reduces module power. The impact of racking, particularly that of the torque tube which spans the middle of the rear collector surface, must be accurately quantified in energy yield predictions to increase stakeholder confidence, and hasten the adoption of tracked bifacial modules. Isolating the torque-tube-reflected irradiance incident on the modules is crucial for this work. This is achieved by implementing arbitrary two-dimensional (2D) irradiance sampling on a module under test in bifacial_radiance, a ray tracing bifacial PV model, and taking the difference in rear irradiance profiles for simulations with a reflective and an absorptive torque tube at each timestamp. We calculate the TT reflection for the central one-in-portrait (1P) and two-in-portrait (2P) modules on horizontal single-axis trackers over hourly timestamps in a typical meteorological year in Livermore, California, USA. We introduce the TT reflection 2D irradiance profiles as additional light sources in DUET to quantify the TT reflection's impact on irradiance, electrical mismatch, and energy yield, as well as an incidence angle modifier's impact on TT reflection. We analyze the TT reflection based on sun zenith and diffuse fraction to group consistent illumination conditions across the year. We identify that TT reflection reduces electrical mismatch by partially offsetting TT shading, and increases annual energy yield by 0.11% and 0.18% in our particular 1P and 2P systems. While the overall impact of TT reflection is greater in the 2P system due to direct beam light incident on the TT, the TT reflection's greatest instantaneous relative contribution to total energy yield is larger for the 1P system, at high diffuse fractions and sun zeniths. For future work, we recommend validating simulation results with and without TT reflection against experimental data. The simulation method used for isolating the TT reflection may also be repurposed to help inform new TT designs that minimize electrical mismatch. Finally, instead of relying on bifacial_radiance to isolate the TT reflection, we recommend incorporating the TT as a Lambertian reflective surface in 3D view factor models with detailed shading for further TT reflection simulations.

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