ECONOMICAL FEATURES
Athough made of aluminium and stainless steel a price
of the new tracking support structures is frequently close to that of equivalent
fixed ones. The low price enables profitable use of the new tracker with
solar PV panels down to 100W of power while best older trackers are profitable
with solar PV panels above 1000W.
Price of solar cells represents substantial part of the
price of the tracker. As the price of solar panels will decrease, simultaneously
will decrease price of the tracker. The tracker will therefore remain profitable
also in long prospective even if price of solar panels would be well below
2US$/watt.
The bigger the system the more economical is the tracker.
Example of price comparison of fixed and tracking concentrator solar pumping
systems with equal pumping capacity (end user prices US$ 2000):
| Fixed pumping system |
US$ |
Tracking pumping system |
US$ |
| 12x120W PV panel |
8,400 |
6x120W PV panel |
4,200 |
| 2x fixed stand |
780 |
1x tracking stand + concentrator |
1,590 |
| 1x water pump |
1,770 |
1x water pump |
1,770 |
| Total |
10,950 |
Total |
7,560 |
Difference
3,390 US$
|