Final EIAR - Aurecon AME Environmental | Environmental Projects

Proposed Wind and Solar (Photovoltaic) Energy Facilities on Kangnas Farm near Springbok in the Northern Cape: Final EIR 52
Various technology alternatives were considered in terms of the following:
• Solar panel type: PV vs CPV; and
• Mounting system: trackers vs fixed mount
3.4.5.3 Solar panel type
Two solar panel types, i.e. PV solar cells and CPV, were considered for the proposed solar
plant. The CPV technology use mirrors or lenses to concentrate sunlight onto a small area to
generate electricity directly onto the collector PV cells. Both PV and CPV have been considered
in the EIA phase.
3.4.5.4 Mounting system
Solar panels can be mounted in various ways to ensure maximum exposure of the PV panels to
sunlight. In a fixed axis system the PV panels are installed at a set tilt and cannot move,
whereas in a one or two (dual) axes tracking system the panels follow the sun to ensure
maximum exposure to sunlight 23 . These systems are illustrated in Figure 3.12.
A B C
Figure 3.12: Solar panels can be mounted via (a) fixed axis photovoltaic systems,
(b) single axis tracking PV systems and (c) dual axis tracking systems 24
Mainstream will investigate all three these alternative mounting options for the PV panels.
3.4.5.5 Foundation options
There are various methods for anchoring PV panels. However the preferred foundation option
would be dependent on the soil characteristics of the area, as these anchoring structures would
need to withstand climatic conditions, as well as the response of the soil to these changes, to
prolong the lifespan of the panels. A geotechnical assessment would however be required to
determine the soil conditions and the type of anchoring required.
3.4.6 Summary of alternatives
To summarise, the feasible alternatives which are assessed in the EIR include the following:
23
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_tracker#Tracker_type_selection (Accessed on:
24 October 2011)
24
Source: www.solar-tracking.com/ (Accessed on: 24/10/2011)
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