- German startup SunOyster Energy has deployed a movable PV system based on a dual-axis tracking system in South Africa’s Sanbona Wildlife Reserve, to supply power for Eco Lodge “White Lion.”
The PVmover system, which was already deployed at an unspecified location in northern Germany earlier this year, hosts nine PV modules and has a capacity of 3.8 kW.
The manufacturer said the system can be set up quickly and in a standardized manner using ground anchors, with no need to pour foundations and wait for the concrete to harden. The ground anchors can reportedly withstand high tensile loads and can be easily removed at the end of the system lifecycle without leaving any residue.
The biaxial tracking PVmover can purportedly generate more electricity than conventional PV systems without trackers. Its height of under 3 meters allows for installation in Germany without requiring building permits.
Moving in two axes, this ground-mounted device has specific dimensions, including a circular area of 33 square meters with a 6.5-meter diameter, a height of 2.98 meters, and a width of 5.4 meters, allowing for one-day installation.
“The PVmovers follow the sun from east to west and also adjust their angle of inclination to the sun,” the company said in a press release. “As a result, they generate significantly more energy than permanently installed solar systems. Due to the tracking, the PVmovers generate approx. 30% more electricity in Germany compared to optimally south-facing, permanently installed PV modules, and approx. 50% more electricity compared to east-west-facing modules.”
The company also produces a smaller dual-axis tracking solar tracker, the PVmover 18. This model includes four PV modules with a capacity of 1.7 kW. It requires a circular area of 12.5 square meters, with a diameter of 4 meters.
In addition, it has developed a concentrating solar technology based on parabolic mirrors that can achieve a 75% efficiency in converting direct radiation into heat. It is currently producing the devices at its facility at the GreenTEC campus in Enge-Sande, Germany
Author: Lior Kahana
This article was originally published in pv magazine and is republished with permission.
