Determining the Optimum Tilt Angle of Solar Panels and the Energy Produced in the Different Provinces of Burundi

Burundi’s national electricity production is 130.969 MW, of which 8.979 MW comes from solar energy. This project was carried out to develop models that can be used to calculate the optimum yearly tilt of inclination of fixed solar panels and the maximum energy produced in the provinces of Burundi. When it comes to solar installation projects, people in the sub-region do not have a model for calculating the optimal tilt angle of inclination of solar panels from one site to another, and often position solar panels on the roofs of houses in the case of residential solar systems at an inappropriate angle. In this project, we used meteorological data and geographical coordinates available for the year 2020, which were obtained using the PVGIS5.2 software. Using the R method in SPSS software based on a linear regression model, we have developed a model for calculating the annual available energy on a fixed solar panel at various tilt angles. The results obtained show that the optimal yearly tilt angle of inclination of the solar panel in Burundi varies from 13˚ to 15.8˚ depending on the geographical location within the country. We also evaluated the energy production from a 30˚ tilt angle (which corresponds to the average tilt angle for the roof of a house in Burundi) and compared it to that for an optimally tilted solar panel. In our research, we have also developed a method based on a P&O MPPT controller combined with fuzzy logic (FLC) that corrects the limitations of conventional algorithms according to the climate changes that are occurring worldwide. Taking into account climate change, which affects fixed solar panels inclined at an optimal angle we have designed and simulated an MPPT controller based on the P&O MPTT algorithm combined with fuzzy logic controller. Simulation results show the efficiency of the algorithm developed compared with a PWM controller and provides good reference power tracking. Experiments were conducted to measure the energy output and validated the simulated results. The optimal in Burundi offering a 20% energy gain compared to a standard 30˚ tilt angle for rooftops.