Date of Award
2026
Document Type
Open Access Master's Report
Degree Name
Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MS)
Administrative Home Department
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Advisor 1
Ana Dyreson
Committee Member 1
Ezra Bar-Ziv
Committee Member 2
Youngchul Ra
Abstract
As solar projects are built in northern climates, it is necessary to understand how snow cover impacts power generation. While there are validated models that predict snow shedding for fixed tilt projects, there is not one for single axis tracking systems. This report aims to characterize the differences between fixed tilt and single axis tracking systems under the same snow conditions. Generation data was collected over four winter months for fixed tilt and tracking systems at Michigan Technological University. Models were created for both systems using weather information from the site, in which losses were set to zero to create an ideal case. The models were used to calculate snow losses for both systems. For all four months, the tracker generated more power and experienced less snow loss than the fixed tilt system. These findings suggest that the single axis tracker results in more seasonal generation due to improved snow shedding compared to fixed tilt systems.
Recommended Citation
Bowker, Isobel R., "COMPARISON OF FIXED TILT AND SINGLE AXIS TRACKING SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAICS DURING WINTER", Open Access Master's Report, Michigan Technological University, 2026.