IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/renene/v256y2026ipfs0960148125021056.html

Optimising solar photovoltaic azimuth performance in Arctic conditions: An empirical techno-economic analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Shekar, Vinay
  • Caló, Antonio
  • Pongrácz, Eva

Abstract

This study offers a two-year empirical evaluation of solar photovoltaic performance and economic benefits across eight azimuths and two tilt angles (40° and 90°) in Oulu, Finland, utilising a unique carousel infrastructure. In the lower tilt range, the south-facing panel achieved the highest biannual energy output, with 479.5 kWh, while the southeast-facing panel was only 3.3 % lower. In the higher tilt range, the southeast panel generated the most energy, with 377.81 kWh, closely followed by the south-facing panel, which generated 0.9 % less. Statistical analysis revealed that daily energy differences between southeast and south azimuths are highly significant, despite similar annual totals. Suboptimal azimuths generated up to 66 % less energy and value. Annual generation for optimal azimuths remained highly consistent (≤2 % variation). Panels set at a 90° tilt generated up to six times more winter energy than 40° tilt panels at the same azimuth. This paper provides valuable, empirically validated data on the performance of seldom-explored suboptimal azimuths, quantifying their generation potential and losses. These findings provide valuable insights for informed strategic decisions related to energy system design, performance modelling validation, building integration strategies, and the development and management of solar energy strategies in challenging northern conditions.

Suggested Citation

  • Shekar, Vinay & Caló, Antonio & Pongrácz, Eva, 2026. "Optimising solar photovoltaic azimuth performance in Arctic conditions: An empirical techno-economic analysis," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 256(PF).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:256:y:2026:i:pf:s0960148125021056
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2025.124441
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148125021056
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.renene.2025.124441?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Formolli, M. & Kleiven, T. & Lobaccaro, G., 2023. "Assessing solar energy accessibility at high latitudes: A systematic review of urban spatial domains, metrics, and parameters," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    2. Shekar, Vinay & Caló, Antonio & Pongrácz, Eva, 2023. "Experiences from seasonal Arctic solar photovoltaics (PV) generation- An empirical data analysis from a research infrastructure in Northern Finland," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 217(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Liu, Ruimiao & Liu, Zhongbing & Xiong, Wei & Zhang, Ling & Zhao, Chengliang & Yin, Yingde, 2024. "Performance simulation and optimization of building façade photovoltaic systems under different urban building layouts," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 288(C).
    2. Luo, Haizhi & Zhang, Yiwen & Gao, Xinyu & Liu, Zhengguang & Song, Xia & Meng, Xiangzhao & Yang, Xiaohu, 2024. "Unveiling land use-carbon Nexus: Spatial matrix-enhanced neural network for predicting commercial and residential carbon emissions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 305(C).
    3. Yang, Zihao & Dong, Sheng, 2024. "A novel framework for wind energy assessment at multi-time scale based on non-stationary wind speed models: A case study in China," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 226(C).
    4. Szarek, Magda & Jouttijärvi, Sami & Karttunen, Lauri & Hynnä, Teemu & Ranta, Samuli & Miettunen, Kati, 2026. "Performance evaluation of high latitude agrivoltaic systems with vertically mounted bifacial panels," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 402(PB).
    5. Zhang, Guodao & Zhou, Haijun & Ge, Yisu & Magabled, Sharafzher M. & Abbas, Mohamed & Pan, Xiaotian & Ponnore, Joffin Jose & Asilza, Hamd & Liu, Jian & Yang, Yanhong, 2024. "Enhancing on-grid renewable energy systems: Optimal configuration and diverse design strategies," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 235(C).
    6. Shekar, Vinay & Abraham, Daniel & Caló, Antonio & Pongrácz, Eva, 2025. "Determining the optimal azimuth for solar-ready buildings: Simulating for maximising the economic value of solar PV installations in Lapland, Finland," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 241(C).
    7. Ruan, Dawei & Fan, Cheng & Hu, Mingwei & Li, Yumin & Guan, Jun, 2025. "Building-integrated photovoltaics through multi-physics synergies: A critical review of optical, thermal, and electrical models in facade applications," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 251(C).
    8. Sharbaf, Sara A. & Lolli, Nicola & Andresen, Inger & Schneider-Marin, Patricia, 2025. "A framework for identifying influential factors in cost-benefit analysis of building-applied photovoltaics systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 400(C).
    9. Dahlioui, Dounia & Øgaard, Mari Benedikte & Imenes, Anne Gerd, 2025. "Snow impact on PV performance: Assessing the zero-output challenge in cold areas," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 213(C).
    10. Or Yatzkan & Reuven Cohen & Eyal Yaniv & Orit Rotem-Mindali, 2025. "Urban Energy Transitions: A Systematic Review," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-24, March.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:256:y:2026:i:pf:s0960148125021056. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/renewable-energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.