Turkish Research Reveals Optimal Tilt Angle for Canal PV: 8° Delivers Dual Win for Solar and Water

Mounting solar panels over canals represents not only an innovation in space utilization but also a precise scientific choice. Through rigorous experimentation, researchers at Van Yuzuncu Yil University in Türkiye have identified the key solution for global canal-mounted photovoltaic (CM-PV) systems: an 8°tilt angle.

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Experiment Insights: How Water Cooling Enhances PV Performance

The research team constructed two half-cylindrical simulated canals on campus and installed polycrystalline PV panels for testing:

• Innovative Comparison: Simultaneously tested panels at 8°, 23°, and 38°tilt angles both over the canal and on conventional ground.
• Precision Monitoring: Data recorded every 20 minutes over three consecutive days .
• Core Cooling Mechanism: Water pumps simulated flow, triggering the critical evaporative cooling effect.

Results were striking:

• Superior Cooling: At 8°tilt, CM-PV panel surface temperatures averaged 4.2°C lower than ground-mounted panels, with a peak difference of 6.33°
• Efficiency Gain: Leveraging this cooling, CM-PV at 8°tilt achieved a maximum efficiency increase of 1.86%, significantly outperforming 23° (1.05%) and 38° (1.3%).
• Water Conservation: Shading from 8°tilted panels reduced daily water evaporation to 6 liters, far below the 10 liters lost in unshaded canals.

"CM-PV systems offer a triple benefit: natural cooling boosts power generation, valuable land resources are conserved, and evaporation is suppressed to protect water quality," emphasized the research team. "Among these, the tilt angle is the core switch for optimizing benefits."

Why is 8° the Optimal Choice?

• Maximized Water Cooling Contact: Lower tilt angles position panels closer to the water surface, enhancing evaporative cooling.
• Optimal Shading Coverage: Provides more uniform and effective shade over the water while maintaining power output.
• Overall Performance Champion: Leads comprehensively in temperature reduction, power efficiency gain, and water savings.

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Green Implications of Solar-Water Synergy

This research, published in Solar Energy, provides a golden parameter for global adoption of the "PV + Canal" model. Choosing an 8°tilt angle simultaneously achieves Increased Power Generation, Water Resource Conservation, and Efficient Land Reuse.

At a time when energy and water resources are increasingly scarce, Türkiye scientists use accurate data to prove that among the various tilt angles of the canal photovoltaic, the 8 °tilt angle always shows a better comprehensive performance - lower plate temperature, less evaporation, and higher efficiency, which is the best fulcrum to leverage the comprehensive benefits.