Simulation-Based Assessment of Tilt Angle Influence on Standalone Solar PV Performance

Abstract

                   This paper presents a simulation-based analysis of the effect of tilt angle on the performance of a 14.08 kWp standalone photovoltaic (PV)–battery system designed to meet a constant 2 kW electrical load at Narain College, Shikohabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. Using PVsyst 7.4 with meteorological inputs from Meteonorm 8.1, the system was modeled with 32 monocrystalline 440 Wp modules and a lead-acid battery bank (96 V, 2400 Ah; 184.3 kWh storage). Simulations were carried out for tilt angles ranging from 5° to 35° while keeping azimuth fixed at 0° (south-facing). Key performance metrics included annual useful energy, missing load, excess/unused energy, performance ratio (PR), solar fraction (SF), and specific yield. The results indicate that tilt angle significantly influences system reliability and energy yield. The optimal tilt angle was found to be 25°, corresponding closely to the site’s latitude (27.1°N). At this configuration, the system achieved the highest useful energy output (17,094 kWh/year), lowest missing load (426 kWh/year), and peak specific yield (1214 kWh/kWp), with a PR of ~70% and SF of 97.6%. However, substantial unused energy (~12% of generation) was observed, underscoring the need for optimized storage and load management. The study highlights tilt angle optimization as a low-cost strategy for enhancing standalone PV–battery performance in rural Indian contexts.