419-25

Shifting Angles, Shifting Revenues: An Assessment of the Optimal PV Azimuth

Emely Cruz-De-Jesús(1), Ángel Arcos-Vargas(1), Antonio Gómez-Expósito(1,2)

1. Electric Power Systems Research Group, University of Seville. E.T.S.I., University of Seville. Camino de los descubrimientos, Seville, 41092, Andalusia (Spain)

2. Laboratory of Engineering for Energy and Environmental Sustainability (Engreen), University of Seville

2025-07-25

The significant reduction in the production costs of photovoltaic energy is leading to a rapid increase in the number of new facilities connected to the grid, with fixed systems currently being the most frequent. Until now, facilities have been designed to obtain the maximum amount of energy but, as the production is concentrated in the central hours of the day, the expansion of supply in these hours causes a significant reduction in prices, becoming zero or negative, which would compromise the economic sustainability of these facilities. To avoid or at least reduce this price cannibalization effect, this paper proposes a method that seeks to identify the azimuth angles that maximize the revenue of a PV plant. This is applied to a specific location in southern Spain, using prices from 2016 to 2024. The evolution of the optimal configuration throughout this period is examined and possible long-term trends discussed.

Key words: Optimal PV, azimuth angles, Maximum PV revenue, price cannibalization, price duck curves.

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