Impact of Panel Tilt Angle and Tracking Configuration on Solar PV and Energy Storage Capacity for a Carbon-Neutral Grid in Arizona

Arizona has committed to reducing emissions by 50–52% by 2030 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, requiring major changes to its electricity infrastructure. This study develops a MATLAB model with hourly electricity load and solar insolation data to determine the solar PV and energy storage infrastructure required to replace all utility-scale non-renewable generation. Whereas PV tilt angle is typically optimized to maximize solar capture, this study instead links tilt and tracking configuration to land use, storage requirements, and total system cost to identify the optimal configuration. Results show that a 76 GWDC 0° fixed-tilt system requires ~0.15% (438 km2) of Arizona’s land to achieve a carbon-neutral grid. Increasing tilt decreases the land required to 287 km2 at 54° for fixed-tilt systems and 221 km2 at 65° for single-axis tracking systems. A minimum of 320 GWh of annual energy storage is required based on TMY solar insolation data, which increases to 430 GWh for the 2022 time synchronized analysis. A 0° fixed-tilt angle system with energy storage is the cheapest configuration at USD 218 billion. At this tilt, PV generation produces ~80,000 GWh of excess electricity annually, 47% of which could achieve 80% decarbonization across all sectors of the economy.