Since December 2009, in cooperation with Howest, there is a photovoltaic double tracker installation on the Greenbridge site. The giant solar panels are placed on a stand and turn with the direction of the sun. They follow the sun, both around their axis (vertically) as in the plane of the panels (horizontally). In other words, the installation constantly adjusts its orientation, both horizontally as vertically, to the position of the sun in order to generate maximum efficiency.

The installation of the tracker fits within the ProFoto-project that studies the efficiency and yield of various types of contemporary photovoltaic panels and their grid-connected invertors under different climatological circumstances. Next to the PV tracker with multiple types of solar panels on the Greenbridge site, there has also been placed an installation on the roof of College University West-Flanders (Howest).

Both double trackers complete the test field of the project ProFoto in which the solar panels will be tested. The four most important photovoltaic technologies will be compared with each other: i.e. the classical open set-up, the integrated or built on sloping roofs set-up and the PV tracker.

Prof. dr. Ir. Jan Desmet, professor in Howest and managing director of the Howest research group Lab Lemcko: ‘The project ProFoto is a significant added value for the region. Lab Lemcko is testing the solar panels both under realistic circumstances as under laboratory conditions. We help to determine the optimal choice of solar panels and formulate proposals for economic feasibility, taking into consideration the subsidy channels and the impact of green power certificates.

The tracker installation contains 3kW of photovoltaic panels which is sufficient for providing an average household with green power and which is approximately 5% of the consumption of the Greenbridge incubator. The online follow-up of the energy yield in function of the environmental conditions will be possible on www.lemcko.be and www.power-link.ugent.be.

The Pro-Foto project has come about with the help of ERDF, the European Regional Development Fund, in cooperation with the Province of West-Flanders and the Flemish Agency of Energy (VEA); together they vouch for the complete financing of the project.