Photovoltaic Panel Orientation Study for Tube-Enclosed Transportation Systems

Abstract

The Hyperloop is a new transportation concept that involves high-speed transportation of passengers and cargo through a tube-enclosed system. Photovoltaic (PV) panels are located on the top of the tube to provide energy for the Hyperloop system. To develop this system, various configurations of PV panels arranged on the tube are studied and evaluated in terms of power and energy performance. This paper examines different cardinal direction orientations of the tube and six different PV configuration cases. Various performance metrics, such as peak power, total energy, power variation over a day are assessed. Based on this analysis, the advantages and disadvantages of each case are discussed in order to select the most effective PV configuration.