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Summary

User-Defined Tracking Angles allow the user to override the calculated tracker rotation angle with custom values supplied via time-series data. This mode bypasses the normal tracking algorithm (true tracking, backtracking, irradiance optimization, and wind stow) and uses the provided angles directly. Angles can be defined at the DC field level using time-series data, or—when a 3D scene is present—on a per-tracker basis using a Time Series Schedule.

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Inputs

NameSymbolUnitsDescription
Tracking Angle Time Seriesαts\alpha_{ts}degreesUser-supplied rotation angle for each timestep
Per-Tracker Angle Time Seriesαts,i\alpha_{ts,i}degreesUser-supplied rotation angle for tracker ii at each timestep (3D scene only)

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Outputs

NameSymbolUnitsDescription
Tracker Rotation Angleα\alphadegreesApplied rotation angle about the tracker axis (DC field level)
Per-Tracker Rotation Angleαi\alpha_idegreesApplied rotation angle for tracker ii (3D scene only)

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Detailed Description

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DC Field Level

When the DC field’s tracking method is set to Time Series, the tracker rotation angle for each timestep is read directly from the uploaded time-series data: α=αts\alpha = \alpha_{ts}. Each DC field can be assigned its own time-series data set; within a given DC field a single angle is applied uniformly at each timestep. The time-series data is uploaded on the Time Series Data page and assigned to the target DC field. Each entry specifies the tracker rotation angle in degrees for the corresponding timestep. In this mode, mechanical rotation limits (minimum and maximum tracking limit angles) are not enforced—the user-supplied angle is used as-is. If the user-supplied angle is exactly 0°, a small offset of 0.001° is applied so that the module surface has a definable azimuth (at exactly 0° the surface is horizontal and its azimuth is undefined). For any timestep where time-series data is unavailable (e.g., the series is shorter than the weather file or not assigned), the algorithm falls back to a standard tracking algorithm: true tracking if the DC field uses CdTe modules, standard backtracking for any other module type.

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3D Scene (Per-Tracker)

When a 3D scene is present, the Time Series Schedule option in the Tracker Rotation Model dropdown enables per-tracker user-defined angles. Rather than applying a single angle to the entire DC field, each individual tracker ii receives its own rotation angle at each timestep: αi=αts,i\alpha_i = \alpha_{ts,i}. The time-series data is uploaded on the 3D Scene Overview page. The 3D engine receives per-tracker angles as fixed-point integers (degrees × 100, so 20.45° is stored as 2045). The angles are used directly by the 3D shading engine with no zero-angle offset and no mechanical limit clamping.