I was curious about efficacy of solar at the poles - trading off low azimuth for one long period of constant daylight.
I found this report [1] on panels installed at the South Pole, which seemed to indicate that this does work, although the panels never exceed about 50% of their rated maximum power point. A 175W panel there generates about 1500kWh per year. By comparison, I think the same panel in the US would generate about 2200-2500 kWh per year. (1.3m^2 * 5kWh/m2/day * 365)
I found this report [1] on panels installed at the South Pole, which seemed to indicate that this does work, although the panels never exceed about 50% of their rated maximum power point. A 175W panel there generates about 1500kWh per year. By comparison, I think the same panel in the US would generate about 2200-2500 kWh per year. (1.3m^2 * 5kWh/m2/day * 365)
[1] - http://www.southpolestation.com/0809/solarenergyatpole012209...