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Global analysis of next-generation utility-scale PV: Tracking bifacial solar farms

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  • Patel, M. Tahir
  • Ahmed, M. Sojib
  • Imran, Hassan
  • Butt, Nauman Z.
  • Khan, M. Ryyan
  • Alam, Muhammad A.

Abstract

The bifacial gain of East-West vertical and South-facing optimally-tilted bifacial solar farms are well established. One wonders if bifacial gain and the associated levelized cost of energy (LCOE) may be further improved by tracking the sun. Tracking bifacial photovoltaics (PV) system has advantages of improved temperature sensitivity, enhanced diffuse and albedo light collection, flattened energy-output, and reduced soiling. Monofacial tracking already provides many of these advantages, therefore the relative merits of bifacial tracking are not obvious. In this paper, we use a detailed illumination and temperature-dependent bifacial solar farm model to show that bifacial tracking PV delivers up to 45% energy gain when compared to fixed-tilt bifacial PV near the equator, and ~10% bifacial energy gain over tracking monofacial farm with an albedo of 0.5. An optimum pitch further improves the gain of a tracking bifacial farm. Our results will broaden the scope and understanding of bifacial technology by demonstrating global trends in energy gain for worldwide deployment.

Suggested Citation

  • Patel, M. Tahir & Ahmed, M. Sojib & Imran, Hassan & Butt, Nauman Z. & Khan, M. Ryyan & Alam, Muhammad A., 2021. "Global analysis of next-generation utility-scale PV: Tracking bifacial solar farms," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 290(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:290:y:2021:i:c:s0306261921000428
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.116478
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Chang, Tian Pau, 2009. "Performance study on the east–west oriented single-axis tracked panel," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(10), pages 1530-1538.
    2. Sun, Xingshu & Khan, Mohammad Ryyan & Deline, Chris & Alam, Muhammad Ashraful, 2018. "Optimization and performance of bifacial solar modules: A global perspective," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 1601-1610.
    3. Khan, M. Ryyan & Sakr, Enas & Sun, Xingshu & Bermel, Peter & Alam, Muhammad A., 2019. "Ground sculpting to enhance energy yield of vertical bifacial solar farms," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 241(C), pages 592-598.
    4. Patel, M. Tahir & Khan, M. Ryyan & Sun, Xingshu & Alam, Muhammad A., 2019. "A worldwide cost-based design and optimization of tilted bifacial solar farms," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 247(C), pages 467-479.
    5. Khan, M. Ryyan & Hanna, Amir & Sun, Xingshu & Alam, Muhammad A., 2017. "Vertical bifacial solar farms: Physics, design, and global optimization," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 240-248.
    6. Caleb K. Miskin & Yiru Li & Allison Perna & Ryan G. Ellis & Elizabeth K. Grubbs & Peter Bermel & Rakesh Agrawal, 2019. "Sustainable co-production of food and solar power to relax land-use constraints," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 2(10), pages 972-980, October.
    7. Patel, M. Tahir & Vijayan, Ramachandran A. & Asadpour, Reza & Varadharajaperumal, M. & Khan, M. Ryyan & Alam, Muhammad A., 2020. "Temperature-dependent energy gain of bifacial PV farms: A global perspective," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 276(C).
    8. Gu, Wenbo & Ma, Tao & Li, Meng & Shen, Lu & Zhang, Yijie, 2020. "A coupled optical-electrical-thermal model of the bifacial photovoltaic module," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 258(C).
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    Cited by:

    1. Patel, M. Tahir & Asadpour, Reza & Bin Jahangir, Jabir & Ryyan Khan, M. & Alam, Muhammad A., 2023. "Current-matching erases the anticipated performance gain of next-generation two-terminal Perovskite-Si tandem solar farms," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 329(C).
    2. Tao, Yunkun & Bai, Jianbo & Pachauri, Rupendra Kumar & Wang, Yue & Li, Jian & Attaher, Harouna Kerzika, 2021. "Parameterizing mismatch loss in bifacial photovoltaic modules with global deployment: A comprehensive study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 303(C).
    3. Tahir, Zamen & Butt, Nauman Zafar, 2022. "Implications of spatial-temporal shading in agrivoltaics under fixed tilt & tracking bifacial photovoltaic panels," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 167-176.
    4. Sojib Ahmed, M. & Rezwan Khan, M. & Haque, Anisul & Ryyan Khan, M., 2022. "Agrivoltaics analysis in a techno-economic framework: Understanding why agrivoltaics on rice will always be profitable," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 323(C).
    5. Shitao Wang & Yi Shen & Junbing Zhou & Caixia Li & Lijun Ma, 2022. "Efficiency Enhancement of Tilted Bifacial Photovoltaic Modules with Horizontal Single-Axis Tracker—The Bifacial Companion Method," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-22, February.

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