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Electrical and Financial Impacts of Inverter Clipping on Oversized Bifacial Photovoltaic Systems

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  • Thunchanok Kaewnukultorn

    (Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Institute of Energy Conversion, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA)

  • Sergio Basilio Sepúlveda-Mora

    (Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Institute of Energy Conversion, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
    Departamento de Electricidad y Electrónica, Universidad Francisco de Paula Santander, Cucuta 540006, Colombia)

  • Ryan Purnell

    (Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Institute of Energy Conversion, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA)

  • Steven Hegedus

    (Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Institute of Energy Conversion, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA)

Abstract

This paper studies the impacts of inverter clipping on bifacial PV modules under different weather and ground reflectivity. A 5 kW bifacial array was connected to a 3.8 kW grid-tied inverter, a 10 kWh Li-ion battery, and an EV charger. A PV output calculation model was developed to compare the estimated output of the modules with the actual measurements to evaluate the relation between ground reflectivity and clipping loss. The results showed that clipping potentially occurs on sunny days in summer from 10:00 to 15:00 during the period with the highest solar irradiance. Three colors of ground cover were also examined to compare the performance of bifacial modules under different albedo reflective properties. The results indicated that the white ground in winter leads to the highest bifacial gain (13.1%) and daily DC efficiency (22.2%) due to the combination of high reflectivity with low solar angle giving maximum upward reflection of direct sunlight. This same combination shows a minimal advantage in summer due to the clipping. The proposed model is evaluated, demonstrating 98.2% agreement between modeled and actual data for all conditions. Furthermore, simulation models based on the actual system with different system sizes and ground reflectivities have been studied to evaluate the impacts of the clipping in terms of technical losses and financial returns. The analysis shows that a high reflective ground condition can provide the best financial benefit, and the clipping loss does not have a great effect on the finance of the project since the loss is less than 4% of the annual production even in an extreme case.

Suggested Citation

  • Thunchanok Kaewnukultorn & Sergio Basilio Sepúlveda-Mora & Ryan Purnell & Steven Hegedus, 2024. "Electrical and Financial Impacts of Inverter Clipping on Oversized Bifacial Photovoltaic Systems," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(22), pages 1-18, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:22:p:5658-:d:1519465
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jouttijärvi, Sami & Lobaccaro, Gabriele & Kamppinen, Aleksi & Miettunen, Kati, 2022. "Benefits of bifacial solar cells combined with low voltage power grids at high latitudes," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    2. Balfour, John & Hill, Roger & Walker, Andy & Robinson, Gerald & Gunda, Thushara & Desai, Jal, 2021. "Masking of photovoltaic system performance problems by inverter clipping and other design and operational practices," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    3. Mondol, Jayanta Deb & Yohanis, Yigzaw G & Norton, Brian, 2009. "Optimising the economic viability of grid-connected photovoltaic systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 86(7-8), pages 985-999, July.
    4. Good, Jeremy & Johnson, Jeremiah X., 2016. "Impact of inverter loading ratio on solar photovoltaic system performance," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C), pages 475-486.
    5. Appelbaum, J., 2016. "Bifacial photovoltaic panels field," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 338-343.
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