Influence of Selected Working Conditions on Electricity Generation in Bifacial Photovoltaic Modules in Polish Climatic Conditions

Arkadiusz Dobrzycki, Dariusz Kurz and Ewa Maćkowiak
Additional contact information
Arkadiusz Dobrzycki: Institute of Electrical Engineering and Electronics, Faculty of Automatic, Robotics and Electrical Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, 60965 Poznań, Poland
Dariusz Kurz: Institute of Electrical Engineering and Electronics, Faculty of Automatic, Robotics and Electrical Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, 60965 Poznań, Poland
Ewa Maćkowiak: Institute of Electrical Engineering and Electronics, Faculty of Automatic, Robotics and Electrical Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, 60965 Poznań, Poland

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 16, 1-24

Abstract: This paper discusses the conversion of solar irradiance energy into electricity. Double-sided (bifacial) panels are gaining increasing popularity in commercial applications due to the increased energy yield with a constant occupied mounting surface. However, the value of the additional energy yield produced by the back of the panel depends on several important factors. This paper presents the influence of working conditions on electricity generation in bifacial modules. This paper also investigates the influence of weather conditions, the module inclination angle, and the substrate beneath the panel surface on electricity generation. Fill factor and efficiency were calculated for each case included in the study scope. Based on the current voltage, power characteristics, and calculations, the module operation for different conditions was compared. It was observed that the optimal inclination angle to the surface is higher for the bifacial modules compared to the unilateral modules. The type of surface under the module has also been indicated to impact the amount of electricity generated. The additional energy yield associated with the panels’ rear side accounts for 2% to more than 35% of the total power generated by a photovoltaic (PV) module. The unit cost of electricity generation in the analyzed cases was also determined.

Keywords: bifacial photovoltaic panels; solar power; renewable energy sources (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/16/4964/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/16/4964/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2021:i:16:p:4964-:d:613732

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().