Predicting the Potential Energy Yield of Bifacial Solar PV Systems in Low-Latitude Region

Rahimat O. Yakubu, Maame T. Ankoh, Lena D. Mensah, David A. Quansah and Muyiwa S. Adaramola ()
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Rahimat O. Yakubu: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi AK-448-6464, Ghana
Maame T. Ankoh: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi AK-448-6464, Ghana
Lena D. Mensah: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi AK-448-6464, Ghana
David A. Quansah: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi AK-448-6464, Ghana
Muyiwa S. Adaramola: Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1433 Ås, Norway

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 22, 1-17

Abstract: The validation of the potential energy yield of bifacial PV systems of various configurations at low latitudes under West African climatic conditions is critical for evaluating performance and for promoting market expansion of the technology since validation has mostly occurred in high-latitude regions. In this paper, the potential energy yield from an inclined south-facing bifacial PV module and a vertically mounted east–west bifacial PV module are compared to an inclined south-facing monofacial PV module using an analytical model, field-measured data, and simulations. For measured/modelled and PVsyst/modelled monofacial systems, the model predicts RMSE values of 1.49 and 9.02, respectively. An inclined bifacial PV system has RMSEs of 1.88 and 7.97 for measured/modelled and PVsyst/modelled, respectively, and a vertically installed system has RMSEs of 10.03 for measured/modelled and 3.76 for PVsyst/modelled. Monthly energy yield is predicted by the model, with deviations from measured data ranging from 0.08% to 1.41% for monofacial systems, from 0.05% to 4.06% for inclined bifacial systems, and from 4.63% to 9.61% for vertical bifacial systems. The average bifacial gains from the modelled, measured, and simulated data of an inclined south-facing stand-alone bifacial PV system over an inclined south-facing stand-alone monofacial system are 9.05%, 10.15%, and 5.65%. Finally, at 0.25 albedo, the inclined monofacial PV system outperforms and yields more energy than the vertically installed bifacial PV system.

Keywords: energy yield; bifacial PV module; monofacial PV module; solar radiation; bifacial energy gain (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: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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