Agrophotovoltaic Designs : Irradiation Analysis on and under PV Modules

Abstract

To secure agricultural benefits and PV power generation from an agrophotovoltaic system, it is vital that the PV modules and the crop are both irradiated by light. The configuration and design of PV modules have a practical effect on the irradiation uniformity in an agrophotovoltaic system. Irradiation non-uniformity can cause crop growth delays and quality deterioration during different cultivation periods. This paper proposes the design considerations and parameters of an agrophotovoltaic system to optimize crop yield and power energy production. The design parameters are the PV module installation height, ground coverage ratio, tilt angle, azimuth angle, and PV module installation type. The PV module installation type is classified into dual-axis tracking, single-axis tracking, south fixed, and horizontal fixed. We configured a 3D modeling simulation platform to visualize and analyze irradiation under the PV module. Finally, we suggest three evaluation parameters: The overall mean under PV modules, the overall standard irradiation deviation under PV modules, and the transposition factor of the agrophotovoltaic designs.