Assessment of energy gain in SPV Tree structure with bifacial PV modules in Rajasthan

Abstract

With the rising use of renewable energy generation sources, there is a need for dependable and sustainable measuring techniques to monitor and measure the performance of the energy sources. Existing guidelines and standards for measurement of performance of PV modules are specified only for monofacial PV modules, in which the measurement of irradiance falling on the PV module is irrespective of the ground-clearance or mounting height up to a certain extent. With reference to techno-commercial aspects, the pitch in a ground-mounted power plant is set based on how optimum energy generation can be obtained with minimum land utilization. In case of bifacial PV modules, generation gain can be achieved by varying the ground-clearance/mounting height of the modules as the energy generation depends on the irradiance on both front as well as back side of the module. In this research study, the authors have compared field measurements of energy gained by varying the ground-clearance of bifacial PV modules by using bifacial PV modules in a novel structure of SPV Tree. The simulation and practical results show that the energy gain increases up to 3.5% in Marigold SPV Tree structure as the mounting height is 4 m, contrary to a conventional ground-mounted structure with mounting height 0.5 m from the ground.