Performance investigation of n-type PERT bifacial solar photovoltaic module installed at different elevations

Abstract

In recent years, bifacial solar photovoltaic (bPV) cells have gained much interest in the solar PV market as they produce additional electrical energy at a marginally higher cost. Their ability to generate additional energy mainly depends on their rear side response. Module elevation, albedo, row spacing, and frame structure are the few factors that affect its rear side response and thus the overall efficiency. In this research work, the performance of a bPV module installed at the geographical location of latitude 9.673° N, and longitude 77.964° E is analyzed with different module elevations. Module elevation is one of the key installation parameters that causes the non-uniformity in the rear side irradiance. At low elevations, the non-uniformity is higher and starts reducing with the increase in elevation, reaching a negligible value at greater elevations. The experimental results showed that for the module elevation of above 1m, the non-uniformity is reduced to 5 % from 12 % at 0.25m. The peak power output for the elevation of above 1m is around 375W at which the bifaciality factor is about 25 %. Overall, it is observed that the bifacial solar PV module at a higher optimum elevation produces lesser non-uniformity and a higher energy yield.