Vertical Modules Research Articles

PVSails: Harnessing Innovation With Vertical Bifacial PV Modules in Floating Photovoltaic Systems

AbstractIn the context of offshore floating photovoltaic systems (FPVs), this paper explores the use of bifacial photovoltaic modules installed in the vertical position. The energy harvested from the rear face of vertically configured bifacial PV modules compensates for the reduced production at the front face of the module, and this demonstrates the potential of bifacial technology for offshore applications. By comparison, most existing horizontally tilted bifacial FPV systems gain only a small benefit in production from the rear face of the module due to the minimum radiation received, and what also must be taken into consideration is the negative effect of significant soiling owing to the low tilt angle of the PV modules. Hence, to overcome these drawbacks, we have developed the innovative “PVSail” concept, which explores the deployment of vertical FPV systems on floats, buoys, or poles/minipiles. Floating vertical bifacial PV systems (VBPVs) have huge potential to harness all the energy generation capabilities enhance by reflected light, especially from snow‐covered surfaces in northern regions. Our analysis considers a patented mooring and vertical PV system that allows the VBPV structure to align with the prevailing wind direction to shed wind loads, and our numerical analysis explores the potential of VBPV applied to Catania in Italy and Nigg Bay in the United Kingdom. Our analysis study has revealed that across an azimuth angle range (0°–180°), vertical bifacial modules experience roughly a 9% decrease in energy yield at Catania and about a 5% energy yield gain in higher latitude regions like Nigg Bay. Additionally, increasing the latitude of the installation location of VBPV reduces the energy yield sensitivity to the orientation, that is, azimuth angle. The PVSail concept opens the door to novel deployment possibilities in offshore renewable energy projects.

Modelling of bifacial photovoltaic farms to evaluate the profitability of East/West vertical configuration

East/West (E/W) vertical bifacial photovoltaic (PV) modules can achieve higher profits than the conventional North/South (N/S) tilted configuration depending on the design choices and external conditions. In this study a model based on 2D view factor concept is developed to estimate the power generated by a large-scale bifacial PV farm, considering the non-uniformity of the incident irradiance and the spectral impact. A validation using measured data is performed, focusing on the non-uniformity of the rear irradiance. This model is used to compare the profitability between E/W vertical and N/S tilted PV farm configurations, considering higher prices during noon with respect to morning/evening periods. The results identify the ratio between these two price values as the key variable that influences the comparison between the PV farm configurations. Specifically, a sufficiently high price ratio ensures the higher profitability of E/W vertical modules, however, the exact value is dependent on the location and the design variables. In general, higher row-to-row distance and lower diffuse fraction enhance the profitability of the E/W vertical over the N/S tilted configuration. On the other hand, elevation of the modules, curtailment strategies and hybrid solutions have a minor influence.

A Matheuristics for the Configuration of Automated Vertical Lift Modules Warehouses

A Matheuristics for the Configuration of Automated Vertical Lift Modules Warehouses

An exact method for machining lines design with equipment selection and line balancing

We consider the context of machining systems design where both equipment selection and line balancing decisions have to be taken in order to minimise the total cost of the system. The designed flow line employs multi-positional machines with rotary tables where vertical and horizontal machining modules can be used for the realisation of machining processes. For this challenging optimisation problem in production research, we develop an innovative mathematical model based on a mixed-integer linear programme and a heuristic algorithm for an approximate solution. An extensive numerical experiment is conducted in order to evaluate the performances of the proposed mathematical model and the developed heuristic. The obtained results show that the decision makers can use the elaborated methods for solving efficiently even large-scale industrial problems.

The photovoltaic potential for electric vehicle charging along highways: A Dutch case study

AbstractThe large‐scale deployment of photovoltaics (PVs) along highways has the potential for the generation of clean electricity without competing for land use or burdening the power grid since energy for electric vehicles (EVs) can be generated locally on wastelands along highways near service stations. An analysis was carried out to evaluate the feasibility of integrating vertical bifacial solar modules into noise barriers. The approach involved integrating geospatial data with PV potential data using geographic information systems (GIS) technology. The results show a potential of around 200 GWh/year if all current noise barriers along highways in the Netherlands are considered suitable for PV module integration. Three case studies have been analysed regarding specific service stations for specific road orientations. It is shown that solar energy can charge more than 300 vehicles per day by combining bifacial PV noise barriers and standard mono‐facial PV modules on publicly available land along the highway in all three case studies, which is sufficient to meet 80% of the expected EV charging demand along highways in 2030.

Optimal Photovoltaic Array Layout of Agrivoltaic Systems Based on Vertical Bifacial Photovoltaic Modules

An agrivoltaic (APV) plant is a complex system, where photovoltaic (PV) energy generation is concomitant with agricultural production. These activities can be antagonistic as the presence of PV installation might reduce the favorable conditions for agriculture and vice versa. In this context, vertical bifacial PV (AbPV) farms represent a fascinating perspective to optimize the land's dual‐use request. This means finding geometrical configurations for the AbPV plant to produce the same energy as ground‐mounted PV farms, not hinder agricultural activities, and limit the photosynthetically active radiation deficit. This study evaluates the performances of a vertical bifacial APV plant, located in Sicily, as a function of the PV modules’ plan allocation. The analyses developed through two software tools, SAM and PVsyst, compare the relative capabilities of monofacial and vertical bifacial farms in terms of acceptable PAR debit, and energy yield as a function of the array density. The land equivalent ratios of vertical AbPVs from a maximum value of 1.93 (p/h = 2.5) and a minimum of 1.56 (p/h = 5.0) for crops which have low sensitive response to the drop of solar radiation, while from 1.71 and 1.42 for crops which have higher sensitive response to the drop of solar radiation.

Design and Analysis of a Novel Wave Energy Harvester

A novel wave energy harvester (WEH) that can recover energy in the direction of heave, sway, and surge is designed under the background of low recovery efficiency and complex installation of the existing wave energy harvester. The harvester consisted of four main components: energy input module, energy transfer module, energy conversion module, and energy store module. In the paper, to convert more wave energy into electrical energy and improve the energy conversion efficiency of WEH, the motion transfer module is divided into vertical and horizontal motion transfer modules, which are used to harvest vertical and horizontal wave energy, respectively. The vertical motion transfer module combined with the ball screw structure, planetary gear structure, and one-way gear units ensure the generator has high speed. The horizontal motion transfer module is mainly composed of three uniformly distributed one-way gear units, ensuring collect the wave energy in all horizontal directions. The dynamic model of the harvester is established, and the simulation experiment is carried out under wave conditions with periods of 2 s, 2.5 s, and 3 s, respectively. The simulation results show that when the wave period is 2[Formula: see text]s, 2.5 s, and 3 s, the corresponding energy conversion efficiency of the WEH is 66.7%, 60.9%, and 57.1%, respectively. The proposed study provides a theoretical reference for modeling similar WEHs and can effectively balance energy supply and demand and further support the global agenda of UN-2030 for sustainable development, especially SDG-7.

Performance comparison of vertical and horizontal vacuum membrane distillation module coupled with mechanical vapor recompression

This paper focuses on the comparative study of vertical and horizontal vacuum membrane distillation (VMD) modules coupled with mechanical vapor recompression (MVR) system to obtain the optimal system layout structure and further improve operation stability and energy efficiency in the wastewater treatment. Firstly, freshwater accumulation characteristic in the vertical VMD module was explored under different working conditions. Then, comparative experiments of vertical and horizontal VMD-MVR systems were conducted. Finally, comprehensive performance of horizontal VMD-MVR system were evaluated. The obtained results showed that freshwater production in the distilling tank and freshwater accumulation in the VMD module were affected by operation time, feed temperature, feed flow rate, feed concentration and vacuum side pressure. Furthermore, the horizontal VMD-MVR system was proved to be a better choice due to lower freshwater accumulation in the VMD module and energy consumption in comparison to the vertical VMD-MVR system. Finally, long term operation experiment of 240 h indicated evaporation rate dropped to 55 kg/h as operation time reached to 180 h owing to membrane fouling. After membrane cleaning, evaporation rate recovered from 55 to 62 kg/h with a higher recovery efficiency of 95.1 %. Compared to conventional wastewater treatment systems, the horizontal VMD-MVR system exhibited excellent comprehensive performance.

Thermal analysis of a cascaded latent thermal storage tank in a solar domestic water heating system

AbstractTo enhance the thermal characteristics of a solar collector storage system, this study investigates the performance of a rectangular thermal energy storage (TES) tank by incorporating cascade phase change materials (cascade‐PCMs). Three different commercially available PCMs (RT44HC, RT54HC, and RT62HC) with distinct melting temperatures are employed. These cascade‐PCMs are utilized as slabs in vertical rectangular modules, which are integrated into the water TES tank. The heat transfer fluid (HTF) in the flat‐plate solar collector captures solar energy and transfers it to the TES tank, where it is stored as latent thermal energy. A two‐dimensional (2D) numerical model, utilizing the enthalpy‐porosity approach and conservation equations, is developed to analyze the melting and heat transfer processes within the TES tank. The model is validated against previous experimental and numerical data. Performance evaluation of the cascade‐PCMs tank is conducted during a 9‐h charging period (from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm) under Marrakesh weather conditions in Morocco. An optimization study is carried out to determine the optimal height of each cascade‐PCM. The results suggest that an optimal design with heights of 23, 16, and 11 cm for RT44HC, RT54HC, and RT62HC respectively, offers improved melting and storage quality. The thermal characteristics of the TES tank incorporating cascade‐PCMs are compared to those of a TES tank filled with a single phase change material (single‐PCM) during the charging period. The findings indicate that the cascade‐PCMs achieve complete melting, while the single‐PCM only reaches a melting fraction of 0.903 at the end of the charging process. Furthermore, the optimal configuration of the cascade‐PCMs storage tank exhibits slightly higher sensible and latent thermal energy storage capacity compared to the single‐PCM tank. The combination of the solar collector with the cascade‐PCMs storage tank results in a 3.47% higher average collection efficiency when compared to the single‐PCM tank.

High-Efficiency Photovoltaic Equipment for Agriculture Power Supply

Developing an energy supply based on resources whose use does not spoil the noosphere and the creation of such energy supply of efficient equipment whose operation does not cause any damage to nature and man is an urgent task. The need for such an approach is especially relevant and noticeable in agriculture. This article presents the final results of complex studies of new PV devices and PV systems based on them. Considered in the article are the best solutions we propose to improve PV equipment and make it more attractive for agricultural consumers. The developed vertical and planar high-voltage multijunction silicon PV cells and PV modules on their basis are presented. The first type of modules have a maximum power point voltage of up to 1000 V, specific power of up to 0.245 ± 0.01 W/cm2, and efficiency of up to 25.3% under a concentration ratio range of 10–100 suns. The samples of the second module type (60,156.75 × 156.75 mm PV cells) have an open-circuit voltage of 439.7 V, a short-circuit current of 0.933 A, and a maximum power of 348 W. Additionally, two types of newly designed solar energy concentrators are described in this article: one-dimensional double-wing concentrator ensuring low Fresnel optical losses and multi-zone parabolotoric microconcentrator with the uniform radiation distribution in the focal region, as well as modules based on these concentrators and the developed PV cells. For PV modules, the maximum power degradation is 0.2–0.24% per year in a wet ammonia environment. For concentrating PV modules, this degradation is 0.22–0.37% per year. This article sets out the principles of increasing the efficiency of PV systems by increasing the level of systematization and expanding the boundaries of PV systems. The thus-created PV systems satisfy 30–50% more consumer needs. Thanks to a higher output voltage and other specific features of the developed modules, PV system loss decreased by 12–15%, and maintenance losses also decreased.

Outdoor I-V characterization of tilted and vertical bifacial PV modules

This work proposes an experimental method to characterize bifacial photovoltaic modules through outdoor current-voltage (I-V) measurements. This characterization is an extension of methods developed for monofacial modules by considering the IEC TS 60904-1-2 standard for bifacial modules, particularly the introduction of the equivalent irradiance that accounts for albedo and bifaciality. We extract the short-circuit current, open-circuit voltage, and maximum power from the module I-V characteristic curve under outdoor conditions. We extrapolate these parameters to standard test conditions using the measured equivalent irradiance and module temperature. This method is applied on bifacial modules in two mounting orientations: 15° tilt north-oriented and vertical east-west orientation. Characterizing the bifacial modules’ electrical parameters using the proposed approach yields results with similar accuracy as applying the equivalent characterization of a tilted monofacial module.

Development and validation of a concise and anisotropic irradiance model for bifacial photovoltaic modules

The irradiance model is significant for accurately modelling the electrical and thermal performance of bifacial photovoltaic (bPV) modules, but existing irradiance models fail to be employed for bPV modules in a simple but reliable way. Therefore, this paper presented a concise and anisotropic irradiance model to predict the irradiance received by bPV modules, in which an improved view factor-based model was adopted to calculate the ground-reflected irradiance. In addition to its computational simplicity, the proposed model can satisfy the assumption of an anisotropic irradiance at both sides of the horizontal, tilted, and vertical bPV modules. Outdoor experiments were conducted to validate the proposed model under different conditions. Results show that the proposed model can well predict the irradiance of bPV modules placed above a concrete ground. The prediction errors of the front/rear/total irradiance are 7.1%/12.5%/6.1% and 11.9%/16.5%/8.7% for tilted and vertical bPV modules, respectively. In addition, the prediction performance decreases when a high-reflective ground made of aluminum foil is used. It is found that the albedo of the high-reflective ground will vary significantly on sunny days, mainly due to the incident-angle dependence of the ground reflection. Grounds with more diffuse reflections can improve the accuracy of the model's predictions.

Sensitivity study of heat-pipe-ring embedded building façade for solar absorption

Solar thermal utilization is a promising way for building energy conservation, especially by integrating with the building façade in a large area. Studies on the solar-absorbing façade have been made continuously through innovative and integrative technologies. The metallic module with the embedded heat pipe ring (HPR) array is newly proposed to work as the building-integrated solar thermal collector for water preheating and to prevent thermal transmission to indoor space simultaneously. Besides, this façade module can meet the aesthetic requirement of modern buildings and avoid the risk of being frozen. The study aims to investigate the implications of its major operating and design parameters on energy performance using a validated numerical model. In particular, the effects of feed water flow rate, absorber coating, and front glazing on the proposed façade panel are analyzed systematically via steady-state and dynamic simulations in this sensitivity study. It is found that increasing the feedwater flow improves thermal efficiency and therefore the electricity-saving in hot water supply, yet with diminishing return; and a feedwater flow of 4000 ml/min per m2 front surface area is recommended for both glazed and unglazed designs. At a favorable water flow rate, the selective coating and glass cover options are not beneficial for vertical HPR modules in five climate zones of China. For sloped arrangement, the tilted façade module with inclination angle close to the local latitude as the norm is again appropriate.

A novel approach for power enhancement of vertical mounted bifacial photovoltaic system using reflecting mirrors

Bifacial solar photovoltaics (PV) is a promising advanced technology that uses light absorption from both sides of PV modules to improve the power output produced per square meter. Irradiance is an essential parameter for power generation of PV modules. From this perspective, we propose a novel technique to increase the power generation from both sides of vertically mounted bifacial PV modules by using reflecting mirrors. The reflected irradiance incidence on the PV modules increased by approximately 10 times when reflecting mirrors were used. The power generation of the PV array improved by up to 57% during fall equinox by using tracking reflecting mirrors placed on the front and rear side at an optimal angle. Based on the experimental results, the PVsyst simulation tool was used to compute the power generation enhancement for a complete year. Compared to the mirrorless system, the power generation enhancement for the 10-kW bifacial system that used reflecting mirrors was 51% for the entire year. Therefore, this approach can entirely utilize the power generation capability of vertical PV modules in roof top and fence-type applications.

Improved Calculation of the Power Gain of Vertical PV Modules due to Ground Reflection Using the Ground View Factor

The calculation of the irradiance of vertically mounted building-integrated PV modules is less accurate than for PV modules that are mounted with tilt angles of less than <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$50^\circ$</tex-math></inline-formula> . The irradiance reflected from the ground is more relevant for vertically mounted PV modules, since the influence of ground reflection also increases with increasing module tilt angle. We compare five models that calculate the diffuse horizontal irradiance from the given global horizontal irradiance and then transpose the diffuse horizontal irradiance to the irradiance on the vertical plane facing south. We present a ground view factor with which we calculate the insolation reflected from the ground onto a PV module and compare these results with the established method for calculating ground reflection. Using our approach and measured global and diffuse horizontal irradiation, we calculate the global vertical irradiance for a 12-month period. We compare the results with the measured global vertical irradiance. By using the ground view factor, we reduce the deviation between the measurement and the calculation of the cumulative insolation at the façade by up to 9.4% compared with the irradiance calculated using established methods for ground reflectance after this 12-month period.

"Conical" Frustum Multi-Beam Phased Arrays for Air Traffic Control Radars.

The design of conical frustum phased array antennas for air traffic control (ATC) radar systems is addressed. The array architecture, which is controlled by a fully digital beam-forming (DBF) network, is composed by a set of equal vertical modules. Each module consists of a linear sparse array that generates on receive multiple instantaneous beams pointing along different directions in elevation. To reach the best trade-off between the antenna complexity (i.e., minimum number of array elements and/or radio frequency components) and radiation performance (i.e., matching a set of reference patterns), the synthesis problem is formulated in the Compressive Sampling (CS) framework. Then, the positions of the array elements and the complex excitations for generating each single beam are jointly determined through a customized version of the Bayesian CS (BCS) tool. Representative numerical results, concerned with ideal as well as real antenna models, are reported both to validate the proposed design strategy and to assess the effectiveness of the synthesized modular sparse array architecture also in comparison with conventional arrays with uniformly-spaced elements.

Integration of vertical solar power plants into a future German energy system

In Germany's future energy system wind and solar power directly cover all electricity demand for more than half of the year. Typical inclined south facing PV modules produce a strong peak around noon on sunny days. In east-west facing vertical PV modules energy yield peaks are shifted towards morning and afternoon hours. Such systems can be applied in agri photovoltaic power plants with similar energy yield per installed capacity to conventional photovoltaic systems. While installed power per area is by a factor 4 to 5 smaller, dual land use with agriculture allows for a technical potential in the terawatt hours per year range, which is comparable to half of entire German primary energy demand. In a simulation model based on the programme EnergyPLAN for Germany 2030 with 80% CO2 reduction related to 1990 the effect of different PV power plant orientations is investigated. In the model an optimum share of around 80% vertical PV systems is found without any electricity storages and 70% with electricity storage possibilities. It could be shown that vertical PV systems enable lower storage capacities or lower utilization of gas power plants. Without any storage options a reduction of the overall carbon dioxide emissions by up to 10.2 Mt/a is possible.

Performance and viability of vertical BIPV in tropical zones: An experimental and simulation approach

Solar energy is expected to be the fastest developing of the Renewable Energy Sources (RES) in the next years. With the introduction of Distributed Generation into space limited urban areas, the need to find new solutions that allow the installations of Photovoltaic (PV) systems in cities has become crucial for the constant and sustainable energetic development of the world. This study presents new experimental and simulation analyses of the implementation of vertical Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV), one of the most accepted alternatives for the installation of PV technologies in urban areas. Emphasis is made on the viability of BIPV in selected tropical regions from an energy generation standpoint. The results suggest that the implementation of these technologies is viable for urban spaces in the studied regions, as it was found that east and west facing vertical modules require only twice the space of horizontal modules to equal their energy generation, and the vertical area available in buildings can be up to 20 times larger than the horizontal. Additionally, energy generation in this location was found to be relatively constant throughout the year for east and west facing vertical BIPV installations.

Design For Manufacture And Assembly Analysis of the Tray for Vertical Lift Modules

Design For Manufacture And Assembly Analysis of the Tray for Vertical Lift Modules

Lessons learned from simulating the energy yield of an agrivoltaic project with vertical bifacial photovoltaic modules in France

Lessons learned from simulating the energy yield of an agrivoltaic project with vertical bifacial photovoltaic modules in France