The photo voltaic vitality business continues to vary, striving to enhance the effectivity and reliability of photovoltaic methods. One of probably the most promising developments is the event of bifacial modules built-in with monitoring methods. These applied sciences intention to seize extra daylight and convert it into electrical energy, making photo voltaic vitality more practical and inexpensive. The IEA PVPS Task 13 is on the forefront of this innovation, working to enhance the efficiency and reliability of PV methods. This article examines the bifacial monitoring idea, benefits, challenges, market developments, and key contributions to IEA PVPS Task 13.
The IEA PVPS Task 13 just lately printed a brand new report “Best Practices for Optimizing Bifacial Photovoltaic Tracking Systems” and a Fact Sheet on bifacial monitoring (out there in numerous languages). The report, involving contributions from worldwide specialists, supplies an in-depth evaluation of bifacial monitoring methods and goals to supply greatest practices to optimize their efficiency. This in depth work consists of opinions of latest literature, business requirements, and insights from interviews with main tracker firms and house owners/operators of PV methods around the globe. .
The report examines numerous technical points and improvements in bifacial monitoring. It covers various kinds of single-axis trackers, their parts, and design ideas tailored to particular web site situations. Also mentioned are improvements in monitoring applied sciences, equivalent to backtracking to stop row-to-row shading and energetic safety in opposition to excessive climate situations.
Understanding Bifacial Tracking
Bifacial modules are PV panels that seize daylight on each their back and front sides. New cell designs permit gentle to achieve the cell from the again facet with efficiencies from 60% to greater than 90% in comparison with the entrance facet. Unlike conventional monofacial modules that solely take in daylight on one facet, bifacial modules make the most of mirrored gentle from the bottom and different surfaces, thus growing their vitality output.
Tracking methods, which modify the orientation of the panels to comply with the trail of the solar, can additional enhance the efficiency of bifacial modules. These methods come in numerous configurations, equivalent to single-axis (SAT) and dual-axis tracker. Single-axis trackers rotate the panels round an axis, often horizontal, to comply with the solar from east to west, whereas dual-axis trackers modify horizontal and vertical angles, making certain in the perfect orientation all through the day and yr. Combining these monitoring methods with bifacial modules results in extra constant and better vitality manufacturing in comparison with static, monofacial methods.
Advantages of Bifacial Tracking
The synergy of bifacial modules and monitoring methods gives distinctive benefits. According to the 2020 technoeconomic research cited within the IEA PVPS Task 13 report, bifacial, single-axis tracked methods present a 16% discount in levelized value of electrical energy (LCOE) in comparison with fixed-tilt monofacial system, with a rise of 35% in vitality yield. The report confirms that bifacial monitoring methods presently dominate the utility-scale PV market, with bifacial cells utilized in greater than 90% of modules bought and greater than 60% of the share of marketplace for PV methods utilizing single-axis trackers.
The added nature of tracker and bifacial features—sometimes 15-20% from monitoring and 2-10% from bifacial expertise—leads to a compelling cost-performance proposition. This makes bifacial monitoring methods probably the most inexpensive possibility in roughly 90% of the world’s areas.
Challenges
Despite their advantages, bifacial monitoring methods encounter many technical and logistical challenges. The IEA PVPS Task 13 report recognized key areas of concern:
System Design Complexity: The dual-sided nature of bifacial modules complicates system design. Minimizing shading from the tracker itself and optimizing floor reflectivity are vital for maximizing effectivity.
Extreme Weather Response: Tracking methods should adapt to excessive climate situations, equivalent to excessive winds, hail, snow, and flooding. Advanced trackers now embody sensors and climate forecasts to regulate module positions and cut back harm. However, the effectiveness of those methods can differ. For instance, whereas automated hail responses have gotten extra frequent, many methods nonetheless lack strong methods for excessive situations, which may end up in vital harm when failures happen.
Performance Modeling: Accurate efficiency modeling stays a problem. The blind mannequin comparability of the IEA PVPS Task 13 revealed variations of as much as 100% within the irradiance predictions behind the completely different fashions, highlighting the necessity for improved validation knowledge and strategies of modeling.
Albedo Enhancement: Improving vitality yield by way of albedo optimization with reflective supplies exhibits promise however is restricted by the sturdiness of those supplies. Current analysis focuses on strategic placement and longevity to make albedo enhancement a viable follow.
Market Development and Trends
Bifacial PV monitoring methods, the place bifacial modules are mounted on movable racks that comply with the solar, dominate the utility-scale PV market worldwide. Today, greater than 90% of the modules bought use bifacial cells, and greater than 60% of the market share for PV methods use single-axis trackers. The monetary advantages of those methods are substantial, with common tracker features of 15-20% and bifacial features of 2-10% additive.
The growth of the bifacial monitoring market is influenced by many components, together with design concerns, terrain topology, and metal costs. Supply chain points and the significance of dependable supply schedules are vital. Using native suppliers helps offset prices and cut back carbon emissions associated to transportation.
Companies are additionally focusing on particular market sectors, equivalent to dual-use AgriPV, deployment on non-agricultural or unusable land, and extremely sloped lands. These completely different views of land use and worth have formed the methods and investments within the bifacial monitoring system.
The IEA PVPS Task 13 obtained knowledge from interviews with 16 tracker firms, representing over 87% of the worldwide market share from 2012 to 2021, and a assessment of the 2022 Wood Mackenzie Global Solar PV Tracker that report. Key findings embody that 70% of those firms have been in enterprise for no less than 10 years, practically 50% promote trackers in additional than 20 international locations, and over 80% promote in additional than 10 international locations.
Performance Modeling and Yield Evaluation
IEA PVPS Task 13 carried out a blind PV efficiency modeling research organized to match completely different modeling instruments and their efficiency predictions for various system design parameters. Participants had been requested to simulate a set of six imaginary PV methods the place the system design and climate knowledge got. This research goals to match predictive fashions, making certain correct assessments of system efficiency and yield. The outcomes seem in a latest report.
Future Outlook
The way forward for bifacial monitoring appears to be like promising, with continued growth anticipated to drive wider adoption. Improvements in module effectivity, tracker expertise, and system integration will enhance the efficiency and reliability of those methods. As extra knowledge turns into out there, predictive fashions develop into extra correct, serving to to optimize designs and maximize vitality yield.
IEA PVPS Task 13 goals to help the photo voltaic business in overcoming the challenges and exploiting the total potential of bifacial monitoring by way of steady analysis, worldwide collaboration, and dissemination of analysis outcomes.
This article is a part of the IEA PVPS program’s month-to-month column. This is contributed to the IEA PVPS Task 13 – Reliability and Performance of PV Systems.
The views and opinions expressed on this article are these of the writer, and don’t essentially mirror these held by pv journal.
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