Global Techno-Economic Performance of Bifacial and Tracking Photovoltaic Systems

Rodríguez-Gallegos, Carlos D.; Liu, Haohui; Gandhi, Oktoviano; Singh, Jai Prakash; Krishnamurthy, Vijay; Kumar, Abhishek; Stein, Joshua S.; Wang, Shitao; Li, Li; Reindl, Thomas; Peters, Ian Marius

doi:10.1016/j.joule.2020.05.005

Global Techno-Economic Performance of Bifacial and Tracking Photovoltaic Systems

Journal Article · Wed Jun 03 00:00:00 EDT 2020 · Joule

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2020.05.005· OSTI ID:1634789

Rodríguez-Gallegos, Carlos D. ^[1]; Liu, Haohui ^[1]; Gandhi, Oktoviano ^[1]; Singh, Jai Prakash ^[1]; Krishnamurthy, Vijay ^[1]; Kumar, Abhishek ^[1]; Stein, Joshua S. ^[2]; Wang, Shitao ^[3]; Li, Li ^[3]; Reindl, Thomas ^[1]; Peters, Ian Marius ^[4]

National Univ. of Singapore (Singapore)
Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Harbin Inst. of Technology (China)
Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)

Although most of the current photovoltaic (PV) system installations use monofacial modules with fixed-tilt mounting structures, bifacial modules, trackers, and the combination of them are also getting more attention as potential candidates to further reduce the PV levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). This work is then the first to present a worldwide analysis on the yield potential and cost-effectiveness of PV farms composed of monofacial fixed-tilt and single/dual (1T/2T) tracker installations, as well as their bifacial counterparts. Our approach starts by estimating the irradiance reaching the front and rear surface of the modules for the different system designs (validated based on data from real PV systems and results from the literature) to estimate their energy production (row-row shading is neglected). Subsequently, the overall system cost during their 25-year lifetime is factored in, and LCOE is obtained. The results reveal that bifacial-1T installations increase energy yield by 35% and reach the lowest LCOE for the majority of the world (93.1% of the land area). Although dual axis trackers achieve the highest energy generation — especially for bifacial modules — their cost is still too high, and are therefore not as cost-effective. Sensitivity analyses based on the Monte Carlo and region sensitivity approach are performed to analyze the impact of input assumptions on the calculated LCOE. These reveal that our conclusions are robust in general but exact configuration to choose depends on specific site conditions. This investigation is not only of interest to the scientific community, but also can be used as a guide for PV installation companies and investors to determine the most suitable technology for a particular location.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Solar Energy Technologies Program (EE-2A)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC04-94AL85000

OSTI ID:: 1634789

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1703096

Report Number(s):: SAND2020--4452J; 685727

Journal Information:: Joule, Journal Name: Joule Journal Issue: 7 Vol. 4; ISSN 2542-4351

Publisher:: Elsevier - Cell PressCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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