Title: Global Techno-Economic Performance of Bifacial and Tracking Photovoltaic Systems

Abstract

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 sensitivitymore » 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.« less

Authors:

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]

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+ Show Author Affiliations

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

Publication Date:

Wed Jun 03 00:00:00 EDT 2020

Research Org.:

Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office

OSTI Identifier:

1634789

Alternate Identifier(s):

OSTI ID: 1703096

Report Number(s):

SAND2020-4452J
Journal ID: ISSN 2542-4351; 685727

Grant/Contract Number:  

AC04-94AL85000

Resource Type:

Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:

Joule

Additional Journal Information:

Journal Volume: 4; Journal Issue: 7; Journal ID: ISSN 2542-4351

Publisher:

Elsevier - Cell Press

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

14 SOLAR ENERGY