Comparison of Bifacial Solar Irradiance Model Predictions With Field Validation
Models predicting rear irradiance for bifacial systems are critical to establish accurate estimates of energy yield. In this paper, we compare five published bifacial irradiance models, varying clearance, row spacing, tilt, and albedo to measure the sensitivity to these parameters. Bifacial energy gains (BG E) as high as 20% are predicted for some configurations. Model agreement is generally good for low ground clearance (clearance heights lower than 0.75 times the collector width), but at higher clearances, finite system size and edge effects become a significant factor in simulations, stretching assumptions of infinite system extent made in some models. In addition, rear irradiance uniformity is improved at high ground clearance, as expected. A test-bed construction and results are described for comparison between modeled and measured data in Golden, CO, USA. Finally, the investigations indicate that model agreement for BG E calculation is better than 2% (absolute) when compared with measured results, depending on the system configuration.
- Research Organization:
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC36-08GO28308
- OSTI ID:
- 1485567
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/JA-5K00-72510
- Journal Information:
- IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics, Vol. 9, Issue 1; ISSN 2156-3381
- Publisher:
- IEEECopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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