ADVANCED BIFACIAL PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULE PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISATION AND SIMULATION

Abstract

Bifacial photovoltaic modules generate extra energy from the rear-side irradiance. This thesis is divided into two sections addressing the factors for improving the market acceptance and bankability of bifacial PV technology. In the first section, an evaluation of the methods to mitigate unwanted irradiance for single light source characterisation shows that, while low reflectance panels and masking are effective in reducing unwanted irradiance, the distance between panel and PV modules is more crucial to produce accurate maximum power measurements. The proposal of placing a black acrylic panel at a distance of more than 10 cm was validated by the first inter-laboratory comparison for bifacial PV module characterisation. The second section validates and benchmarks the accuracy of existing bifacial irradiance simulation software, including uncertainty analysis and the use of statistical tools. Lastly, accurate regression models were developed to predict irradiance received by vertical bifacial PV modules and the corresponding maximum power.