Utility-Scale Bifacial Solar Photovoltaic System: Optimum Sizing and Techno-Economic Evaluation

TL;DR

This study compares utility-scale bifacial and monofacial solar PV systems using real data, showing bifacial systems offer higher power output, lower costs, and smaller footprints, making them more sustainable and economically viable.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive techno-economic analysis of bifacial versus monofacial systems at utility scale, including optimal sizing and energy management strategies.

Findings

Bifacial systems generate more power than monofacial systems.

Bifacial systems have a lower levelized cost of energy.

Optimal sizing reduces power loss and installation area.

Abstract

Classical monofacial solar photovoltaic systems have gained prevalence and are widely reported in the literature because they have a lower initial cost compared with bifacial systems. However, limited investigation of both systems has been done on a utility scale with different performance indicators. This paper introduces a multifaceted comparative analysis including various aspects like energy generation, reliability, environmental effect, economic viability, and footprint area. Real measured data, including ambient temperature, solar irradiance, and a utility-scale load, were used for studying both systems in the City of Detroit. The optimal system sizing and energy management strategy are attained using the Whale optimization algorithm. Minimizing the loss of power supply probability and sizing the number of photovoltaic panels (NPV) are carried out for both cases. Results revealed that the bifacial solar system generates more power with a lower NPV, a smaller installation area, and hence a lower levelized cost of energy for the entire project lifetime compared to the monofacial system. Accordingly, the bifacial system outlined in this paper is recommended and can be implemented in various locations to establish a sustainable solar energy system that is economically feasible with clean energy production for the entire project's lifespan.