Assessing the Performance and Impact of PV Technologies on Storage in Hybrid Renewable Systems

TL;DR

This study compares monofacial and bifacial photovoltaic systems in hybrid renewable setups, demonstrating that bifacial PV enhances energy storage efficiency and reduces costs, thereby improving sustainability and resilience.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of bifacial PV's benefits over monofacial PV in hybrid systems, including operational and economic advantages based on real-world data.

Findings

Bifacial PV pumps 10.38% more water annually.

Bifacial PV has a lower levelized cost of energy ($0.0578/kWh).

Bifacial PV improves energy storage and system resilience.

Abstract

Traditional monofacial photovoltaic (mPV) systems are commonly adopted and well-documented because of their lower upfront costs in comparison to bifacial photovoltaic (bPV) systems. This study investigates how PV technologies impact energy storage in grid-scale hybrid renewable systems, focusing on optimizing and assessing the performance of mPV and bPV technologies integrated with pumped storage hydropower. Using Ludington City, Michigan as a case study and analyzing realworld data such as solar irradiance, ambient temperature, and utility-scale load profiles, the research highlights the operational and economic benefits of bPV systems. The results reveal that bPV systems can pump approximately 10.38% more water annually to the upper reservoir while achieving a lower levelized cost of energy ($0.0578/kWh for bPV vs. $0.0672/kWh for mPV). This study underscores the outstanding potential of bPV systems in enhancing energy storage and management strategies, contributing to a more sustainable and resilient renewable energy future.