A detailed optical thermo-electrical model for better thermal analysis of bifacial PV systems

• Bifacial PV produces 13.9% more annual energy than monofacial in Tehran, Iran. • Radiation is the dominant heat transfer mechanism, by share of ∼60 %. • Conduction heat transfer could be neglected, which has only 1% contribution. • The high impact of radiation on the rear on temperature is seen. • Bifacial PV module can be considered as an integrated layer to simplify modeling. Converting sunlight into electricity through photovoltaic (PV) technology is an effective solution to address the challenges of energy shortage and environmental protection. Bifacial (bPV) is a new type of solar cell that has advantages over monofacial (mPV) generation in that it can receive energy from both sides and produce more electrical energy, which has given rise to hope for PV. Thermal analysis, optical and electrical analyses are essential for bPV modeling. As temperature increases, the performance of a solar module decreases. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of a 550 W bPV panel in Tehran, Iran through optical, thermal, and electrical evaluations. In addition to the produced power and bifacial gain for the electrical measurement of the panel and comparing it with the mPV, thermal resistance has also been studied to investigate the importance of conductive, convective, and radiant heat transfer. It was discovered that the bPV produces 13.90 % more energy per year than the mPV. In terms of heat transfer, radiative thermal resistance contributes 63.08 % while conductive thermal resistance contributes only 0.57 %. This exhibits that the solar panel can be viewed as an integrated layer to simplify modeling.