Productivity Modeling and Analysis of Mono- and Bifacial PV Panels Under Different Weather Conditions and Reflection Surfaces for Application in the Agriculture Sector

The production of electricity from photovoltaics (PV) in the agricultural sector is expanding considerably, driven by ecological concerns and continuous technological development. Additionally, growing constraints on the use of arable land for PV energy production requires increased energy production per unit area of panels. Bifacial panels are one of the highest performing PV solutions currently available. The subject of this paper is the productivity modeling of mono- and bifacial PV panels. The aim is to develop a physically based model for PV productivity without the use of commercial software. For this purpose, Durisch’s model is modified and adapted for bifacial panels and the necessary empirical parameters are determined. The developed model was validated experimentally. A comparison of the performance of the front and rear side of a bifacial panel is presented. The influence of the type of reflective surface is also investigated. The productivity and efficiency of monocrystalline monofacial and bifacial panels are also compared. The experiments were carried out in real conditions typical of a temperate continental climate for the latitude of Sofia, Bulgaria under different meteorological conditions.