Real-World Validation of a 13.18 MWp Solar Power Plant: A Techno-Economic Comparison of Monofacial and Bifacial Technologies with Albedo Enhancement

Türkiye’s strategic geographical location offers an exceptional opportunity for solar energy harvesting, yet optimizing large-scale investments requires rigorous pre-assessment methodologies. This study presents a comprehensive multi-criteria techno-economic analysis and real-world validation of a 13.18 MWp solar power plant (SPP) located in Kirsehir, a region characterized by high solar irradiance (1750 kWh/m2). Utilizing PVsyst software, four distinct configurations—monofacial and bifacial modules at 21° and 25° tilt angles—were systematically simulated and evaluated across varying equity-to-loan ratios using key financial indicators (NPV, IRR, PI, and Payback Period). The simulation results identified the 21° bifacial configuration, enhanced by the innovative integration of high-albedo industrial calcite (CaCO3) waste as ground cover, as the optimal engineering solution. Crucially, the accuracy of this optimization was evaluated against 12 months of field data. While the raw measured annual production was recorded as 22,793,323 kWh, the validation was strictly based on the production adjusted for grid outages (23,499,604 kWh). Comparing this adjusted value with the simulated annual generation (22,816,114 kWh) yielded a total annual discrepancy of only 3% and a volumetrically weighted average error of 5.07%. Furthermore, to isolate model fidelity from inter-annual meteorological variability, the validation was assessed using the Performance Ratio (PR). The adjusted volumetrically weighted PR (87.43%) demonstrated a remarkably close alignment with the simulated PR (87.48%), exhibiting a marginal deviation of merely 0.05%. These performance metrics indicate a general consistency between the simulation model and operational field records across the evaluated period. Environmentally, the maximized energy yield of the 21° bifacial system facilitates the avoidance of approximately 6507.58 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. This research not only establishes the viability of scalable, low-cost calcite ground covers but also provides a highly robust, de-risked decision-support framework for utility-scale PV investments in similar geographic latitudes.