Investigation of thermo-electric performance of bifacial and monofacial floating photovoltaics (FPV) system in temperate climate (UK)
Meet Hemantbhai Intwala, Aritra Ghosh
Abstract
• Average power generated by bifacial panel is 5.5% higher than the monofacial panel. • The front top of the monofacial and bottom of the bifacial had a 2.25 °C temp difference. • On the backside, the bifacial panel’s top and bottom had a 2.8 °C temp difference. • LCOE of bifacial and monofacial panels is 0.41 GBP/kWh and 0.51 GBP/kWh. To address global energy challenges and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy generation, particularly from solar power, is essential due to its environmentally friendly electricity production. However, traditional silicon-based solar PV systems face two key issues: reduced efficiency under high ambient temperatures and the large amount of land they require. One solution to both problems is the installation of solar PV systems on water bodies, a technology known as Floating Photovoltaics (FPV) sometimes called floatovoltaics“. This study conducted an FPV experiment using bifacial and monofacial panel at University of Exeter’s Penryn campus over four summer days of 2024. FPV benefits from water’s cooling effect, improving panel efficiency relative to ground-mounted systems. Bifacial panels offer an additional advantage as they capture sunlight from both front and back, enhancing power generation. In this experiment, bifacial and monofacial panels were mounted on a 3-square-meter water surface. The results show that the bifacial panel produced, on average, 5.08% more power than the monofacial panel. Temperature readings also indicated that the top part of the front and back sides of the bifacial panel remained cooler than the bottom, further contributing to its superior performance. Additionally, the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for the bifacial panel was 0.41 GBP/kWh, which is 19.6% lower than that of the monofacial panel. Overall, the bifacial panel demonstrated better electrical performance and more favorable thermal behavior than the monofacial panel when integrated with FPV technology. These findings support the adoption of bifacial PV technology in FPV systems in the UK, as it offers significant improvements in efficiency and cost-effectiveness.