Basic Application Technologies of Bifacial Photovoltaic Solar Modules

In order to realize a photovoltaic (PV) solar power system which is low cost and flexible on its installation, the authors have studied vertical installations of bifacial solar modules. Simulation studies and field tests were performed in order to evaluate daily and yearly output energies when bifacial modules are vertically installed at various azimuth angles. It is clarified that the yearly generated energies by a vertically installed bifacial module are equivalent to those of a monofacial module facing south with an optimum tilt, regardless of the azimuth angles. According to the above results, some applications have been successfully demonstrated including a fence-integrated PV system and a pole-mounted PV system. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 149(3): 32–42, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.10370