This study addresses the existing literature’s incomplete coverage of detailed LCOE (Levelised Cost of Electricity) and economic evaluation for bifacial photovoltaic (PV) systems. LCOE is a crucial metric in assessing the economic viability of energy generation. This paper introduces a novel model that captures the relationship between LCOE and the innovative technology of bifacial PV. It also analyzes the LCOE and energy payback period for an 8 kW bifacial PV plant, which is installed on the rooftop of the IIT Kharagpur campus. The LCOE derived from the real-time PV plant stands at 3.46 INR/kWh, while PVSyst predicts it as 3.37 INR/kWh. The corresponding payback period for the actual bifacial plant is approximately five years and five months, compared to five years and three months projected by PVSyst. It explicitly compares the economic feasibility of two rooftop PV systems: traditional monofacial panels and bifacial panels for scaled-up systems (1 MW). The analysis encompasses both systems’ initial costs, energy output, and payback periods. The findings reveal that the bifacial PV system outperforms the monofacial system in electricity generation and offers a shorter payback period. Consequently, the study demonstrates that the bifacial PV system represents a more economically advantageous choice for rooftop solar installations.

The power output of photovoltaic (PV) systems, especially bifacial modules, varies due to daily fluctuations in irradiance and temperature. Maximizing efficiency and power extraction are crucial. Hybrid DC off-grid topologies offer promise for rural electrification with solar energy and battery backup. These systems, tailored for household appliance use, feature low semiconductor count, continuous current ports for PV, battery, and DC loads, low-voltage levels for PV and battery, voltage regulation for DC loads, maximum power point tracking, proper battery charging and discharging, high-voltage boosting sans low-frequency transformers, and reduced power converter stages. However, existing schemes often lack critical features. Hence, this paper proposes a novel three-switch tri-port converter with integrated energy storage for standalone bifacial PV applications, with modeling and experimental validation. The battery serves as an energy storage component, regulating the DC link voltage for consistency. This paper underscores PV system power optimization and introduces a novel tri-port converter for standalone bifacial PV setups, emphasizing energy storage's role in voltage regulation.

Although the bifacial photovoltaic (PV) module is now a mature technology, there still exists a gap in the literature on its electrical modeling and equivalent circuit representation. Most published studies have mainly focused on the photocurrent while overlooking other crucial parameters for the electrical response of the module. Even so, the photocurrent of the bifacial module is simplistically treated as the sum of individual currents of the front and rear sides, a hypothesis challenged in this study. Notably, our research has uncovered a discrepancy that can exceed 15%, and we address this issue by introducing a correction factor in this article. This article introduces a comprehensive electrical model that effectively integrates bifacial PV modules' front and rear sides into a single − circuit representation. This novel model adopts the single − diode equivalent circuit, formulating each of the five parameters as a function of the individual side's parameters. Indoor and outdoor measurements validate the accuracy improvement brought by this model, which can benefit energy yield studies and our theoretical understanding of bifacial PV systems.

The energy yield from bifacial solar photovoltaic (PV) systems can be enhanced by optimizing the tilt angle. Bifacial modules boost the energy yield by 4% to 15% depending on the module type and ground reflectivity with an average of 9%. The selection of tilt angle depends on several factors, including the geographical location, weather variation, etc. Compared to the variable tilt angle, a constant angle is preferred from the point of view of the cost of installation and the cost of maintenance. This paper proposes a new method for analysing bifacial modules. A simpler rear-side irradiance model is presented to estimate the energy yield of a bifacial solar photovoltaic module. The detailed analysis also explores the optimum tilt angle for the inclined south–north orientation to obtain the maximum possible yield from the module. Taking four regions into account, i.e., Kharagpur, Ahmedabad, Delhi, and Thiruvananthapuram, in the Indian climate, we studied several cases. The Kharagpur system showed a monthly rear irradiance gain of 13%, and the Delhi climate showed an average performance ratio of 19.5%. We studied the impact of albedo and GCR on the tilt angle. Finally, the estimated model was validated with the PVSyst version 6.7.6 as well as real field test measurements taken from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) located in the USA.

This study presents a comprehensive performance assessment of a bifacial photovoltaic (PV) system and real-time validation of a new energy estimation model. The system consists of 18 bifacial PV modules installed at a test site with a total capacity of 6.8 kWp. The system’s performance was evaluated based on its energy yield over one year. The energy estimation model was validated in real-time using data collected from the bifacial PV system. The results show that the bifacial PV system achieved an annual energy yield of 1569 kWh/kWp. The energy estimation model was accurate and reliable, with correlation coefficients of 1.04 and 1.40 for the front and rear sides, respectively. This study provides valuable insights into the performance of bifacial PV systems and the development of precise energy estimation models, which can help design and optimize PV systems in different environmental conditions.