Abstract
This paper aims to quantify to what extent the electricity production of two types of agrivoltaics installations (fixed vertical bifacial and horizontal single axis tracker) is affected by the installation of different ground cloths. In order to assess the potential benefits of the use of these cloths, a series of ray-tracing simulations and an extensive measurement campaign were conducted. For the fixed vertical bifacial system, the simulations showed that the white ground cloth should result in an average increase in incident irradiance of about 8% for simulated periods occurring in both March (+8.2%) and June (+7.3%). However, measurements on the vertical bifacial setup over a period of 5.5 months indicated that no measurable differences occurred between the different ground covers. Measurements on the tracker setup did show a clear measurable difference with an average increase of 25% in cumulative rear incident irradiance, also resulting in an increase in revenues, for the tracker with the white ground cloth compared to the reference tracker.
Funder
Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
Agentschap Innoveren en Ondernemen
Reference9 articles.
1. M. A. Al Mamun, P. Dargusch, D. Wadley, N. A. Zulkarnain, and A. A. Aziz, “A review of research on agrivoltaic systems,” Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 161, no. February, p. 112351, 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2022.112351.
2. U.S. Department of Energy, “Market Research Study: Agrivoltaics,” pp. 1–57, 2022, [Online]. Available: https://science.osti.gov/-/media/sbir/pdf/Market-Research/SETO---Agrivoltaics-August-2022-Public.pdf.
3. B. Willockx, B. Herteleer, and J. Cappelle, “Techno-Economic Study of Agrovoltaic Systems Focusing on Orchard Crops,” 37th EU PVSEC, no. September, p. 6, 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.4229/EUPVSEC20202020-6DO.14.2.
4. H. Blaydes, S. G. Potts, J. D. Whyatt, and A. Armstrong, “Opportunities to enhance pollinator biodiversity in solar parks,” Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 145, p. 111065, Jul. 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/J.RSER.2021.111065.
5. J. Kowalska, M. Antkowiak, and P. Sienkiewicz, “Flower Strips and Their Ecological Multifunctionality in Agricultural Fields,” Agric. 2022, Vol. 12, Page 1470, vol. 12, no. 9, p. 1470, Sep. 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/AGRICULTURE12091470.