Applications and field tests of bifacial solar modules

In order to realize a photovoltaic (PV) system that is low cost and flexible in terms of installation, the authors have studied the vertical installation of bifacial solar modules. Simulations of output power and field testing were carried out to evaluate daily and yearly output power when bifacial modules are vertically installed at various azimuth angles. The yearly-generated power by a vertically installed bifacial module was found to be about 1.4 times larger than that of a vertically installed mono-facial module at the test location. Some applications of bifacial modules, such as fence-integrated PV systems and pole mounted PV systems, were successfully demonstrated on the basis of these results.