Experimental and Numerical Study of the Influence of String Mismatch on the Yield of PV Modules Augmented By Static Planar Reflectors

Photovoltaic (PV) modules are generally installed by the application of empirical rules aimed at reducing shadows during the periods of high solar irradiation. A traditional installation on a horizontal surface results in largely spaced rows of modules with a relatively low tilt angle. The addition of interrow reflectors results in more direct and diffuse flux transmitted to the cells. The Amélioration de l'Efficacité Photovoltaïque (Aleph) project aims to define clear rules for optimal settings of systems of PV module rows with fixed interrow planar reflectors in a given location and under a given climate. Two PV technologies are tested for performance with this type of system: amorphous silicon (a-Si) and polycrystalline silicon (p-Si). This study combines experiments on panel behavior in an outdoor environment on the Site Instrumental de Recherche par Télédétection Atmosphérique (SIRTA) meteorology platform and a multiphysics numerical model used to couple all the important physical phenomena and accurately describe the system behavior. The model includes a ray tracing radiation/optics module based on the Monte-Carlo method, as well as an electrical module simulated in SPICE. This study presents the influence of the string mismatch losses, which is present at periods of heterogeneous illumination, on the yield of PV modules augmented by static planar reflectors.