Bifacial Photovoltaics for Agricultural Vehicles: A Comparative Energy Analysis

Solar energy provides a sustainable power source for charging agricultural electric vehicles (AEVs), reducing reliance on fossil fuels and promoting environmentally friendly farming practices. The research investigates the integration of photovoltaic (PV) technologies with EV charging stations (CS), particularly focusing on bifacial PV (bPV) systems, compared to monofacial PV (mPV), in a hybrid charging station (HCS) serving off-road AEVs, such as tractors, and on-road EVs in a typical agricultural setting. Methodologically, dynamic simulations and energy analysis were conducted across various PV scenarios and CS subscenarios in the weather conditions of the province of Milan, Italy. The comparative analysis revealed that Tilted South-Facing (TSF) mPV and bPV scenarios consistently demonstrate superior performance compared to vertically mounted east-west (VMEW) bPV scenarios in CS subscenarios characterized by a predominant periodic component (off-road AEVs). Instead, the VMEW bPV scenario is recommendable in CS subscenarios characterized by only the stochastic component (on-road EVs) in EV load patterns. Furthermore, maximizing the combined function of satisfied load fraction and utilization factor of the generated energy facilitated the determination of optimal scenarios and installed PV power capacities aimed at minimizing energy exchanges with the grid.