Vertical Solar PV Systems – Benefits and Drawbacks
Vertical solar PV systems have their place in the future energy ecosystem. A recent study in the Smart Energy journal examined the role of vertical solar PV systems in the future German energy grid and found potential to make a significant contribution to future energy needs with or without storage options.
When implemented with an East-West orientation, vertical solar PV systems produce electricity in the early morning and also in the late afternoon or evening. Whereas a conventional south-facing solar PV system will produce it’s peak electrical output through the middle of the day.
One natural conclusion is that with a combination of conventional south-facing systems and East-West vertical solar PV systems, it is feasible to produce a consistent electricity flow throughout the day – and in particular during peak consumption hours.
Agrivoltaics including Vertical Solar
The new research area of Agri-photovoltaics, or Agrivoltaics, has a particular interest in vertical solar PV.
In a previous article, we saw how agrivoltaics can achieve a 160% land-use factor, however this might be increased even further with a vertical solar PV system.
Two concepts are presented in agrivoltaics,
- the solar PV system is placed high-enough to allow agricultural activities continue normally beneath the transparent solar PV panels.
- a solar PV system is spaced wide-enough to allow agricultural activities continue as normal between the modules.
A third concept is to utilise high-efficiency bifacial modules in a vertical solar PV arrangement, which allows substantial energy production with minimal impact on agricultural production or yields.
Utility-scale Vertical Solar PV Farms
Megawatt scale vertical solar PV systems have already been implemented in Germany.
One interesting result is that a vertical solar PV farm produces more electricity than a conventional south-facing solar PV farm of a similar size.
This is a clear demonstration of the advantages to using high-efficiency bifacial modules for utility-scale solar PV arrays.
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