Researchers have looked at how vertical PV systems could provide more electricity during periods of higher demand, while enabling a higher level of integration with agricultural activities.
Researcher from the Leipzig University of Applied Sciences have found that such installations could have a beneficial effect in stabilizing the country’s grid, while allowing greater integration with agricultural activities than with conventional ground-mounted PV plants.
The study also accounted for the higher costs linked with bifacial panels and acknowledged that shading effects lead to a reduced installable power per area in vertical PV installations. This decrease occurs due to the typical variation in module row spacing, which ranges between 8 and 12 meters, consequently increasing the cost of wiring.
The scientists considered a tilt angle of 20 degrees and an average predicted energy yield of 1,020 Wh/W for standard ground-mounted systems. They calculated a bifaciality factor of 90% and an annual energy yield of 999 Wh/W for vertical PV systems oriented west-east. Additionally, for vertical PV systems oriented north-south, the estimated annual energy yield was 926 Wh/W.
It was also found that vertical PV systems can shift solar yield into hours of higher electricity demand and more electricity supply in the winter months, thus reducing solar curtailment.
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