Resource potential mapping of bifacial photovoltaic systems in India

Bifacial photovoltaic is one of the technologies that can spearhead Indian ambitions to achieve the 7(th) United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and Nationally Determined Contributions of COP 26. But, like all emerging technology, the lack of awareness and unavailability of extensive data, like technology potential maps that could aid people in identifying the advantages of newer technologies, has led to sluggish growth in the Indian market. To expedite the growth of bifacial PV in the Indian market, optimized resource potential maps of bifacial PV were developed from an experimentally validated view factor-based bifacial PV model. The annual average bifacial gain was found to vary between 2.5% and 22% at various locations in India. The effect of ground albedo and height of installation was also studied. Furthermore, the annual and seasonal power out of bifacial PV was higher than monofacial PV at any location in India.