Lab

Discover our whitepaper on how to take advantage of smart solar tracking for hail protection.

The studies have been carried out by an independent consultant, with data provided by Soltec for a 50 MW plant using proprietary software.

Soltec’s new algorithm for bifacial modules searches for the optimal position of solar trackers in a PV plant taking into account the sum of front and back radiation.

This white paper presents a summary of the results obtained from September to November 2018 at Soltec’s Bifacial Tracking Evaluation Center (BiTEC) in Livermore, California, USA. BiTEC studied the Bifacial Gain of PV modules deployed in the two most common tracker configurations in the market today: 1-in-Portrait (1P) and 2-in-Portrait (2P). Initial results show that individual modules deployed in SF7 Bifacial tracker in 2P configuration exhibit a Bifacial Gain that is 2.4% higher than that of the same modules in 1P configuration.

This white paper discusses the data gathered by BiTEC to substantiate the higher Bifacial Gain. The increased Bifacial Gain is applied to a hypothetical 65 MWp solar project of and yields an improvement in project net present value of 1 US$ Million.

Black & Veatch Management Consulting LLC (Black & Veatch) reviewed the data and measurement techniques used to produce Technical Tables (1 to 6) and believes that the methodology is consistent with accepted industry practice*.

Diffuse Booster algorithm increases energy yield by 5.3% during its activation time at Mediterranean and Equatorial sites under cloudy events

Learn how our backtracking algorithm can increase the production of your photovoltaic plant by 6.2%.

This whitepaper is the fourth and last part of a summary presenting the results obtained from September 2018 to September 2019 at Soltec’s Bifacial Tracking Evaluation Center (BiTEC) in Livermore, CA, USA. For a full year, BiTEC studied bifacial gain in photovoltaic modules developed according to the two most common market configurations nowadays: 1-in-vertical (1P) and 2-in-vertical (2P). Full year results show that individual modules in 2-in-vertical configuration obtain a bifacial gain of 15.7% under high albedo conditions (55.6%), that’s 2.1% more than the same modules under a 1P configuration for identical conditions.

This document will also build on information provided in previous whitepapers to better understand the impact of bifacial gain factors, with the aim to enhance knowledge and optimize bifacial module performance.

This whitepaper is the third part of a summary presenting the results obtained from September 2018 until June 2019 at Soltec’s Bifacial Tracking Evaluation Center (BiTEC) in Livermore, CA, USA. BiTEC studied Bifacial Gain in photovoltaic modules developed according to the two most common market configurations nowadays: 1-in-vertical (1P) and 2-in-vertical (2P). Results obtained during fall, winter and spring months show that individual modules in 2-in-vertical configuration obtain a Bifacial Gain of 16.2% under high albedo conditions (58.1%), that’s 2.1% more than the same modules under a 1P configuration for identical conditions. This document will also build on information provided in previous whitepapers to better understand the impact of Bifacial Gain factors, with the aim to enhance knowledge and optimize bifacial module performance. Lastly, this document intends to be a practical guide for using instruments and/or available tools to measure albedo in photovoltaic plants, as well as for considering important factors during measuring activities.

PV plants are often exposed to hazards that put the installation at risk, becoming an unpredictable economic investment. For this reason, single-axis solar tracker design must comply with a series of parameters that take into account the aeroelastic effects caused by the wind. Electronics improvement is also required to face weather phenomena such as cyclones, high winds or electrical storms.

In this document, the results of the wind study carried out by RWDI in collaboration with Soltec for the SF7 Single-Axis Tracker are presented, together with the features to deal with those weather events safely.