The front row of photovoltaic panels covers the back row

Why do solar panels need a higher tilt angle & row spacing?

There are two reasons for this: first, when the module cost increases, it is uneconomical to install a larger capacity PV array on the same land area; Second, increasing the tilt angle and row spacing improves the PV array's efficiency in capturing solar irradiance, allowing for the optimal LCOE while arranging fewer PV modules.

How do bifacial solar panels work?

On a fundamental level, bifacial modules work just like monofacial modules - incident sunlight is absorbed by the semiconductor layers in the solar panel and generates an electric current. The principle difference is the bifacial module’s ability to harness solar energy by both direct and indirect solar rays.

Why are solar panels in parallel rows?

The solar panels are in parallel rows on the horizontal ground. Infinitely long rows are assumed as the ends of the rows are neglected. The first row is passed by because it is unshaded as there is no row in front of it, but it has only a little contribution to the overall production.

How to choose a row spacing for a PV system?

In practical PV installations, the row spacing is mostly selected to avoid shading at noon in the winter solstice, and it is affected by the geographical location and the tilt angle of the PV modules. The relative row distance calculated by this simple thumb rule is 1.66 for the selected site and tilt angle.

Are bifacial solar panels a game changer?

A new generation of bifacial panels capable of capturing light reflected of the ground onto the back side of the panel may be a game changer. Unlike photovoltaic (PV) systems that use traditional monofacial modules, bifacial modules allow light to enter from both the front and back sides of a solar panel.

What are the shadows caused by the front row of PV arrays?

To facilitate analysis, we call the shadows caused by the front row of PV arrays as Front Array Inter-Row Shading (FAIRS), and the shadows caused by the sun that does not shine in front of the PV arrays is called Sun Position Inter-Row Shading (SPIRS).