Presenter(s)

Sidhanth Venkatasubramaniam, Sabin Satheesh

Comments

Presentation: 9:00-10:15 a.m., Kennedy Union Ballroom

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Description

In the 21st century, governments worldwide are striving to become more reliant on renewable energy technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, address climate change, and decrease their carbon footprint. Photovoltaic (PV) technology is gaining more attention, despite PV panels consuming significant land resources, while expanding populations require more land for agriculture. In this research, we focus on bifacial solar panels, as they generate relatively high power per square area, reducing the payback period. Bifacial panels can convert the irradiances falling on both the front and back surfaces into electricity. Although there are many studies in the field of tilt optimization and types of PV panels used, there is a lack of research focusing on a bifacial panel array. Our primary objective is to develop a model of bifacial panels to predict the power generated, and our secondary objective is to use that model to find the optimum tilt for every county in the United States and explore the effects of climate, temperature, and latitude. To calculate the ideal tilt angle for various locations across the country, we used a combination of modeling and simulation techniques in Python, including a Python optimization tool. Our findings indicate that the ideal tilt angle for bifacial solar panels in an array varies considerably depending on the location. Our data can be used to optimize the setup and operation of bifacial solar panels in the US, resulting in more cost-effective and efficient energy production.

Publication Date

4-19-2023

Project Designation

Graduate Research

Primary Advisor

Rydge Mulford

Primary Advisor's Department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Keywords

Stander Symposium, School of Engineering

Institutional Learning Goals

Community; Critical Evaluation of Our Times; Scholarship

Tilt Angle Optimization for Bifacial Solar in an Array for Every County of the United States

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