Comparative Assessment of Energy Production of Bifacial and Monofacial Photovoltaic Modules in Floating Installations

Among the various technologies related to photovoltaic production, so-called bifacial modules have been finding increasing success in recent years. Compared with the classic single-sided version, these modules offer the possibility of harvesting also the irradiance incident on the back surface while retaining the same construction characteristics. For these reasons, bifacial modules are gaining popularity as a replacement for their monofacial counterparts. In evaluations about the convenience of such substitution, special attention should be paid to the important role played by the surface area below the module, which has an impact on the albedo coefficient, and to the fact that bifacial modules have a lower temperature coefficient. This paper focuses on the specific installation mode of floating plants for which the water surface near the modules has an impact as much in the albedo coefficient as in the operating temperature compared to on-land installations. The work therefore aims to evaluate the effectiveness of replacing monofacial modules with bifacial modules in a floating installation through the development and use of dedicated modeling. The results obtained on the floating installation are compared with an on-land installation.