Techno-Economic Assessment of Bifacial Photovoltaic Systems under Desert Climatic Conditions

• Published in: Sustainability Vol. 16; no. 16; p. 6982
• Main Authors: Ayadi, Osama, Rinchi, Bilal, Al-Dahidi, Sameer, Abdalla, Mohammed E B, Al-Mahmodi, Mohammed
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.08.2024
• Subjects: Alternative energy sources; Deserts; Electricity; Emissions; Energy consumption; Humidity; Payback periods; Performance evaluation; Renewable resources; Solar energy; Saudi Arabia; Atacama Desert; Chile; Sahara Desert
• ISSN: 2071-1050
• DOI: 10.3390/su16166982

The decaying prices and improving efficiency of bifacial solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies make them most promising for harnessing solar radiation. Deserts have a high solar potential, but harsh conditions like high temperatures and dust negatively affect the performance of any proposed solar system. The most attractive aspect of deserts is their long-term sustainability, as they are free from urban and agricultural expansion. In this work, the System Advisor Model (SAM) software version 2023.12.17 was used to model a 100 MW PV plant and evaluate the techno-economic performance of fixed, 1-axis, and 2-axis bifacial systems under the climatic conditions of six deserts from around the world. This study explores technical parameters such as the performance ratio, specific yield, and capacity factor. Additionally, the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) indicator was used to compare the economic performance of the different systems. Results showed high specific yield: the averages for the three systems in six deserts were 2040, 2372, and 2555 kWh/kWp, respectively. Economic analysis found that an LCOE below 4 ¢/kWh is achievable in all deserts, reaching a minimum of 2.45 ¢/kWh under favorable conditions. These results emphasize the high potential of utility-scale PV projects in deserts to advance a green, sustainable energy future.