IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i11p6115-d564726.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Optimal Design Strategy of a Solar Reflector Combining Photovoltaic Panels to Improve Electricity Output: A Case Study in Calgary, Canada

Author

Listed:
  • Moon Keun Kim

    (Department of Civil Engineering and Energy Technology, Oslo Metropolitan University, 0130 Oslo, Norway)

  • Khalid Osman Abdulkadir

    (Information Technology & Services, Green Bee Energy, Dubai 296360, United Arab Emirates)

  • Jiying Liu

    (School of Thermal Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, China)

  • Joon-Ho Choi

    (School of Architecture, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA)

  • Huiqing Wen

    (Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong—Liverpool University, Suzhou 215123, China)

Abstract

This study explores the combination of photovoltaic (PV) panels with a reflector mounted on a building to improve electricity generation. Globally, PV panels have been widely used as a renewable energy technology. In order to obtain more solar irradiance and improve electricity output, this study presents an advanced strategy of a reflector combining PV panels mounted on a building in Calgary, Canada. Based on an experimental database of solar irradiances, the simulation presents an optimal shape designed and tilt angles of the reflector and consequently improves solar radiation gain and electricity outputs. Polished aluminum is selected as the reflector material, and the shape and angle are designed to minimize the interruption of direct solar radiation. The numerical approach demonstrates the improvement in performance using a PV panel tilted at 30°, 45°, 60°, and 75° and a reflector, tilted at 15.5° or allowed to be tilted flexibly. A reflector tilted at 15.5° can improve solar radiation gains, of the panel, by nearly 5.5–9.2% at lower tilt angles and 14.1–21.1% at higher tilt angles. Furthermore, the flexibly adjusted reflector can improve solar radiation gains on the PV panel, by nearly 12–15.6% at lower tilt angles and 20–26.5% at higher tilt angles. A reflector tilted at 15.5° improves the panel’s output electricity on average by 4–8% with the PV panel tilted at 30° and 45° respectively and 12–19% with the PV panel tilted at 60° and 75°, annually. Moreover, a reflector that can be flexibly tilted improves electricity output on average by 9–12% with the PV panel tilted at 30° and 45° and 17–23% with the PV panel tilted at 60° and 75°. Therefore, the utilization of a reflector improves the performance of the PV panel while incurring a relatively low cost.

Suggested Citation

  • Moon Keun Kim & Khalid Osman Abdulkadir & Jiying Liu & Joon-Ho Choi & Huiqing Wen, 2021. "Optimal Design Strategy of a Solar Reflector Combining Photovoltaic Panels to Improve Electricity Output: A Case Study in Calgary, Canada," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-18, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:11:p:6115-:d:564726
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/11/6115/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/11/6115/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sidek, M.H.M. & Azis, N. & Hasan, W.Z.W. & Ab Kadir, M.Z.A. & Shafie, S. & Radzi, M.A.M., 2017. "Automated positioning dual-axis solar tracking system with precision elevation and azimuth angle control," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 160-170.
    2. Benghanem, M., 2011. "Optimization of tilt angle for solar panel: Case study for Madinah, Saudi Arabia," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(4), pages 1427-1433, April.
    3. Kostic, Ljiljana T. & Pavlovic, Tomislav M. & Pavlovic, Zoran T., 2010. "Influence of reflectance from flat aluminum concentrators on energy efficiency of PV/Thermal collector," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 87(2), pages 410-416, February.
    4. Eldin, S.A. Sharaf & Abd-Elhady, M.S. & Kandil, H.A., 2016. "Feasibility of solar tracking systems for PV panels in hot and cold regions," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 228-233.
    5. Pavlović, Zoran T. & Kostić, Ljiljana T., 2015. "Variation of reflected radiation from all reflectors of a flat plate solar collector during a year," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 75-84.
    6. Nsengiyumva, Walter & Chen, Shi Guo & Hu, Lihua & Chen, Xueyong, 2018. "Recent advancements and challenges in Solar Tracking Systems (STS): A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P1), pages 250-279.
    7. Sadiqa, Ayesha & Gulagi, Ashish & Breyer, Christian, 2018. "Energy transition roadmap towards 100% renewable energy and role of storage technologies for Pakistan by 2050," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 518-533.
    8. Zhong, Qing & Tong, Daoqin, 2020. "Spatial layout optimization for solar photovoltaic (PV) panel installation," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 1-11.
    9. Yadav, Amit Kumar & Chandel, S.S., 2013. "Tilt angle optimization to maximize incident solar radiation: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 23(C), pages 503-513.
    10. Tripathy, M. & Yadav, S. & Sadhu, P.K. & Panda, S.K., 2017. "Determination of optimum tilt angle and accurate insolation of BIPV panel influenced by adverse effect of shadow," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 211-223.
    11. Fathabadi, Hassan, 2016. "Novel high efficient offline sensorless dual-axis solar tracker for using in photovoltaic systems and solar concentrators," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 485-494.
    12. Hoffmann, Fábio Moacir & Molz, Rolf Fredi & Kothe, João Victor & Nara, Elpidio Oscar Benitez & Tedesco, Leonel Pablo Carvalho, 2018. "Monthly profile analysis based on a two-axis solar tracker proposal for photovoltaic panels," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 750-759.
    13. Conceição, Ricardo & Silva, Hugo G. & Fialho, Luis & Lopes, Francis M. & Collares-Pereira, Manuel, 2019. "PV system design with the effect of soiling on the optimum tilt angle," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 787-796.
    14. Nicole E. Statler & Amanda M. Adams & Ted C. Eckmann, 2017. "Optimizing angles of rooftop photovoltaics, ratios of solar to vegetated roof systems, and economic benefits, in Portland, Oregon, USA," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 37(3), pages 320-331, September.
    15. Tomson, Teolan, 2008. "Discrete two-positional tracking of solar collectors," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 400-405.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Talavera, D.L. & Muñoz-Cerón, Emilio & Ferrer-Rodríguez, J.P. & Pérez-Higueras, Pedro J., 2019. "Assessment of cost-competitiveness and profitability of fixed and tracking photovoltaic systems: The case of five specific sites," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 902-913.
    2. Nurzhigit Kuttybay & Ahmet Saymbetov & Saad Mekhilef & Madiyar Nurgaliyev & Didar Tukymbekov & Gulbakhar Dosymbetova & Aibolat Meiirkhanov & Yeldos Svanbayev, 2020. "Optimized Single-Axis Schedule Solar Tracker in Different Weather Conditions," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-18, October.
    3. Oh, Myeongchan & Kim, Jin-Young & Kim, Boyoung & Yun, Chang-Yeol & Kim, Chang Ki & Kang, Yong-Heack & Kim, Hyun-Goo, 2021. "Tolerance angle concept and formula for practical optimal orientation of photovoltaic panels," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 167(C), pages 384-394.
    4. Hua, Zhengcao & Ma, Chao & Lian, Jijian & Pang, Xiulan & Yang, Weichao, 2019. "Optimal capacity allocation of multiple solar trackers and storage capacity for utility-scale photovoltaic plants considering output characteristics and complementary demand," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 238(C), pages 721-733.
    5. Pirayawaraporn, Alongkorn & Sappaniran, Sahapol & Nooraksa, Sarawin & Prommai, Chanon & Chindakham, Nachaya & Jamroen, Chaowanan, 2023. "Innovative sensorless dual-axis solar tracking system using particle filter," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 338(C).
    6. Shirazi, Ali Mohammad & Zomorodian, Zahra S. & Tahsildoost, Mohammad, 2019. "Techno-economic BIPV evaluation method in urban areas," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 1235-1246.
    7. Genqiang Xian & Zhiyin Duan & Keqin Shan & Xuelin Dong, 2024. "Energy-Saving Potential of Building-Integrated Photovoltaic Technology Applied to a Library in Changsha, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(21), pages 1-21, November.
    8. Xuan Cuong Ngo & Thi Hong Nguyen & Nhu Y Do & Duc Minh Nguyen & Dai-Viet N. Vo & Su Shiung Lam & Doyeon Heo & Mohammadreza Shokouhimehr & Van-Huy Nguyen & Rajender S. Varma & Soo Young Kim & Quyet Van, 2020. "Grid-Connected Photovoltaic Systems with Single-Axis Sun Tracker: Case Study for Central Vietnam," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-14, March.
    9. Nsengiyumva, Walter & Chen, Shi Guo & Hu, Lihua & Chen, Xueyong, 2018. "Recent advancements and challenges in Solar Tracking Systems (STS): A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P1), pages 250-279.
    10. Zhong, Qing & Tong, Daoqin, 2020. "Spatial layout optimization for solar photovoltaic (PV) panel installation," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 1-11.
    11. Amirhossein Fathi & Masoomeh Bararzadeh Ledari & Yadollah Saboohi, 2021. "Evaluation of Optimal Occasional Tilt on Photovoltaic Power Plant Energy Efficiency and Land Use Requirements, Iran," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-20, September.
    12. Gönül, Ömer & Yazar, Fatih & Duman, A. Can & Güler, Önder, 2022. "A comparative techno-economic assessment of manually adjustable tilt mechanisms and automatic solar trackers for behind-the-meter PV applications," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    13. Khalil, Samy A. & Shaffie, A.M., 2016. "Evaluation of transposition models of solar irradiance over Egypt," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 105-119.
    14. Chinchilla, Monica & Santos-Martín, David & Carpintero-Rentería, Miguel & Lemon, Scott, 2021. "Worldwide annual optimum tilt angle model for solar collectors and photovoltaic systems in the absence of site meteorological data," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 281(C).
    15. Kafka, Jennifer & Miller, Mark A., 2020. "The dual angle solar harvest (DASH) method: An alternative method for organizing large solar panel arrays that optimizes incident solar energy in conjunction with land use," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 531-546.
    16. Dragos Machidon & Marcel Istrate, 2023. "Tilt Angle Adjustment for Incident Solar Energy Increase: A Case Study for Europe," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-12, April.
    17. Sumathi, Vijayan & Jayapragash, R. & Bakshi, Abhinav & Kumar Akella, Praveen, 2017. "Solar tracking methods to maximize PV system output – A review of the methods adopted in recent decade," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 130-138.
    18. Barbón, A. & Bayón-Cueli, C. & Bayón, L. & Rodríguez-Suanzes, C., 2022. "Analysis of the tilt and azimuth angles of photovoltaic systems in non-ideal positions for urban applications," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 305(C).
    19. Carlos Morón & Daniel Ferrández & Pablo Saiz & Gabriela Vega & Jorge Pablo Díaz, 2017. "New Prototype of Photovoltaic Solar Tracker Based on Arduino," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-13, August.
    20. Dey, Sumon & Lakshmanan, Madan Kumar & Pesala, Bala, 2018. "Optimal solar tree design for increased flexibility in seasonal energy extraction," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 1038-1048.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:11:p:6115-:d:564726. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.