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The basic design principle of a solar farm has been, for many years, to face the modules towards the sun in such a way as to maximize the per-module yield. This requires modules to be spaced out to minimize shading and the extent of the spacing can be represented by the Ground Coverage Ratio (GCR) - the ratio of panel area to land area. Single and double axis trackers further increase module spacing and lower the GCR. As the GCR decreases, much of the solar radiation striking a solar farm is not directly collected on the front of the module. This becomes the value proposition of bifacial modules - to capture some of this lost, stray and reflected light on the rear and further increase the per-module yield. Once bifacial modules are being used, the per-module yield can be increased even more due to several field design factors, including further lowering the GCR, installing modules higher off the ground, and modifying the reflectivity of the ground. While ever the module is the most significant system cost, it does make sense to take all steps to increase the per-module yield. But what happens as the price of modules drops, as is the continuing trend? Deployment approaches that essentially attempt to “cover the ground” with solar modules have a much lower per module yield, but save significantly on space, other space related costs such as land, cabling and site preparation, and often seek to save on structural costs. The paper shows the value proposition of high GCR approach are very strong as the cost of panels falls, challenging the future popularity of tracking and bifacial approaches |
