A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Evaluation of the panel temperature modeling parameters for bifacial photovoltaics with open-rack and vertical installations




AuthorsVarjopuro, Julianna; Kamppinen, Aleksi; Poskela, Aapo; Lindfors, Anders V.; Wang, Shuo; Ranta, Samuli; Miettunen, Kati

PublisherElsevier

Publication year2026

Journal: Solar Energy

Article number114529

Volume311

ISSN0038-092X

eISSN1471-1257

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2026.114529

Publication's open availability at the time of reportingOpen Access

Publication channel's open availability Partially Open Access publication channel

Web address https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2026.114529

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/523515794

Self-archived copy's licenceCC BY

Self-archived copy's versionPublisher`s PDF


Abstract

Bifacial photovoltaics have rapidly gained significant market share; however, their thermal modeling is lagging behind. Reliable thermal modeling contributes to more robust predictions of the temperature-dependent output power, which emphasizes the need for accurate thermal models for emerging photovoltaic technologies. This study addresses the literature gap related to the validation of thermal models for bifacial photovoltaic (PV) systems. Key novelties include extending the investigation of bifacial PV temperature models to vertical installations and providing insights into their accuracy in challenging Nordic conditions. The applicability of common PV temperature models to bifacial panels was evaluated using experimental data collected from two bifacial systems with vertical and open-rack mounting. Temperature model parameters of Sandia, Faiman and PVsyst models for bifacial panels were extracted from both experimental and computationally simulated temperature data to investigate the use of computational methods in predicting model parameters and panel temperature. The good matching of experimental and simulated parameters with different installation geometries suggests that simulation is a powerful method to identify new parameters for solar devices with different material combinations and cell technologies. Further, one of the key questions was whether standard temperature model parameters - originally developed for monofacial panels - are suitable for bifacial panels. The results revealed that replacing the standard model parameters with bifacial-specific ones enhanced the accuracy of temperature estimation in all cases studied, e.g., for open-rack mounted bifacial panel 0.2−1.2 C depending on the temperature model. Overall, the findings of the study improve the prediction of power output of bifacial panels in different installations.


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Funding information in the publication
J.V., S.W., A.V.L., S.R. and K.M. acknowledge RealSolar project (358542, 358543, 358541), which is funded by the Strategic Research Council (SRC) established within the Research Council of Finland.


Last updated on 22/05/2026 09:45:34 AM