Mathematical modelling and technical analysis of an auxiliary system to reflect solar radiations for PV panels: Effect of mirror height on the system performance

Abstract

The present study represents the design of a new auxiliary system to reflect solar radiations for PV panels. The goal is to choose the best mirror height for the proposed system, in which, despite the increase in the power production, the construction costs of the reflective system remain reasonable. Using a maximum PowerPoint Tracker System (MPPT), the sun is tracked to optimize solar radiation on the PV module. To analyze the energy aspects of the proposed system, an energy balance model with zero-dimensional characteristics was developed, owing to the uniform distribution of solar radiation and the thinness of the PV layers. In this model, the temperature distribution along the thickness of the panel layers is considered constant. Our simulation results indicate that the proposed system enables the production of approximately 2.9 times more electrical energy in comparison to conventional PVs without the concentrator, thereby demonstrating the energetic viability of the proposed system.