Comparison of Reflector Materials for a Vertical Bifacial Solar Canal

Abstract

In this article, we assessed five reflector materials for hypothetical vertical bifacial arrays as a solar canal technology option. We screened the materials (CoverMax, CoverTuff, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) Poly, polyester canvas, and Vivosun aluminized Mylar) for reflectivity, tensile strength to minimum mounting load, vapor barrier performance to reduce evaporation, and energy production. Vivosun had the highest reflectivity (albedo of 0.87–0.93) and increased annual energy production more than 40% compared with a system without reflector, but plastically deformed under tensile strength testing. All materials reduced evaporation at least fivefold compared with the control. Following our preliminary assessment, we calculated the levelized cost of electricity of a hypothetical vertical bifacial array with two height configurations (short system at 2 m and tall system at 3 m) and four hybrid reflectors (fabricated from strong base layer materials with a top layer of Vivosun) and compared these results with systems with single-material reflectors and with systems without reflectors. We found that the tall system with a hybrid reflector made from PVC Poly had the lowest levelized cost of electricity. However, when considering other performance metrics, such as tensile strength and vapor barrier performance, a hybrid reflector made from CoverMax emerged as the best candidate of the options considered.