In line with a brand new white paper from Arizona State College (ASU), rear-hanging cables on bifacial photo voltaic tasks don’t contribute sufficient shading to have an effect on efficiency or reliability of tasks.
Pictures from the white paper
The white paper, “Impression of Rear-Hanging String-Cable-Bundle Shading on Efficiency Parameters of Bifacial Photovoltaic Modules,” was written by Dr. GovindaSamy Tamizhmani, a analysis professor and the director of the Photovoltaic Reliability Laboratory at ASU. Affordable Wire Management (AWM) collaborated on the paper.
“Partnering with Dr. Mani and the group at Arizona State College on this analysis has been a real honor,” mentioned Dan Smith, chief know-how officer and co-founder of AWM. “ASU is my alma mater, which makes this collaboration significant on a private degree. Collectively, we’ve got delivered findings that we consider will essentially change cable administration design for bifacial PV throughout the utility-scale trade.”
The research discovered that rear-side cable bundles — starting from teams of two to 16 cables and suspended from 3- and 6-in. hangers — have a negligible impact on PV module efficiency, contributing ≤0.6% affect on Pmax in comparison with the considerably bigger 3 to 30% losses related to mounting buildings. These outcomes are constant throughout each single-axis tracker and fixed-tilt programs and with various floor circumstances, together with white floor, indicating that the evaluated cable hanger designs are unlikely to trigger any significant efficiency loss in real-world functions.
Past efficiency, trade expertise and vendor assessments counsel that behind-the-module cable hanger programs can ship notable effectivity positive aspects, together with lowering complete cable size by roughly 20 to 30% and set up time by 15 to twenty%, whereas eliminating pinch factors close to torque tubes and tracker elements.
Shading might be detrimental, finally leading to diminished power yield, improper electrical output and scorching spots. The trade has been overly cautious of this and has constantly routed cables alongside structural elements comparable to torque tubes to stop rear shading. Nonetheless, this apply has elevated cable lengths and decreased reliability as a result of wiring interacting with transferring system components. The outcomes of the analysis and white paper proved that shading just isn’t an element for concern, and efficiency and reliability usually are not compromised with rear hanging cables.
Moreover, normalized shading ratio (NSR), a novel metric, was developed and subsequently utilized to acquire these outcomes. Up till now, there has not been one single methodology to quantify rear-side shading impacts in bifacial PV installations. NSR isolates the efficiency results of cable bundles from different elements, enabling a exact evaluation of real-world energy plant power yield. By establishing a standardized method to measure a beforehand difficult-to-calculate variable, NSR not solely strengthens the research’s conclusions but additionally supplies the trade with a highly effective new strategy. Sooner or later, NSR might assist to tell design choices and optimize energy plant cable administration layouts.
AWM produces write administration merchandise for ground-mount photo voltaic tasks. The corporate makes use of a “golden row” methodology for string wire administration with its Bonsai system, which supplies installers with repeatable steering for routing cable alongside tracker programs. Constructing on the findings of this new analysis, AWM is additional refining its designs to assist straight-line cable routing throughout module frames.
The golden row idea standardizes a ‘reference row’ on the outset of development. This row serves as a blueprint for cable routing, attachment factors and total system structure, enabling crews to copy finest practices effectively throughout your complete web site. By resolving potential conflicts early and creating a transparent set up benchmark, golden row reduces rework, accelerates crew coaching, and drives higher uniformity and high quality throughout large-scale tasks.
“At AWM, we view set up steering as an extension of product design. Each element is engineered to ship consistency and predictability within the subject,” mentioned Scott Rand, CEO and co-founder of AWM. “Our golden row methodology exemplifies this philosophy by establishing a transparent commonplace that allows sooner, extra dependable installations. Coupled with the introduction of the NSR, the trade now has a validated framework for precisely assessing shading impacts, empowering builders and engineers to make extra knowledgeable design choices that improve energy plant efficiency and long-term reliability.”
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