Prediction of PPFD (photosynthetic photon flux density) under transparent CPV modules.

Recently, the agro-photovoltaic (agri-photovoltaic) system is expected to penetrate the market due to its advantages in some crops and significant potential installation areas. In principle, the agro-photovoltaic system shares solar energy with PV and agriculture, and its appropriate and controlled distribution is the key for the economy. Accurate and reproducible optimization design is essential. Any PV modules can be used for the agro-photovoltaic system. The best may be the transparent CPV that uses direct sunlight to concentrate onto solar cells and diffused sunlight to illuminate the farming light through a transparent backplane. The diffused sunlight for typical CPV modules is not used for electricity generation, and the transparent CPV is utilized as the secondary light source to crops. The diffused sunlight does not create shadow and improves the inhomogeneity of PPFD (Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density) from the stripe of shadows by PV modules, thus improving the yield. This paper predicts PPFD by the transparent CPV modules and the effectiveness of its use for the agro-photovoltaic system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]