In the Polaris Top Sector project, among others, opportunities for large-scale application of vertical semi-transparent double-sided solar panels were explored. According to TNO’s Bas van Aken, these are big.
Bas van Aken is one of the speakers at Sunday, the largest one-day event for the solar energy sector in the Netherlands. This year, this meeting will take place on June 8 at ‘t Spant in Bussum and is organized by Holland Solar, TKI Urban Energy, TNO, Solliance and NWO. Van Aken is a scientist specializing in TNO, whose field of activity is large solar power systems on Earth. In this context, he also focuses on photovoltaic agriculture; Solar installations that leave room for agricultural activities.
delusion
“It is not without reason that these systems are considered a technology that could mean a lot to our energy transmission,” says van Aken. This certainly applies to the Netherlands, where space is limited and agriculture is intensive. The agricultural sector is of great importance to us, as is the deployment of solar panels. Abandoning both is undesirable. So it is a good idea to combine these functions. This is also very possible as more and more technical solutions are being developed. Holland is not indifferent to this. In that context, I will be sharing the results of Polaris on Sunday.
Modeling, testing and verification
TNO has been working on double-sided solar cell and solar panel technology for many years, in which glass solar panels – or double-glazed panels – are partially translucent. Recently, it is also turning towards system-wide solutions, such as modeling, testing, and validation. For example, the Knowledge Institute participated in the Polaris Upper Sector project. This included a pilot with a 21 kW photovoltaic system with 72 vertically-upright, transparent dual-sided solar panels. The installation was placed opposite the TNO site in Petten. Two-year trials will be conducted using several duplex solar panels with n-Pert and n-topcon solar cells (with technological advances by Tempress, Levitech and TNO) and a coating on the back (by Morphotonics). Van Aken was positive about the results.
Coffee and tea time
This kind of Agri PVThe systems can already be seen on a limited scale in Germany and Japan. The advantage is that the area of solar panels is much smaller compared to traditional horizontal systems. At the same time, depending on the space between the solar panels, of course, there is still enough room for product development. For example, it is possible to grow 10 hectares of crops on a plot of 12 hectares and install 5 hectares of solar panels. If you do it with the flat sides of the north, you will not have your peak of generation in the middle of the day, but during coffee and tea time; Between 8 and 10 in the morning and between 3 and 5 in the evening. So the solar energy supply is better distributed throughout the day. In addition, the generation can be surprisingly good, and this also applies to flat roofs where this type of double-sided solar panel is placed at an angle. I would like to see anyone who wants to know all about this on Sunday.
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