Wedoany.com Report-Feb 20, Brazilian plastics manufacturer Azul Pack has developed a reflective membrane for bifacial solar power plants.
The solution aims to increase albedo and optimize energy production in micro and mini-generation projects, as well as large-scale facilities.
The new product is available in two versions called Techreflex Geo and Techreflex Film. While the former has a width of 5.9 to 20 meters and a thickness of 1.00 µm, Techreflex Film has options from 4 to 20 meters and a thickness of 250 µm. There is also the possibility of customizing the membrane according to the needs of the project.
The solution has already shown results in photovoltaic plants in operation. According to Leonardo Oliveira, the founding partner of Albedo Power Flex, the company distributing the products in the Brazilian market, the technology was applied in a fixed structure plant in Januária, Minas Gerais, where the energy gain reached 7% at the inverter output. “If there were an integrated battery, efficiency could increase to 10.5%. In plants with trackers, this increase could be even greater, reaching 15%,” he explained.
Among the benefits provided by reflective blankets, Oliveira says, is increased energy efficiency, with high surface reflectance increasing light capture by bifacial modules, even in cloudy conditions. In addition, the blanket protects the soil by preventing weed growth, minimizing the need for mowing and vegetation control, and reduces maintenance costs, as it prevents erosion and protects the foundations of solar plants.
The product has a useful life of up to 20 years and a ten-year warranty, and is manufactured with inert materials that do not react chemically with the soil.
To ensure scientific validation and continuous improvement in the efficiency of reflective membranes, Albedo Power Flex and Azul Pack are monitoring studies conducted in partnership with the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC). The results of this collaboration will help to further optimize the performance and durability of the product, strengthening its application in the Brazilian solar market.
Albedo, also known as solar reflectance, is the ratio between the radiation reflected by a surface and the incident global solar radiation. In the photovoltaic context, the use of reflective membranes enhances this reflectance, increasing the amount of light used by the bifacial modules, resulting in greater energy generation. This phenomenon is measured by an albedometer, an instrument equipped with two pyranometers that analyze global and reflected radiation.
The yield of a bifacial photovoltaic system depends on several parameters of the plant, such as shading, spacing between rows, soil type, module model and height of the structure (fixed or tracker). However, the most relevant and site-specific factor is the soil reflectivity or albedo, which is the ratio between the received and reflected light. The natural albedo of the soil in solar power plants rarely exceeds 20%, which limits the efficiency of bifacial systems.
