Current Photovoltaic Research

Korea Photovoltaic Society (한국태양광발전학회)
권호 표지
DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

Optical Simulation for Agrivoltaic System Using Raytracing Method

광선추적 기법을 사용한 영농형 태양광 시스템의 광학 시뮬레이션

  • Inku Kang (School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Korea Aerospace University) ;
  • Eunseok Jang (School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Korea Aerospace University) ;
  • Huijae Jang (School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Korea Aerospace University) ;
  • Bumsu Kim (School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Korea Aerospace University) ;
  • Myunghun Shin (School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Korea Aerospace University) ;
  • Jungdae Kwon (Nano Materials Division, Korea Institute of Materials Science)
  • 강인구 (항공전자정보공학부, 한국항공대학교) ;
  • 장은석 (항공전자정보공학부, 한국항공대학교) ;
  • 장희재 (항공전자정보공학부, 한국항공대학교) ;
  • 김범수 (항공전자정보공학부, 한국항공대학교) ;
  • 신명훈 (항공전자정보공학부, 한국항공대학교) ;
  • 권정대 (한국재료연구원)
  • Received : 2024.11.29
  • Accepted : 2025.01.15
  • Published : 2025.03.31
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

Agrivoltaic systems, which integrate bifacial photovoltaic (PV) modules above agricultural fields, provide a sustainable solution to land scarcity by enabling the simultaneous cultivation of crops and generation of solar power on the same site. Optimizing these systems requires ensuring sufficient solar irradiance reaches the crops while maintaining uniform sunlight distribution to minimize shading variability. In this study, we evaluated two distinct agrivoltaic system layouts under identical area and shading conditions (30%) to assess the impact of module placement on solar irradiance distribution. Using ray tracing techniques, we modeled sunlight pathways beneath the PV modules and visualized the resulting irradiance distribution with heatmaps. The estimated annual energy yield per module was 1263 kWh/kWp and 1268 kWh/kWp (accounting for loss parameters), with average irradiance levels of 68.25% and 67.05% reaching the farmland, respectively. While the average irradiance levels were similar between the layouts, the standard deviation of irradiance differed significantly, measured at 4.16% and 1.58%. This finding demonstrates that the configuration without gaps between arrays provided more uniform irradiance, offering enhanced conditions for crop growth while sustaining efficient solar energy production.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

본 연구는 한국 정부(산업통상자원부, MOTIE)에서 지원하는 한국에너지기술평가원(KETEP) 사업(과제번호: 20213091010020)과 한국 정부(과학기술정보통신부, MSIT)에서 지원하는 한국연구재단(NRF) 사업(과제번호: RS-2024-00352660)의 지원을 받아 수행되었다.