We performed albedo and back irradiance characterization for an important photovoltaic plant developer.

OCA Global's Consulting and Technical Advisory division, hired as technical consultant, has carried out the albedo and back irradiance characterization project, for different configurations of solar trackers, in four different locations in Spain. The services have been contracted by OPDE, an important developer of renewable energy plants based in Madrid with experience in the construction of photovoltaic, wind, hybrid systems and storage plants in Spain, Latin America and Italy.

The albedo characterization project was developed by OCA Global's consulting team, led by Dr. Vicente Salas, during the engineering phase of the client's projects. This project has served to compare the empirical albedo values existing in the different commercial databases with the real values obtained in the characterization carried out by OCA Global. It has also served to obtain real measurements of incident back irradiance in bifacial photovoltaic modules, essential when developing photovoltaic plants with bifacial technology.

The albedo characterization was carried out with precision measurement equipment, such as spectroradiometers, pyranometers, calibrated cells and meteorological station, obtaining and recording values in real time for different solar irradiance and meteorological conditions.

By obtaining real albedo and back irradiance values, reliable decisions can be made when choosing the technology of the photovoltaic modules and the configuration of the trackers to be used (1V, 2V, etc.); as well as obtaining a more realistic estimate of the annual energy produced, complementing the results of the simulations carried out in the design of the photovoltaic plants.