pvdeg.utilities.optimal_gcr_pitch_bifacial_fixed_tilt

pvdeg.utilities.optimal_gcr_pitch_bifacial_fixed_tilt(latitude: float, cw: float = 2) → tuple[float, float]

Compute the optimal ground coverage ratio (GCR) and row pitch for fixed-tilt bifacial PV systems as a function of latitude.

This implements Eq. (4) from Tonita et al. (2023) for the 5% inter-row energy-yield loss criterion for bifacial fixed-tilt systems:

\[GCR =\]

rac{P}{1 + e^{-k(lpha - lpha_0)}} + GCR_0

Inter-row energy-yield loss 5% bifacial fixed-tilt parameters, as reported in Table 1 of Tonita et al. (2023):

latitude: float

latitude [°]

cw: float

collector width [m]

gcr: float

optimal ground coverage ratio [unitless]

pitch: float

optimal pitch [m]

Erin M. Tonita, Annie C.J. Russell, Christopher E. Valdivia, Karin Hinzer, Optimal ground coverage ratios for tracked, fixed-tilt, and vertical photovoltaic systems for latitudes up to 75°N, Solar Energy, Volume 258, 2023, Pages 8-15, ISSN 0038-092X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2023.04.038.

Optimal GCR from Equation 4 Parameters from Table 1