Researchers in Malaysia have claimed to have conducted a feasibility assessment of increasing the power yield of photovoltaic systems (solar panels) using mirror reflectors, PV Magazine reported.

According to the researcher’s group at the Multimedia University, the assessment was aimed at conducting a review of the existing PV reflectors technologies along with providing a system design for PV arrays using mirror reflectors.

It is pertinent to mention that mirror reflectors have been used to increase the power yield of solar panels and have been proven to raise output by around 30% depending on the season, site of installation, and type of reflector.

However, the reflectors’ usage in real projects is still limited due to cost and the lack of a dedicated industry for production.

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The Malaysian researchers’ project included deploying a prototype at a sewage treatment site. The system had four solar panels with each giving an output of 525W, an efficiency of 20.3%. The reflector was measured 2.2m x 1m.

Between February and April 2022, the group conducted a series of tests on the array which showed that the PV system with the reflector outperformed the panels without the reflector due to an increase in PV power output of 14.57%.

The test also showed that the system equipped with the reflector achieved a maximum efficiency of 25.5%, while the reference system reached only a 22.7% efficiency.