Enhancing energy production in a PV collector – Reflector system supervised by an optimization model: Experimental analysis and validation

•Different reflector sizes at optimal configurations are experimentally investigated.•Enhancement factor of booster reflectors on PV panels is experimentally evaluated.•Experimental validation of an analytical model for augmented system is performed.•Enhancement electrical production of 17.8% with a reflector size of 2.5 m2 is noted.•Thermal and uneven illumination effect explain mismatch between model and experiments. In this paper the enhanced solar energy collection of a collector coupled with a flat booster bottom reflector is experimentally evaluated. The benefit provided by augmenting a PV panel with a specular reflector is then experimentally determined. The performances of an augmented PV arrangement and a conventional PV panel are compared. Five sizes of the reflector, at their optimal angular positions, aspect ratio and overhangs, are investigated as boosters of the PV panel. Several experiments have been carried out over the summertime for the reflector size, ranging from 0.3 m2 to 2.5 m2. The experimental enhancement factors (EFs) are further used to validate the analytical model, which includes an exact formulation of the shadowing and irradiating effects involved in the augmented system. This explorative investigation reveals experimental enhancement factor values in the range 6% − 17.8% and shows a good quantitative agreement with the predicted values. Moreover, the experimental profile reflects the simulated curve generated by the model. A detailed analysis demonstrates that the noted discrepancy between the simulated and experimental enhancement factor can be explained by the difference between the two PV panels conversion efficiencies that can arise when the two PV panels experience different operating temperature, and uneven illumination effect which were not explored in the model.