Bifacial PV improves pumped storage performance and lowers LCOE

Authors Sharaf K. Magableh et al. present an analysis comparing monofacial (mPV) and bifacial (bPV) photovoltaic technologies integrated with pumped storage hydropower in Ludington City, Michigan.

• Main finding and specifics: The paper reports that bPV systems can pump approximately 10.38% more water annually to the upper reservoir and achieve a lower levelized cost of energy (LCOE) — reported as 0.0578/kWh for bPV vs. 0.0672/kWh for mPV; the study uses real-world solar irradiance, ambient temperature, and utility-scale load profiles and is accepted at IEEE PES GM 2025.
• Methodology and metadata: The study performs optimization and performance assessment of mPV vs. bPV integrated with pumped storage using a Ludington, Michigan case study; publication record on arXiv shows submissions v1: 27 Feb 2025, v2: 20 Aug 2025, v3: 28 Nov 2025; DOI and arXiv links provided. (LCOE values reported per kWh in the paper; currency not explicitly stated in the abstract.)