Prospects and competitiveness of solar photovoltaics system setup portfolios in the Arctic and sub-Arctic region

The global Arctic and sub-Arctic region remains underrepresented in high-resolution techno-economic analyses of east-west bifacial vertical photovoltaics systems. This study delivers detailed assessments of electricity yield and levelised cost of electricity for these regions, evaluating fixed-tilted, horizontal single-axis tracking, and east-west bifacial vertical photovoltaics technologies, as well as their combined portfolios. A novel methodology is introduced to quantify the diurnal performance similarity between non-tracked and horizontal single-axis tracking systems, with results mapped on a high resolution 0.45° × 0.45° gridded map of the region. In the Arctic and sub-Arctic region above 66° N, horizontal single-axis tracking achieves 767-2171 full load hours annually, while the east-west vertical portfolio demonstrates a relative yield deficit of only 0-13% and strong diurnal correlation (0.88-0.95) above 75° N. A 50/50 mix of fixed-tilted and east-west vertical systems achieve similarly high correlation (0.86-0.96) between 60° N and 75° N. For fixed-tilted portfolios, extreme electricity yield deficit is observed compared to horizontal single-axis tracking ranging between 3.9% to 37.3%. The reference portfolio’s levelised cost of electricity ranges from 18.2 €/MWh to 51.7 €/MWh, with the east-west vertical configuration exhibiting a 1.4-14.0% reduction in all northern locations above 75° N. These findings highlight the technical and economic viability of east-west bifacial vertical solar photovoltaics systems for low-cost electricity generation in the uppermost Arctic and the essential role of conventional tilted setup in sub-Arctics.