Digital Twin–based Hosting Capacity and Annual Performance Evaluation of Bifacial Pv Systems In Low-Voltage Networks

This paper presents a digital twin–based hosting capacity assessment of re-newable photovoltaic (PV) integration in a real low-voltage (LV) distribution feeder. The investigated network includes 54 residential consumers modeled using detailed topology and conductor data, with hourly time-series simulations over a full meteorological year. Residential demand profiles were generated using an agent-based framework, while PV production curves were derived from PVSyst for monofacial and bifacial system configurations. Hosting capacity was evaluated under a voltage constraint using both global scaling and incremental adoption methodologies. Results show that incorporating vertical bifacial systems increases hosting capacity by approximately 12–14% compared to predominantly south-facing rooftop installations. The improvement arises from flatter generation profiles that better align renewable production with local consumption, thereby reducing simultaneous peak injection and enhancing effective self-consumption. The findings demonstrate that diversification of PV configurations can improve LV grid integration of renewable energy without network reinforcement.