When it comes to installing solar products for home or business, the objective of any renewable energy company is always to build your system in such a manner that it generates the most solar energy feasible. Solar panel technology has advanced significantly over time. Bifacial solar panels are a highly intriguing and promising technological advancement. Although bifacial modules have been present since the 1960s, the emergence of PERC (passivated emitter rear cell) technology has transformed them into a market disruptor in the solar PV industry. So, what are bifacial solar panels and why should you consider them? Read on to find out!
SO, WHAT ARE BIFACIAL SOLAR PANELS?
Solar PV panels are composed of one of two types of crystalline cells: monocrystalline or polycrystalline. The bulk of bifacial solar panels are constructed using monocrystalline cells. Monocrystalline cells are more productive despite their higher cost. Bifacial solar panels use the same solar cells as monofacial solar panels. The only significant variation is how the panel is constructed.
Traditional monofacial solar panels have an opaque backsheet, but bifacial solar panels have a reflecting back or two panes of glass that keep the solar cells in place, disclosing the solar cells to sunlight from both the back and the front. As a result, bifacial solar panels have better efficiency since they can capture sunlight from both sides. Because they are designed to be fully transparent, they are generally frameless and lack metal gridlines. This makes them more structurally sound and easy on the eye.
HOW DO BIFACIAL SOLAR PANELS WORK?
Bifacial solar panels function similarly to conventional solar products for home and business. There is a portion of sunlight that is immediately absorbed by solar cells and turned to power. Along with a part of sunlight trapped behind the glass, which bounces around before being absorbed by a solar cell. Finally, a part of light that passes straight through the panels. But here is where bifacial and monofacial panels vary. In a bifacial panel, this lost light can be reabsorbed by the panel. In this case, light passes through and collides with a highly reflecting surface before bouncing back to the panels and being transformed into solar energy, thus generating more energy.
HOW ARE BIFACIAL MODULES INSTALLED?
The manner a bifacial module is placed varies according to its kind. A framed bifacial module may be easier to set up than a frameless module. Simply because typical mounting and racking solutions are already designed for framed modules. Most bifacial module makers provide their own fasteners to attach their own brand, eliminating any installation concerns. For frameless bifacial modules, the module clamps will frequently have rubber shields to protect the glass. Great care must be taken to avoid over tightening bolts and harming the glass.
The higher a bifacial module is slanted, the more power it generates using its bifacial features. Bifacial modules installed straight flush to a rooftop prevent reflected light from accessing the backside of the cells. That is why bifacial modules work better on flat business roofs and ground-mounted arrays. Where there is greater area for tilt and bouncing reflected light to the modules’ back.
The mounting mechanism might have an impact on the bifacial module’s performance. Racking systems that use support rails, which are typically covered by the backsheet of a monofacial module, are going to shade rows of bifacial cells. To avoid shadowing, junction boxes on bifacial panels have been reduced in size or divided into many units arranged along the panel’s edge.
BIFACIAL SOLAR PANELS FOR COMMERCIAL USES:
The optimal use for bifacial solar panels is in commercial and utility-scale solar systems, particularly those that use solar trackers. In a research conducted by LONGi, a solar panel renewable energy company, bifacial panels produced 11% more energy than regular solar panels in a slanted, ground-mounted solar system in China. More impressively, a system combining bifacial panels with solar trackers produced 27% more solar energy than a comparably sized system utilizing standard panels.
Because of its capacity to collect light from both sides, bifacial panels have been shown to increase energy output in large-scale solar projects. When a solar panel is installed above ground, as is the case in most commercial systems, sunlight strikes the ground under the panel and is reflected upward, where it may be collected by back-facing solar cells. Furthermore, based on the surface beneath, more or less light will be reflected upward to the bifacial panels. In general, lighter-colored surfaces such as sand refract more sunlight than darker surfaces such as asphalt or dirt.
BIFACIAL SOLAR POWER SYSTEMS FOR RESIDENTIAL USES:
Bifacial solar panels are not the super ideal solar products for home. Given their potential higher cost compared to typical monocrystalline or polycrystalline panels, they are best suited for bigger solar projects where reflected light may readily reach the rear of the panels.
While bifacial panels are ideally suited for commercial or utility-scale solar systems, they can also be employed as solar products for home applications. Free-standing structures, such as pergolas, may profit from bifacial panels, which produce partial shade and produce energy. Bifacial panels can also be employed in other applications when there is nothing directly behind the solar panels. Bifacial solar panel awnings and canopies, for instance, enable reflected light to reach the panels’ backs.
If you’re thinking about a ground-mounted solar system rather than a rooftop setup, bifacial panels may be a good fit as solar products for home. A residential ground-mounted framework, like commercial and utility applications, is elevated above the ground, enabling light to reach the backside of bifacial panels.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Bifacial solar panels provide a viable alternative for improving the efficiency and production of solar energy systems. Their capacity to absorb sunlight from both sides has various advantages, including increased energy output. Higher performance under varying conditions, and optimized land use. However, the cost-effectiveness of bifacial panels should be assessed using parameters such as installation costs, performance metrics, and available incentives. As the globe embraces the many benefits of renewable energy companies, bifacial solar panels have the potential to significantly accelerate the world’s transition to a more sustainable future.