Bifacial Solar Panels: What they are, Advantages

The industry of renewable energy It’s in constant evolution and for this reason, they do not stop appearing new technologies as to solar panels and it is that, to the traditional offer have been added trends such as spherical solar panelsthe flexible solar panels or the bifacialswhich we will talk about in this article.

What Are Bifacial Solar Panels

A bifacial photovoltaic panel is characterized by being light sensitive on both sidesunlike what happens with the monofacial solar panelswhose back is covered with opaque materials and, therefore, does not capture solar radiation.

In the case of a biface plate the rear is formed by a transparent sheet or made of double tempered glassso that both sides receive the sun’s rays for power generation.

As for his cellsnormally and as in the monofacial panelsare they are monocrystalline or, in some cases polycrystalline.

Finally, this class of modules is characterized by being available in various designswhich can have a frame or without it.

How Does a Bifacial Solar Panel Work?

As we have explained before, a biface panel It is a type of photovoltaic panel capable of capturing energy from both sidesthanks to the transparent sheet that covers its back.

While monofacial panels reflect the solar energy that reaches their rear instead of storing it, bifacials are capable of producing energy through their two faces.

Therefore, these solar panels double-sided also have photovoltaic cells at the bottomwhich take advantage of the reflected radiationwhile the upper one takes advantage of the direct radiation.

for a optimal functioning of these panelsit is necessary to take into account three factors:

• the albedo: Its about percentage of radiation reflected by a given surface. In the case of the earth, its albedo percentage is approximately 35% while, if the panels are placed on light and bright colored surfaces, the albedo may exceed 60%which will increase the energy production of the panel.

• Distance between panels: When using these panels it is very important to measure well the distance between one and the other since, if they are separated, solar radiation will be used moreas can be seen in the image.

• The panel structures themselves: They can have elements, such as the wiring or connectionswhat have a negative impact on energy productionwhich can assume a 20% loss of it.

Advantages of Bifacial Solar Panels

Between the advantages that we can find in a bifacial panel the following stand out:

• Higher performance. By producing energy on both sides its performance will be much higher than that of an installation of the same size made up of single-sided panels.

Specifically, we are talking about the fact that the lower part of the module could increase energy production between 5% and 30%.

• They are perfect for use in places where it snows a lot, deserts or buildings or houses with white roofs.thanks to the ability of light colors to reflect sunlight.

• They can serve as aesthetic elementsused as barriers or awnings…

What is the Performance of a Bifacial Solar Panel?

It’s very important pay close attention when installing this type of panels otherwise they will not perform well.

Therefore, it is essential take into account the type of floor, the height or the distance between the modules before installing the panels, since these factors can be crucial in their performance, something very noticeable in large photovoltaic plants.

Thanks to its double face, can perform 30% better if placed on reflective surfacesthanks to the additional power that is achieved with the lower part of the bifacial panel.

Price of Bifacial Solar Panels

At the moment several models of bifacial panels can be found on the market. For example, the LG brand has LG NeON 2 BiFaciala model of high performance that, with a cost of about 350 euros, can produce up to 514W of energy, thanks to its 72 monocrystalline cells.

Another bifacial solar panel of the same brand is the module LG300N1T-G4which with its 60 monocrystalline cells has a 300W maximum power. This model can be found on the market for about 260 euros.

It is expected that this type of panels will continue to evolve and that they will be a trend that will pick up in the coming yearsthanks to its greater efficiency and performance and more if we take into account that, at this time, it is much easier to install self-consumption systems Thanks to the sun tax repeal.