Does Bifacial Solar is Next Big Thing in Energy Efficiency?

Is the bifacial panel worth the Hype?

What is the bifacial solar system?

Traditional solar panels are mono facial they are exposed only on the front side. Bifacial solar modules produce power from exposing the front and backside of the panel this allows to generate power from both sides.

When these bifacial solar panels are installed on high reflective surfaces, some manufactures claim to increase the production by 30% due to extra power generated from the rear.

Bifacial solar has many advantages over the traditional solar panel. Power generates from both sides of the panel thus overall it allows more energy generation.

These panels work best when they are mounted near where the ground is reflective. Deserts and snowy areas are the most effective for bifacial solar panels due to the high reflective properties of these two environments.

The bifacial solar is frameless, so more power can be generated in a smaller footprint due to its ability to produce power from both sides.

So how do they work?

They do work like normal solar panels and uses the same semiconductor material which produces power by converting light energy to electricity.

When light hits the bifacial panel, a portion of it is absorbed by the solar cells and converted into electrical energy. Some of the light that caught in the glass, reflected by the interior strikes a solar cell and gets absorbed.

The rest of the light passes through the glass and strikes the ground and gets reflected, back to the panel and absorbed by solar cells, and converted to electricity.

Bifacial cells are made to capture energy on both sides and are constructed differently than traditional mono facial cells. However, the only difference in mono facial and bifacial panels is bifacial contains p& n layers on both sides rather than one.

The Design of a bifacial system.

The bifacial solar panel comes in an array of designs with the option of frame or frameless. Most of the cells are monocrystalline cells but some are polycrystalline as well. However, in both types of cells, the power is generated form both sides due to contacts/busbars are on their both side of cells

How these modules installed

Framed modules are installed easily on the pre-existing mounting and racking system of traditional. Most of the panel manufacturers provide panels with clamps for easy installation. The bifacial panels are more effective on rooftops or ground-mounted arrays due to a higher level of tilt that allows more light to reflect towards solar modules.

Pron & Cons

These cells are getting popular and rapidly getting market share as they are becoming more efficient and affordable. As there are extra benefits by installing those cells as it produces increased efficiency, less space per watt, work well low light, durable, and weather-resistant are a few qualities.

According to recent studies by LONGi(a bifacial solar panel manufacturer and the National Renewable Energy bifacial solar produce up to 30 % more energy than traditional mono facial solar panels. This means 30 % less bifacial solar panel needs to be installed to create the same energy as traditional panels.

This can make a huge difference in space and budget. Also, these panel looks aesthetically pleasing due to their transparent design. However, it has its downside is costs slightly more(10–20%) more than the mono facial panel.

Future outlook & challenges

This technology is new are will take off in the next few years. However, there are some challenges as well, power generates from these systems depends upon the type of reflective surface where the panel is installed, in white/dark roofs, gravel grass, etc.

Power generation varies in different places, so it's hard to predict the power output. As the new research technology coming down in the next 2–3 years, the cost will dramatically come down.

Conclusion

As always new invention always comes costly until it is mass-produced. Now they are costly but the price is worth it. They have double surfaces in the space on the mono facial panels and have more efficiency. The transparent all glass is a selling point and it can be mounted on transparent roofs in technological design concepts.

In conclusion, the bifacial solar panel has all the advantages as traditional mono facial modules, high power density, BOS(balance of systems) savings, high energy yield due to power generation from the rear side.