Bifacial solar panels are solar panels that collect solar energy both from their front and rear side, unlike standard mono-facial panels that could only collect solar energy from a single side. This technology was invented in the late 1960s but was then too expensive for any feasible incremental production improvement.
However, according to articles and a field trip by CleanTechnica two years ago, bi-facial solar panels and cells have become more affordable and have also been more efficient. It has also been mentioned how the technology is promising in a scientific paper published in Joule, according to Array Technologies founder Ron Corio and his engineers.
Production of electricity is boosted when panels can be tilted towards the direction of the sun. Currently, it is not being used in most solar projects and is only utilized in some large projects in some regions. The technology of bifacial solar PV can be boosted by solar tracking to capture more sunlight compared to normal solar arrays.
A report published last week in Joule confirmed that tilting panels to the sunlight for optimum energy collection could presently be the most cost-effective option for solar power. It stated that the combination of these technologies could produce an average of nearly 35% more electric power than non-mobile single panel systems, thus reducing electricity cost by about 16%.
A Science Daily article confirms the cost-effectiveness of double-sided panels. According to the first author and Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore research fellow Carlos Rodríguez-Gallegos, the system is stable despite weather changes and changes in the costs of the panels and other system components. He says that it will soon be safe to invest in tracking and bifacial systems.
The article also states that the majority of photovoltaic installations today utilize mono-facial crystalline silicon modules in a system with a fixed tilt. However, as more cost-effective and technologically advanced technology arises, the market will eventually change.
Study results show how bi-facial 1T systems have a 35% higher energy yield and least LCOE in most areas all over the world, at 93.1% land area. Even though trackers with dual-axis have the highest generation of energy, they are still too expensive and are not so cost-effective. The study also provided sensitivity analyses that provide robustness in the findings.
Rodríguez-Gallegos adds that even if bifacial solar panels having single-axis tracking have more cost efficiency, he does not expect this technology to catch on soon. This, he says, is due to the market in photovoltaics being traditionally conservative. Even if tracking and bifacial technology are reliable, transitions do take time before installers adopt it.
According to Rodríguez-Gallegos, with continued research and ongoing lowering of manufacturing costs for the materials, the technology will eventually reach a point of economic competitiveness. Before we know it, they will be in widespread use. He says researchers aim to stay one step ahead and continue its development so that this potential future comes to pass, with their research being utilized as the guide for this technology's investors, researchers, manufacturers, and installers.