Are bifacial solar panels a good choice?

Generally, bifacial panels are best suited for commercial or utility-scale solar installations. That said, bifacial panels can still be used in certain residential projects. If you're considering ground-mounted solar, bifacial panels might perform better by capturing light reflected from the ground.

Do bifacial solar panels produce power from two directions?

Due to the ability of bifacial solar panels to produce power from two directions, bifaciality has become an important metric for assessing their performance.

Are bifacial panels more energy efficient?

With more surface area available to absorb sunlight, bifacial panels are generally more efficient than traditional monofacial panels. For example, a study by solar panel manufacturer LONGi found that bifacial panels produced 11% more energy than standard panels as part of a ground-mounted installation.

What are bifacial panels?

Bifacial panels have a slim profile compared to monofacial panels. They often have minimal framing and are enclosed in a thin, transparent layer of either a dual-glass design or a clear back sheet. Mounting systems for bifacial panels are also designed differently to maximize energy capture from both sides.

Can bifacial panels be installed vertically?

Additionally, bifacial panels can be installed vertically to capture sunlight at two key points during the day: sunrise and sunset (this setup isn’t practical for monofacial panels, which rely solely on their front side for energy absorption and are typically installed horizontally to maximize exposure to the sun).

How do you calculate bifaciality of a photovoltaic module?

For example, under Standard Testing Conditions (STC), if the test power of the back of a bifacial photovoltaic module is 350 watts and the test power of the front is 500 watts, the calculation for bifaciality would be 350/500 = 70%. This means that the back contributes 70% of the power generation capability compared to the front.