Think more he like to sell old junk first.local solar guy was warning me about bifacial panels, said he didn't approve, he's been in the biz long time. thoughts? maybe they can't handle hot climates?
They work great power wise but seem flimsy. As long as what you have them mounted too is structurally sound I wouldn't worry about them being a problem. Compared to my normal panels they weigh less and flex more easily. Power output is nice.local solar guy was warning me about bifacial panels, said he didn't approve, he's been in the biz long time. thoughts? maybe they can't handle hot climates?
Do you think bifacial will radiate heat on a flat roof flush mount 5 inches from the roof? Also do you have any gain on your setup? thanksThey radiate heat from the back,
making my patio 10-15* hotter.
Working great for 2 years now.
63# for the 395W bifacal canadians
43# for 365W Qcells
They work great power wise but seem flimsy. As long as what you have them mounted too is structurally sound I wouldn't worry about them being a problem. Compared to my normal panels they weigh less and flex more easily. Power output is nice.
I would assume yes,Do you think bifacial will radiate heat on a flat roof flush mount 5 inches from the roof? Also do you have any gain on your setup? thanks
Do you think bifacial will radiate heat on a flat roof flush mount 5 inches from the roof? Also do you have any gain on your setup? thanks
Bipanel power rating is only for front side. You can get additional power depending how much reflected light can hit backside: Example 1 there's not going to be much backside production, but example 2 may get you something like +10-20%. Albedo is the word used to rate surrounding reflectivity.Hi
I am on the fence about these as well. I need to understand a few things:
e.g 700 Bifacial:
Case 1: Flat on a black not reflective roof
Case 2: Same bifacial, say mounted at angle, 40 inches from the plane of a reflective white painted concrete roof, for exemple
- Will they deliver the same amount of power?
- What would be the difference?
- Another way to ask the question: Is the quoted max power measured without taking into account the gain from the back?
Help from the collective will be much appreciated.
Zep
That is great! But you made a mistake in example 2, you added the snow but removed the SUN. I think that might hurt your production.Bipanel power rating is only for front side. You can get additional power depending how much reflected light can hit backside: Example 1 there's not going to be much backside production, but example 2 may get you something like +10-20%. Albedo is the word used to rate surrounding reflectivity.
First I added some white glossy plastic around my panels and got ~15% more production.
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So decided to paint the whole landscape white to get even more production...
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Sh*t, I had feeling I did something wrong... Now that you mention it I have to get one or two of those yellow paint cans...That is great! But you made a mistake in example 2, you added the snow but removed the SUN. I think that might hurt your production.
I can’t believe I didn’t get around to this while it was still hot.All solar panels typically have little or no insulation value so all panels will get hot(on both sides) and radiate heat from both sides.
All of my bifacials are a bunch lighter in weight than similar sized normal panels.Weight appears to be one key difference.. W bifacials weighing roughly 5-10% more.
Maybe a non-issue for smaller installations, but definitely a consideration in larger and/or roof mount installations.
Big toys. I like big toys. So much fun and make $.My 700W bipanels are ~39kg each, but there are similar size bipanels weighting only ~29kg, so I guess it varies greatly. For roof installation light would be ideal even they probably are little weaker than heavier panels.
I had to use excavator installing my 3x700W preassembled sets as they each weight around 150kg and the top is 5m high.
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I'll second that. Just last month I added array of four 200-watt bifacial panels and was surprised at how light and "thin" feeling they appeared. My first thought was, "Are they going to shatter during the next hail event?"All of my bifacials are a bunch lighter in weight than similar sized normal panels.
The monofacial panels (at least some of them) have a white back sheet. White radiates less heat than black, considerably less. Here is an example (Canadian Solar CS6R series):All solar panels typically have little or no insulation value so all panels will get hot(on both sides) and radiate heat from both sides.
Very interesting data point Mike.
Q1: If the mono-facial are not radiating/transmitting as much heat to the roof times, does this mean those panels are hotter and therefore experiencing a reduction in solar production as the temperature reduces their conversion efficiency?
Q2: Or are those panels radiating the thermal energy out through the front of the panels?
Q3: Are there any formal studies that have explored these dynamics?