Bifacial panels next to a pond?

[MidwestBest]

So i was sitting here thinking where to mount my next set of bifacials and i also plan to dig a large pond on my property this spring. had a few different ideas. like a solar panel roof over my dock or just even putting the panels next to the edge of the water or even on the island in the middle of the pond.. anyways the reason i was thinking this may be useful is water tends to reflect light pretty well. would this help my bifacial gain? or would if be worse due to reflecting it past the solar panels if that makes sense? i might be over thinking this but love trying new things. thats how i ended up off grid living in a tiny house and i love it more than i ever thought i would!

 

[MidwestBest]

or if i put them by the waters edge on the north side of the pond facing south so the reflected light off the pond reflects onto the panels face.?

 

[Cronix]

I think some plywood sheets (or even white rigid foam panels) behind the panels with flat white paint would get the most use for bifacial throughout the day. I tend to think the pond would only reflect light onto the backs of the panels ONLY when the pond is between the sun and the panels, and only for a limited time as the sun moves and the light no longer reflects directly on the panels. It would probably work best in the early part of the day when the sun is low enough to bounce the light off the pond and up to the backs of the panels. Reflecting works in direct lines with the light rays and bounce off a surface at an angle. Flat white paint will scatter light in all directions and pick it up from more directions.

Look at how the sun bounces off your house windows during a sunny day (mimicking your pond) and casting a bright, focused white light reflection on the ground. It's pretty focused and maintains the shape of the window, and the reflection moves (fairly rapidly) on the ground as the sun moves changing the angle of reflection.

 

[MidwestBest]

I think some plywood sheets (or even white rigid foam panels) behind the panels with flat white paint would get the most use for bifacial throughout the day. I tend to think the pond would only reflect light onto the backs of the panels ONLY when the pond is between the sun and the panels, and only for a limited time as the sun moves and the light no longer reflects directly on the panels. It would probably work best in the early part of the day when the sun is low enough to bounce the light off the pond and up to the backs of the panels. Reflecting works in direct lines with the light rays and bounce off a surface at an angle. Flat white paint will scatter light in all directions and pick it up from more directions.

Look at how the sun bounces off your house windows during a sunny day (mimicking your pond) and casting a bright, focused white light reflection on the ground. It's pretty focused and maintains the shape of the window, and the reflection moves (fairly rapidly) on the ground as the sun moves changing the angle of reflection.

that makes sense. i will likely just mount them about my dock so i have some shade. im not short on pv power at all so far so not to worried about it. i did do a little research after posting this and did see some studies show the water evaporating actually helped cool the panels and make them more efficient more than anything so idk if it will be enough to matter since they evidentially have to be really close for that to work but only one way to find out. i enjoy experimenting with panels i dont really need much. if its sunny my batteries are charged from 0 to full by 10 or 11 am so i should probably focus on batteries more anyways. i have 15kw of batteries but that still lasts me 2 days without sun. my tiny house doesn't use much at all.

 

[MidwestBest]

also the wind should be cooler to an extent blowing over the water before the panels to also aid in cooling which makes a large difference in efficiency. maybe ill set up a pump to mist the back side of the panels for extra cooling lol might be a fun experiment to look into. obviously only would work in the summer but heck i got nothing better to do haha

 

[orangezero]

I seem to keep reading over and over that white "something" is really the best source of reflected light.

I like your idea of using the water to cool the panels, and you would have a decent supply of it nearby, and power to run a pump when it was sunny out.

 

[MidwestBest]

I seem to keep reading over and over that white "something" is really the best source of reflected light.

I like your idea of using the water to cool the panels, and you would have a decent supply of it nearby, and power to run a pump when it was sunny out.

they make little floating solar fountains that run when they have sun aka when the panels would be hot so it would do all the hard work for me and i would only have to hook the pump up to a piece of pipe with a few misters. could easily see if it helps with only $200 to experiment with. iv spent a lot more on dumber stuff.

 

[MidwestBest]

if someone reads this and beats me to the experiment please post your findings! as i wont have a pond with enough water in it till the end of summer at best.

 

[exmarkretired]

I love the dock cover. I used to work on the water several summers and I actually had to wear sunscreen or I would BURN. Fountains are great. Moving water, less bugs algae etc... Start researching dump loads i.e. food dehydrator and water heater. Sounds like a great place to be in...

 

[MidwestBest]

I love the dock cover. I used to work on the water several summers and I actually had to wear sunscreen or I would BURN. Fountains are great. Moving water, less bugs algae etc... Start researching dump loads i.e. food dehydrator and water heater. Sounds like a great place to be in...

yeah thats what gave me the idea cause if its raining and it drips water i likely wont be on the dock anyways but shade while im fishing is always nice. and yeah i have plans for a dump load water heater and main water fountain so when i get to 100% and dump load turns on a large main fountain would turn on so i would instantly know im fully charged if the fountain is on. plus who doesnt love a big fountain in the middle of a big pond.

 

[hwy17]

Misting the panels will cause water deposits. The general air cooling effect of being near the water is probably the main benefit of mounting near a pond.

 

[MidwestBest]

Misting the panels will cause water deposits. The general air cooling effect of being near the water is probably the main benefit of mounting near a pond.

ooo see i didnt think of that. thats a good call for sure. nasty pond water + mister also would probably clog a lottt and eng up leaving lotttts of naty dirt.. stufff on the back of the panel. well dang. i guess the other option would use the bank of the pond as a wind deflector to push the air up and over the panels if i line it up right. gonna shoot that idea down too?? jk lol love the help. this is why i wanted to post my ideas so i dont waste more money than i have to. mostly just brainstorming.

 

[hwy17]

gonna shoot that idea down too?

That's what I'm here for lol. Resident poo pooer.