ksmithaz1
Solar / EV Junkie
Hmm. Depends on who's selling the panel apparently. So what is your peak? Without a side by side actual cost / wh comparison it's really hard to tell, though.
Is there a reason to not get bifacial panels?
- Thread starter wopachop
- Start date
Here's an example of what I'm looking at. If you buy the pallet it's even cheaper.
Hyperion 400W Bifacial Solar Panel (Black) | Up to 500W with Bifacial Gain - $189 -or- Pallet (36) - $5004 or $0.348/watt @ 400W or as little as $0.278/watt @ 500W
Comparable Mono: Canadian Solar 400W Mono-crystalline Solar Panel (Black) | CS6R-400MS-HL - $183 -or- Pallet (30) - $4890 - $0.408/watt
I know as a general rule at regular retail prices Bi-facials are usually more expensive, but it seems to me that you can always find them on sale and they are usually the same cost as monos. Plus you get the possibility of greater efficiencies.
Hyperion 400W Bifacial Solar Panel (Black) | Up to 500W with Bifacial Gain - $189 -or- Pallet (36) - $5004 or $0.348/watt @ 400W or as little as $0.278/watt @ 500W
Comparable Mono: Canadian Solar 400W Mono-crystalline Solar Panel (Black) | CS6R-400MS-HL - $183 -or- Pallet (30) - $4890 - $0.408/watt
I know as a general rule at regular retail prices Bi-facials are usually more expensive, but it seems to me that you can always find them on sale and they are usually the same cost as monos. Plus you get the possibility of greater efficiencies.
KITROBASKIN
Solar Enthusiast
In the late 90's I had a British Petroleum 75 Watt solar panel with some kind of defect/damage on the back sheet which eventually caused malfunction. Voltage reading was normal but the panel was not producing. Fortunately it was under warranty but the idea of a piece of glass on the back sounds appealing, as long as weight is not a factor.
KITROBASKIN
Solar Enthusiast
What is the reasoning behind bifacial panels not being good for desert environment? (Spell check tried to call them biracial panels)
shadowmaker
Solar Addict
Heat. Backside glass dissipates heat worse than plastic. They do make bifacials with clear plastic (DuPont Mylar film) backside for desert installs too, but don't know how common they are.
I've seen them for sale in USA but the plastic ones then have downside of only allowing 80% of the light compared to glass backs.
shadowmaker
Solar Addict
kgard1225
New Member
Ok, I’m confused now !! I was ready to order 2 200 watt Bougerv bifacial panels for my Anker 767 solar generator . Then I saw some bad reviews and looked at Rich panels but ….. they had 12 volt panels and 24 volt panels ??? They are not returning my phone calls so I’m lost . Can anyone tell me what benefits 24 volt has over 12 volts panels to charge the generator ?
Well, this is an odd thread for this question...
But if you look at the specs for the ankler mppt, whatever voltage ot can handle is what you should shoot for with the voc of the panel.
kgard1225
New Member
I was first replying to the bifacial thread and I guess I should have done a separate post. The generator can take from 10 v to 60 v. But that wasn’t my question. I’ll try to find a better place to ask it
SupraSPL
Solar Enthusiast
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2022
- Messages
- 222
For what it's worth, I have LG neon2 bifacial 405W panels on my roof right next to REC AA alpha black 365W panels. About 5 " off an asphalt roof surface.
They both have similar power density/ efficiency based on STC rating. The RECs have a lower coefficiency of temp so they should handle high temps better.
The LG bifacial panels consistently outperform the RECs in every single situation. Hot weather, cold weather, off angle, white skies, thin clouds, sudden sun, etc. Adjusting for both size and STC, the RECs perform about 89% as well as the LG bifacials.
It's not that the RECs are underperforming STC, I have seen them hit 363/365W in October. It's that the LGs perform better relative to their STC. Whether or not that's because of the bifacial (clear backing) or they are simply underrating, I can't say.
That said I got the RECs for $50 bucks each because they were blemish 1-year takedowns. Maybe they would perform closer to STC more often if they werent. The LGs were unused, $125 each, craigslist deal, came with a few aluminum scrapes across the glass that I removed with magic erasers and barkeepers friend.
They both have similar power density/ efficiency based on STC rating. The RECs have a lower coefficiency of temp so they should handle high temps better.
The LG bifacial panels consistently outperform the RECs in every single situation. Hot weather, cold weather, off angle, white skies, thin clouds, sudden sun, etc. Adjusting for both size and STC, the RECs perform about 89% as well as the LG bifacials.
It's not that the RECs are underperforming STC, I have seen them hit 363/365W in October. It's that the LGs perform better relative to their STC. Whether or not that's because of the bifacial (clear backing) or they are simply underrating, I can't say.
That said I got the RECs for $50 bucks each because they were blemish 1-year takedowns. Maybe they would perform closer to STC more often if they werent. The LGs were unused, $125 each, craigslist deal, came with a few aluminum scrapes across the glass that I removed with magic erasers and barkeepers friend.
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