These panels are out of stock. If you need new bifacial or mono panels, check out my site: www.mobile-solarpower.com/300w-solar-panels.html Price does not include shipping. Same goes with santan solar and other large solar panel distributors. Shipping charge applies for a pallet of panels. So fill it up. Buying one would make these far too expensive. Which is usually the case. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Does off-grid solar confuse you? Check out my DIY friendly website for solar system packages and product recommendations, and so much more! www.mobile-solarpower.com Join our DIY solar community! #1 largest solar forum on the internet for beginners and professionals alike: www.diysolarforum.com Check out my best-selling, beginner-friendly 12V off-grid solar book (affiliate link): amzn.to/2Aj4dX4 If DIY is not for you, but you love solar and need an offgrid system, check out Tesla Solar. Low prices and great warranty, and they can take your entire house offgrid with their new Powerwalls: ts.la/william57509 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My solar equipment recommendations (Constantly updated! Check here first): 12V/48V Lithium Batteries: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solar-batteries.html Solar System Component Directory: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solarcomponents.html Plug-N-Play Systems: www.mobile-solarpower.com/full-size-systems.html Complete 48V System Kits: www.mobile-solarpower.com/complete-48v-solar-kits.html DIY Friendly Air Conditioner/ Heat Pumps: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solar-friendly-air-conditioners.html Complete 48V System Blueprint: www.mobile-solarpower.com/48v-complete-system-blueprint.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My Favorite Online Stores for DIY Solar and Coupon Codes: -Current Connected: SOK, Victron and High Quality Components. Best prices and warranty around: currentconnected.com/?ref=wp -Signature Solar: Cheap Server Rack Batteries and Large Solar Panels: www.signaturesolar.com/?ref=h-cvbzfahsek -Ecoflow Delta Official Site: My favorite plug-n-play solar generator: us.ecoflow.com/?aff=7 -AmpereTime: Cheapest 12V batteries around: amperetime.com/products/ampere-time-12v-100ah-lithium-lifepo4-battery?ref=h-cvbzfahsek -Rich Solar: Mega site and cheaper prices than renogy! Check them out: richsolar.com/?ref=h-cvbzfahsek -Shop Solar Kits: Huge site with every solar kit you can imagine! Check it out: shopsolarkits.com/?ref=will-p -Battery Hookup: Cheap cell deals bit.ly/2mIxSqt 10% off code: diysolar -Watts 24/7: Best deals on all-in-one solar power systems, with customer support and distribution here in the USA: watts247.com/?wpam_id=3 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Contact Information: I am NOT available for personal solar system consult! If you wish to contact me, this is my direct email: williamprowsediysolar@gmail.com Join the forum at diysolarforum.com/ if you wish to hang out with myself and others and talk about solar FTC Disclosure Statement and Disclaimers: Every video includes some form of paid promotion or sponsorship. Some links on this youtube channel may be affiliate links. We may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these. My videos are for educational purposes only. Information is subject to change/update at any time. Electricity is DANGEROUS and can kill. Be smart and use common sense :) DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, An affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com
Will, the links for the video you did last year on the 24v system no longer work. What would you recommend today for a 24v system on an RV? I would love to see you do a video on the diy system you would recommend for an RV today, from panels to batteries, showing the steps and recommended connection and configuration. Thank you for the video, I think the bifacial panels are great, but I agree that RICH panels would be a better choice for a high temperature area, so it got me to thinking. Have a great day 💙👍🏼
by "winter time" I'm pretty sure they mean "with snow on the ground"because then they're basically surrounded by white surfaces. so if we're assuming at least double the output that means for my zone here in New York in the snowy winter it would produce the same output as a normal monocrystalline panel would in the shoulder seasons
Just read a study from Germany about these panels (bifacial). They mounted them vertically facing east/west. They claim 2 peak power producing periods, one in the morning and one in the late afternoon/evening. This is compared with the traditional methods most people use to mount their panels, horizontally at an angle. Mounting them vertically east/west produced twice the amount of energy. I would love to see you produce a video about this. BTW, big fan. The product reviews and DIY are great.
I saw one report on that study. Maybe it actually showed them putting it up like fences in farmland and part of the increased productivity was it during the peak heat of the day the sun is not directly hitting the face of the panel, so the panel continues to operate at a higher efficiency because it’s not overheating. At least that’s one one story looks like a great idea, though you could use them for fencing around your place.
underated comment above Vertical usage variants: a. Noise bariers along highways b. Farm and Herding land installations c. Terrace or Gardin roofs d. Parking lot roofs
Will: I installed 4 x 420W LG Bifacials at 70 degrees for winter snow load and sun angle mean for Ottawa Canada. The first winter was a surprise, reflection of the snow during a full snowstorm was enough 100-150W to recharge batteries, in turn the backside heated the panels to keep them snow free 95% of the time. Overall these LGs provide enough power winter and summer to run a house in Canada during the worse of snowstorms
Canada is the second largest country in the world. .what city? I m in Calgary i been using solar on the roof top since 2002 no issues. Signature solar is actually fair with freight to Canada. so its good.
We have test sites in Wisconsin where go can see winter performance at Speed Solar, but any bifacials will do the same. All the utility companies are now using bifacials to maximize their power density per acre.
There is a video made by an Alaskan company demonstrating the bi-facial benefits. Essentially even with a covered panel you can get up to 20% of rated on a sunny day with snow on the ground. This also causes the panel to warm slightly causing it to shed the snow on its face faster.
I live in Maine, I think these will be extremely beneficial with the reflection off the snow with the addition of cold cold weather. These panels could really rock and roll
Having had a off grid solar house in Wyoming...I can tell you that the greatest output is on a clear but very cold day (the solar panel does not overheat). Add solar reflectance on the backside from snow and you will have your largest peak output, even exceeding summertime. However, since the solar day is longer in summer, the total kw hours will still be greater in summer. The problem is that you may exceed the peak capability of controllers as eluded to in the video.
We've been experimenting with a couple 72-cell Bifacial panels on ground racking here in Northern Vermont. Our learning so far is that the hype is real....we're getting excellent performance with snow on the ground. Ours are 365W panels, and we've seen 400W+ on sunny days after fresh snow. Clearly exceeding nameplate values, even in the middle of winter. Its a no brainer for us...we're doing a 15kW ground mount with these panels this spring.
We are off grid with 11.7 kw of pole mounted bifacial it is a game changer for winter and cloudy conditions, but all around more power when you need it. We have installed them on 100% of our ground mounted installs and some roof mount jobs for 2years now.
We sell only bifacials solar panels at Speed Solar and I loved all of your comments. Up north they shed snow faster and make power when monofacial panels are shut down in the winter!
Thank you Will Prowse for taking the time and expense of reviewing these products. I appreciate you shedding light on these items and sharing it with the public; very helpful and informative.
I’ve had 18 bifacial panels on my roof for 6 months and they have given me more than I could ever expected. Hooked up to my 2 x 8.2 li-po batteries power my house perfectly and I’m going to get another 2 batteries when I can afford it
Will, I tested a bunch of different Mono and Poly panels in the heat of Vegas and Phoenix. Every test shows that the mono-crystaline held up in the heat of summer far better. This is with the sun beating on them all day, you would really see the poly degrade when it got really hot in these climates. Also over time the output over the years would have the poly degrade faster. Cooler areas can run poly just fine. Found no brands are all that different than another, some names like the sunpower seem very high quality but oftentimes only make sense if you have limited space, I would tell folks just buy two of the 2nd best panel in most cases. As always thanks for putting your research out there for the public.
Now I know what I'm putting on my new home. Good find! You have all the best info on all things Solar. Your videos helped me build my first array on our Skoolie, and now designing for our new house when we build.
For use on a boat it's just a wonderful idea. If you mount the solar panel on an arch you'll get the reflection from the water on the back plus the direct sunshine on the top of the panels.
Bifacial cells are used in Northern Europe for agricultural PV - placed vertically on stands in South to North Direction on bigger agricultural farms - allows grassland or even animals inbetween. The max power is generated in the mornings and the afternoons twice a day, when the other south oriented PVs are not on max performance. Better for the overall grid load distribution. And still in this configuration the yearly earnings are at up to 110% relative to south directed non bifacial cells.
I know somebody who actively cools his solar panels because its cheaper to run a pump and radiator than the eficiency loss due to overheating panels. Can you maybe check that? las vegas might be a great place to test that.
I'm very curious to see how they would work mounted on a white van roof, if enough of us ask I'm sure Will can look into it for us! Maybe use that spare panel and compare it to some other single panels of the same size, on some kinda van roof analogue with similar mounting and spacing conditions to a roof mounted setup.
Good info Will. You confirmed what I've heard about bifacial panels which is that they have to be tilted significantly to achieve rated power and shouldn't be mounted flat. Looking forward to the mounting video. Cheers.
I was thinking the same thing but how about the weight, that would be a concern for sure. “Sailing Fair Isle” installed bifacial panels. He does solid technical reviews and I’m curious to see what he comes up with.
Thanks Will. Just bought four of these panels to go on my own solar trailer build, and made sure to come here and use your affiliate link. The huge output for small footprint, and increased winter output, are precisely why I chose these, as Oregon isn't ideal for solar.
You and your videos are awesome. Please keep on testing and educating. Also my favourite part "The battery is fully charged. Gosh dang it. So lets give it a load so we can discharge a battery for a bit. I don't even know what to use this power anymore. I guess I will turn on the air conditioner".
I am glad I purchased my 32 biface panels from Signature Solar just before your review. I am looking forward to getting them all mounted. Will be ground mounting them here in the Pacific Northwest.
This looks like it would be good in northern climates where the pannels are mounted 40-45* and there is a bunch of white snow around for 1/3 of the year.
Hi Will, I think a good application of these would be in greenhouse/shade house to grow plants under. They did an experiment where crops where grown under solar panels in the desert. The solar panels shaded most of the harsh desert sun and reduced water evaporation while the transpiration of the leaves helped cool the solar panels increasing efficiency. I would like to use these on a attached porch/ pergola. It would allow for plenty of light to pass through to prevent the house from getting to dark and keep my porch plants alive. Adding a mist system for hot days would be cool neat too. You should try and experiment with plants under solar panels
It's only a matter of time before someone marries solar water heating with bi-facial panels (keeping the panels cool enough for peak efficiency with a wider degree of mounting flexibility). Weight would obviously be a factor but we're already only 20 pounds below a standard bundle of asphalt shingles now anyways! Perhaps engineering many micro tubes for water between the PV layers to wisk away the heat.
I mean if heat is the ultimate enemy of dark solar cell efficiency then the obvious solution is to actively cool them by removing the heat right? And who couldn't find a use for heat?
I was going to suggest putting mirrors behind them but I scanned the comments first and saw many others suggesting the same thing. Lots of replies about this causing overheating too. So my two questions are: 1. Is there a reflective surface that reflects less of the infrared and near-infrared portion of light while reflecting more of the ultraviolet and near-ultraviolet portion? and 2. How well would these panels perform with such higher wavelengths?
Will, I just bought 5 panels from them after your recommendation and used your link. Hopefully you get the credit for it. Thanks for all the info and your review on these!
I just saw a television show on these panels and other geometric solar configurations. The interesting discovery was that mounting the solar cells onto a sphere using mercator projection lines doubled the output of the same sized flat panel. These were unexpected results.
Please do a test on their Gyll LiFePO4 batteries. Thanks for all you do. I've learned an incredible amount from watching and listening to your content.
Thank you, Will, appreciate your sharing. It would be good for many of us to know how only 1 or 2 of these could be utilized for a smaller system. Many people are trying to survive in their vehicles, and also many are looking to be able to have a back-up in their homes if the power goes out...again, a smaller system. I still study and learn. I ordered your book! Thanks again.
I'm still thinking about the Eco Delta, but I heard another unfortunate story about lack of customer support from the company. Wish they'd get their acts together!
Not really. hese are commercials size panels. He keeps saying they are residential size, but 7 feet is way bigger than a typical residential panel. There are other similar size panels in the same wattage range as these.
Bifacial solar have the advantage that light can come in from behind. The glass back is more stable than the foil of other modules. The service life is given as 30 years. The modules work well with diffused light. The modules are considered non-flammable. The downside is the higher price and heavier weight.
Imagine a car park that's for electric cars only and its powered by these cells. Lots of these cells. The money return would be quick and $$$$$$! I could be wrong. Great job Mr. Prowse and many thanks for all you do.
Seen them used for patios when they first came out 20+ years ago. Make a covered walkway. Saw solar panels covering the sidewalk to the street for a small twin home near Philly.
I’ll be posting a video of my patio build soon. I’m hoping to actually offer this set up as an option for my entire neighborhood. Granted some patios may not get the sun exposure needed. Anyhow super kool!
Great work - suggest watch for ANY shading on the panels as it depends how they connect the two section - but generally it causes considerable power loss in the total system - due current limiting .. - great work - very surprising costs - thanks
Trying to get some panels, not sure what to get. I have been watching a few reviews and I think 1 impressed me the most. Definitely gonna try these bigacials.
Looks fantastic. These are brilliant. I hate it when you have a full battery. I run my RV off just the excess most days - which is awesome :) But finally a panel that uses excess heat too ;)
I have been concidering these panels for a home I hope to build soon. My thought was to combine geothermal and these panels by laying 6-8" pipe 3'-4' underground. Here in Georgia the grond temp is about 65°. When I mount panels mount them on a box. An enclosure that has silver reflective insulation panels on the inside. Hook the pipe to the box then using a fan blow the 65° ground cooled air inside the box to cool the panels. This would mounting method could also be used to melt snow off panels.
I just purchased some 555 W the solar panels for $67 US plus shipping. Yes the shipping did cost me 2.8 times the price of the solar panels but, at 555 W her panel I spent just over $187 USD each. This was delivered period I'm pretty sure you're not reading this.
I've had my Bifacials for over 2 years now, bought for all those reasons. And as a array on a truck for living it isnt about peak output for me; but about getting enough power in winter - in the UK where even summer can have weeks of cloud. I struggled with the mounting and being able to angle them yet still be wind safe (also have bad winds in the UK) . I think when I have it sorted I'll get the benefits, they are no worse than ordinary anyway.
With so much wind why not some turbines? I think only a few places can really rely on solar exclusively. The rest of us have a mix ,even here with so much sunshine the last week, it rains quite regularily, and in the winter feels like the sun wont show for weeks either. we have a lot of water here, so a hydro / solar system would be best. Theres little spinners that take fast moving or high water and generate 1500w, and the setup is about half the size of a 100w panel. Theres not enough wind at leaste regularily around here to use turbines but I hear others are installing them the just like solar, id imagine a little more exepnsive, but couldnt a simple fan be converted to a wind turbine generator? Diy seems more doable then solar anyway. But I hear you can make solar cells with CD's, so theres a diy option there too.
These would work fantastic on the roof of a van, especially because you could have as reflective of a roof as you want. It's be especially good on an airstream.
Multiple battery Banks 20 batteries per Bank best to go with lithium iron phosphate a bit more expensive but only in the short-term they will pay for themselves within the first 5 years because that is about the time it will take for a lead acid battery to fail and they can discharge up to 90% instead of just 50 and they recharge and you've heard from twice as quick to three times as quick as lead acid make each battery Bank 48 volts the reason for this is you can have a 12 volt system with the exact same batteries and it will put a strain on them much more than making them a 48 volt Bank also use a voltage regulator auto shut off system so when each one of your battery Banks is charged fully it will cut power to them and will only turn back on if there is enough voltage provided to stably charge them and there is no overcharging which could damage your battery Bank each battery Bank of 20 batteries could run your house for 48 hours so if you have two fridges and one freezer a couple of TVs running for around four and a half to five hours a day energy efficient light bulbs and a window unit that does not exceed 1500 BTU and a gaming console or your PC for basic internet browsing each battery Bank should take one and a half to two full days of sunlight to fully recharge considering two of them are always charging and you will also be supplementing the battery bank that you're using with solar power when available your battery Bank could even last for three full days of use Non-Stop before you have to switch to the next battery Bank and that will be charged and half the time that will take for you to use the one you just switched to so you will have three battery Banks and only be using one at a time effectively making you off the grid
Get an ice maker. With extra energy MAKE ICE & GIVE OUT FREE BAGS. (Delivery to park, strip mall or leave a cardboard box with free sign on a busy street corner bench/newspaperbox). Everyone can appreciate that in warm weather & some may actually need it.
I am making a ground mount for 2 of them now , they should be 3' off the ground min. and I will use white lime stone on the ground behind them for reflection.
I wonder how much more you could get out of them if you figured out the proper mounting angle and placed them on a polished surface like aluminum or stainless? You know something polished to a mirror like finish under them. Making sure to have them to still be aligned properly for good top surface exposure but at enough of an angle to get some really good back lighting on them as well. I find these incredibly interesting and didn't even know they existed. I also wonder how they would hold up to applications like using them on an RV Roof? Thank you for all the cool tech you show us and your methodical testing so we know exactly what works, is a good value and what are the best deals without just going stupid cheap at the cost of pinching pennies to loose dollars...
We appreciate your effort and share your valuable experiences with us, it would be great if pounds were translated into kilograms or Fahrenheit to Celsius temperature, etc.
It would be interesting to see the affect of tilting the panels arranged the way you had them. As some light is reflected off the front of a panel it can then be captured into the back of the one in front of it.
So these are really suitable for ground mount applications, I think a south oriented solar carport with white concrete surface would be the optimal setup. I am looking at a solar patio canopy and I can see that in the winter, from a white painted floor I would get a lot of sun reflected onto the back of the panels.
A few years ago I'd heard that the next generation of solar panels was nearby. I understood that they were supposed to be of a curved cell nature. But are these those? I have just the roof for them! Thank you for this, I'm excited!
I have Sunpower 435 watt open circuit voltage of 85.6 on my motorhome best panels I've ever seen. These are B panels. I have 4 brand new panels in my Boulder City storage. My highs are usually about 800 watts for two. But have gotten 872 on 3 cloudy days with the B panels where the sun was low and the clouds were above. My panels in storage are A panels. Would like to see how they compare to the B panels one day. If you care to do a test without having to pay for panels, I'll be around in early Oct. Great channel by the way....
Interesting. I just purchased 12 of Seraphim 305W mono panels new in March. These 410W bifacial are almost $0.05/W cheaper and, while they are larger in size, they also produce a tiny bit more power (1W/ft2) for the space footprint. I factored in freight shipping cost of both as well. I'm very tempted to order a pallet of these as I'm working to move (and considering replacing) my 3rd array. I'm guessing there won't be much benefit to the bifacial part during summer for a ground mount array since grass doesn't reflect sun; however, in winter when there is snow on the ground, might increase production significantly.
![[柴犬ASMR]曼玉Manyu&小白Bai 毛发护理Spa asmr](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/0TsXQ7z2Dh4/mqdefault.jpg)
![[柴犬ASMR]曼玉Manyu&小白Bai 毛发护理Spa asmr](/img/tr.png)
These panels are out of stock. If you need new bifacial or mono panels, check out my site: www.mobile-solarpower.com/300w-solar-panels.html
Price does not include shipping. Same goes with santan solar and other large solar panel distributors. Shipping charge applies for a pallet of panels. So fill it up. Buying one would make these far too expensive. Which is usually the case.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Does off-grid solar confuse you? Check out my DIY friendly website for solar system packages and product recommendations, and so much more! www.mobile-solarpower.com
Join our DIY solar community! #1 largest solar forum on the internet for beginners and professionals alike: www.diysolarforum.com
Check out my best-selling, beginner-friendly 12V off-grid solar book (affiliate link):
amzn.to/2Aj4dX4
If DIY is not for you, but you love solar and need an offgrid system, check out Tesla Solar. Low prices and great warranty, and they can take your entire house offgrid with their new Powerwalls: ts.la/william57509
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My solar equipment recommendations (Constantly updated! Check here first):
12V/48V Lithium Batteries: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solar-batteries.html
Solar System Component Directory: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solarcomponents.html
Plug-N-Play Systems: www.mobile-solarpower.com/full-size-systems.html
Complete 48V System Kits: www.mobile-solarpower.com/complete-48v-solar-kits.html
DIY Friendly Air Conditioner/ Heat Pumps: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solar-friendly-air-conditioners.html
Complete 48V System Blueprint: www.mobile-solarpower.com/48v-complete-system-blueprint.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My Favorite Online Stores for DIY Solar and Coupon Codes:
-Current Connected: SOK, Victron and High Quality Components. Best prices and warranty around: currentconnected.com/?ref=wp
-Signature Solar: Cheap Server Rack Batteries and Large Solar Panels:
www.signaturesolar.com/?ref=h-cvbzfahsek
-Ecoflow Delta Official Site: My favorite plug-n-play solar generator:
us.ecoflow.com/?aff=7
-AmpereTime: Cheapest 12V batteries around:
amperetime.com/products/ampere-time-12v-100ah-lithium-lifepo4-battery?ref=h-cvbzfahsek
-Rich Solar: Mega site and cheaper prices than renogy! Check them out:
richsolar.com/?ref=h-cvbzfahsek
-Shop Solar Kits: Huge site with every solar kit you can imagine! Check it out:
shopsolarkits.com/?ref=will-p
-Battery Hookup: Cheap cell deals
bit.ly/2mIxSqt
10% off code: diysolar
-Watts 24/7: Best deals on all-in-one solar power systems, with customer support and distribution here in the USA:
watts247.com/?wpam_id=3
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Contact Information:
I am NOT available for personal solar system consult! If you wish to contact me, this is my direct email: williamprowsediysolar@gmail.com
Join the forum at diysolarforum.com/ if you wish to hang out with myself and others and talk about solar
FTC Disclosure Statement and Disclaimers:
Every video includes some form of paid promotion or sponsorship. Some links on this youtube channel may be affiliate links. We may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these. My videos are for educational purposes only. Information is subject to change/update at any time. Electricity is DANGEROUS and can kill. Be smart and use common sense :)
DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program,
An affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com
Anyone want to share a pallet???
I’m in San Diego and I only want four panels
Will, the links for the video you did last year on the 24v system no longer work. What would you recommend today for a 24v system on an RV? I would love to see you do a video on the diy system you would recommend for an RV today, from panels to batteries, showing the steps and recommended connection and configuration.
Thank you for the video, I think the bifacial panels are great, but I agree that RICH panels would be a better choice for a high temperature area, so it got me to thinking. Have a great day 💙👍🏼
by "winter time" I'm pretty sure they mean "with snow on the ground"because then they're basically surrounded by white surfaces. so if we're assuming at least double the output that means for my zone here in New York in the snowy winter it would produce the same output as a normal monocrystalline panel would in the shoulder seasons
Given the high shipping, do any of these solar panel companies by chance offer in-person pickup?
@@__WJK__ yes they do I just picked 4 pallets of those!
Just read a study from Germany about these panels (bifacial). They mounted them vertically facing east/west. They claim 2 peak power producing periods, one in the morning and one in the late afternoon/evening. This is compared with the traditional methods most people use to mount their panels, horizontally at an angle. Mounting them vertically east/west produced twice the amount of energy. I would love to see you produce a video about this. BTW, big fan. The product reviews and DIY are great.
I saw one report on that study. Maybe it actually showed them putting it up like fences in farmland and part of the increased productivity was it during the peak heat of the day the sun is not directly hitting the face of the panel, so the panel continues to operate at a higher efficiency because it’s not overheating. At least that’s one one story looks like a great idea, though you could use them for fencing around your place.
underated comment above
Vertical usage variants:
a. Noise bariers along highways
b. Farm and Herding land installations
c. Terrace or Gardin roofs
d. Parking lot roofs
"The battery is fully charged, gosh dang it."
Words I have never spoken.
The Hank Hill of "Solar and Solar Accessories."
Will: I installed 4 x 420W LG Bifacials at 70 degrees for winter snow load and sun angle mean for Ottawa Canada. The first winter was a surprise, reflection of the snow during a full snowstorm was enough 100-150W to recharge batteries, in turn the backside heated the panels to keep them snow free 95% of the time. Overall these LGs provide enough power winter and summer to run a house in Canada during the worse of snowstorms
Canadian here. Would be interesting to see what they would do in snow conditions. On a sunny day with fresh snow, there is a ton of reflective light.
Canada is the second largest country in the world. .what city?
I m in Calgary i been using solar on the roof top since 2002 no issues.
Signature solar is actually fair with freight to Canada. so its good.
We have test sites in Wisconsin where go can see winter performance at Speed Solar, but any bifacials will do the same. All the utility companies are now using bifacials to maximize their power density per acre.
There is a video made by an Alaskan company demonstrating the bi-facial benefits. Essentially even with a covered panel you can get up to 20% of rated on a sunny day with snow on the ground. This also causes the panel to warm slightly causing it to shed the snow on its face faster.
It seems the snow would reflect light up onto the back side.
If you can get them across the border without being nailed with import and thieving taxes
I live in Maine, I think these will be extremely beneficial with the reflection off the snow with the addition of cold cold weather. These panels could really rock and roll
I live in Upstate New York on the Canadian Border......I agree 100% with you. We'll take any advantage we can.
Having had a off grid solar house in Wyoming...I can tell you that the greatest output is on a clear but very cold day (the solar panel does not overheat). Add solar reflectance on the backside from snow and you will have your largest peak output, even exceeding summertime. However, since the solar day is longer in summer, the total kw hours will still be greater in summer. The problem is that you may exceed the peak capability of controllers as eluded to in the video.
We've been experimenting with a couple 72-cell Bifacial panels on ground racking here in Northern Vermont. Our learning so far is that the hype is real....we're getting excellent performance with snow on the ground. Ours are 365W panels, and we've seen 400W+ on sunny days after fresh snow. Clearly exceeding nameplate values, even in the middle of winter. Its a no brainer for us...we're doing a 15kW ground mount with these panels this spring.
We are off grid with 11.7 kw of pole mounted bifacial it is a game changer for winter and cloudy conditions, but all around more power when you need it. We have installed them on 100% of our ground mounted installs and some roof mount jobs for 2years now.
Please do a video where you find a 25 or 30 year old solar install and interview the owner.
YES
We need better distribution of these types of best quality panels for small consumers.
We sell only bifacials solar panels at Speed Solar and I loved all of your comments. Up north they shed snow faster and make power when monofacial panels are shut down in the winter!
Thank you Will Prowse for taking the time and expense of reviewing these products. I appreciate you shedding light on these items and sharing it with the public; very helpful and informative.
Shedding light on a solar panel experiment... I see what you did there...
Ooh!!! Now I can’t wait for the mounting video so I can figure out how best to set them up on my aluminum roofed cargo trailer conversion!!!
I’ve had 18 bifacial panels on my roof for 6 months and they have given me more than I could ever expected. Hooked up to my 2 x 8.2 li-po batteries power my house perfectly and I’m going to get another 2 batteries when I can afford it
Will, I tested a bunch of different Mono and Poly panels in the heat of Vegas and Phoenix. Every test shows that the mono-crystaline held up in the heat of summer far better. This is with the sun beating on them all day, you would really see the poly degrade when it got really hot in these climates. Also over time the output over the years would have the poly degrade faster. Cooler areas can run poly just fine. Found no brands are all that different than another, some names like the sunpower seem very high quality but oftentimes only make sense if you have limited space, I would tell folks just buy two of the 2nd best panel in most cases. As always thanks for putting your research out there for the public.
Great. I don't know whether here in Kenya we can find a guy who is so passionate about solar energy like you Kuddos sir .Learnt a lot
Now I know what I'm putting on my new home. Good find! You have all the best info on all things Solar. Your videos helped me build my first array on our Skoolie, and now designing for our new house when we build.
When you're 'juiced' about something, its infectious. And I, for one, enjoy it. Thanks
These would absolutely shine when ground mounted, with a white wall, or even some open space, behind them. Nice!
when you hoard to much power that you have to leech it out to test the new panel. LOVE IT!
For use on a boat it's just a wonderful idea. If you mount the solar panel on an arch you'll get the reflection from the water on the back plus the direct sunshine on the top of the panels.
Bifacial cells are used in Northern Europe for agricultural PV - placed vertically on stands in South to North Direction on bigger agricultural farms - allows grassland or even animals inbetween. The max power is generated in the mornings and the afternoons twice a day, when the other south oriented PVs are not on max performance. Better for the overall grid load distribution. And still in this configuration the yearly earnings are at up to 110% relative to south directed non bifacial cells.
I know somebody who actively cools his solar panels because its cheaper to run a pump and radiator than the eficiency loss due to overheating panels. Can you maybe check that? las vegas might be a great place to test that.
Then run the water into your swimming pool or water heater .
could circulate pool water. wonder how hot the pool would get with that kind of recirculating lol. might be a giant hot tub during a hot week
I'm very curious to see how they would work mounted on a white van roof, if enough of us ask I'm sure Will can look into it for us! Maybe use that spare panel and compare it to some other single panels of the same size, on some kinda van roof analogue with similar mounting and spacing conditions to a roof mounted setup.
This was my first thought, as well.
wonder if they are durable enough for vanlife lol
My RV roof is white. I'm thinking I'd only need 1 .. 2 at the most. WOW!
Me too... Also have a white roof on my van...
Following
Exciting to hear how well these perform--not a gimmick. Love that warranty.
yeah imagine pumping power out to the grid when you fill up you battery's you'll be raking in the money
I'm glad you liked the bifacial panels. That is what my solar installer has quoted me for my off-grid house being built this fall.
To get the best of the two sided design ground mount them not rooftop.
I was watching these panels for two weeks. Thanks for testing
Wow! I'm stunned! I was about to buy 12 320 watt panels for our Idaho home...and we get snow every year! So this is a game changer!
Good info Will. You confirmed what I've heard about bifacial panels which is that they have to be tilted significantly to achieve rated power and shouldn't be mounted flat. Looking forward to the mounting video. Cheers.
Sounds good for a sailboot on the arch.. with the reflecting sun from the wather
I was thinking the same thing but how about the weight, that would be a concern for sure. “Sailing Fair Isle” installed bifacial panels. He does solid technical reviews and I’m curious to see what he comes up with.
Exactly! Lot of reflections and also almost never perfect conditions (cloudy, sail blocking light...). Will keep these in mind
Thanks Will. Just bought four of these panels to go on my own solar trailer build, and made sure to come here and use your affiliate link. The huge output for small footprint, and increased winter output, are precisely why I chose these, as Oregon isn't ideal for solar.
You and your videos are awesome. Please keep on testing and educating. Also my favourite part "The battery is fully charged. Gosh dang it. So lets give it a load so we can discharge a battery for a bit. I don't even know what to use this power anymore. I guess I will turn on the air conditioner".
I am glad I purchased my 32 biface panels from Signature Solar just before your review. I am looking forward to getting them all mounted. Will be ground mounting them here in the Pacific Northwest.
This looks like it would be good in northern climates where the pannels are mounted 40-45* and there is a bunch of white snow around for 1/3 of the year.
Make it half of the year, atleast here in northern Finland. We still have some snow and before december there will be new.
Hi Will, I think a good application of these would be in greenhouse/shade house to grow plants under. They did an experiment where crops where grown under solar panels in the desert. The solar panels shaded most of the harsh desert sun and reduced water evaporation while the transpiration of the leaves helped cool the solar panels increasing efficiency. I would like to use these on a attached porch/ pergola. It would allow for plenty of light to pass through to prevent the house from getting to dark and keep my porch plants alive. Adding a mist system for hot days would be cool neat too. You should try and experiment with plants under solar panels
thank you for introducing me to this bifacial technology. I have used it to build a solar bicycle and they are amazingly power dense!
It's only a matter of time before someone marries solar water heating with bi-facial panels (keeping the panels cool enough for peak efficiency with a wider degree of mounting flexibility). Weight would obviously be a factor but we're already only 20 pounds below a standard bundle of asphalt shingles now anyways! Perhaps engineering many micro tubes for water between the PV layers to wisk away the heat.
I'm contemplating testing that out at my parents place, heh.
I mean if heat is the ultimate enemy of dark solar cell efficiency then the obvious solution is to actively cool them by removing the heat right? And who couldn't find a use for heat?
I was going to suggest putting mirrors behind them but I scanned the comments first and saw many others suggesting the same thing. Lots of replies about this causing overheating too. So my two questions are: 1. Is there a reflective surface that reflects less of the infrared and near-infrared portion of light while reflecting more of the ultraviolet and near-ultraviolet portion? and 2. How well would these panels perform with such higher wavelengths?
Thanks Will. Glad I passed on installing solar last summer. Thought there would be a game-changer coming along.
Thanks Will, I 've been really curious about the Bi-Facial panels. Look forward to hearing more.
Absolutely love your vids Will. Keep up the good work!
Others have asked and I hope Will will try one on a van or cargo trailer. This is very valuable information to have. Thanks Will!
Will, I just bought 5 panels from them after your recommendation and used your link. Hopefully you get the credit for it. Thanks for all the info and your review on these!
Great info.
I'm just starting an off grid cabin.
Tx you
Rob
I just saw a television show on these panels and other geometric solar configurations. The interesting discovery was that mounting the solar cells onto a sphere using mercator projection lines doubled the output of the same sized flat panel. These were unexpected results.
Hmm I’d like to see that
Me too please
Heaver than your surfboards? LOL, I doubt that. Jacobs 10ft. rider here, retired of course. Learning much here. Thanks
Please do a test on their Gyll LiFePO4 batteries. Thanks for all you do. I've learned an incredible amount from watching and listening to your content.
Thank you, Will, appreciate your sharing. It would be good for many of us to know how only 1 or 2 of these could be utilized for a smaller system. Many people are trying to survive in their vehicles, and also many are looking to be able to have a back-up in their homes if the power goes out...again, a smaller system. I still study and learn. I ordered your book! Thanks again.
I'm still thinking about the Eco Delta, but I heard another unfortunate story about lack of customer support from the company. Wish they'd get their acts together!
Love the testing. The fact that you have move power than what you can use make its even better. Need a way to shed the excess for a good cause.
These panels are game changers. I like that it's smaller footprint with more output!
Not really. hese are commercials size panels. He keeps saying they are residential size, but 7 feet is way bigger than a typical residential panel. There are other similar size panels in the same wattage range as these.
Bifacial solar have the advantage that light can come in from behind.
The glass back is more stable than the foil of other modules.
The service life is given as 30 years.
The modules work well with diffused light.
The modules are considered non-flammable.
The downside is the higher price and heavier weight.
Imagine a car park that's for electric cars only and its powered by these cells. Lots of these cells. The money return would be quick and $$$$$$! I could be wrong.
Great job Mr. Prowse and many thanks for all you do.
I did a 2.8 Mw roof mount with 360w bifacial frameless prism panels. They were sweet!
Any rough idea on their performance over traditional panels? Is it similar to what Will is seeing with these?
Best solar panel video I have seen to date.
I feel like these will do great in the snow in the winter and make up for much weaker sun days
You're the best Wil! Thanks for all the awesome info
Seen them used for patios when they first came out 20+ years ago.
Make a covered walkway. Saw solar panels covering the sidewalk to the street for a small twin home near Philly.
I’ll be posting a video of my patio build soon. I’m hoping to actually offer this set up as an option for my entire neighborhood. Granted some patios may not get the sun exposure needed. Anyhow super kool!
These panels are VERY exciting Will. Keep up the research on them please. bill in Florida
LOL, I guess it would pay to bring back the house of mirrors concept, eh? Great video!
Great work - suggest watch for ANY shading on the panels as it depends how they connect the two section - but generally it causes considerable power loss in the total system - due current limiting .. - great work - very surprising costs - thanks
Trying to get some panels, not sure what to get. I have been watching a few reviews and I think 1 impressed me the most. Definitely gonna try these bigacials.
i have 34 x 435w qcell bifacial G8. verry good panels , 2.5 times more power in cloudy days
THANKS WILL ! TAKE CARE..
YOU MY FRIEND. ARE ON POINT. THANKS FOR ALL THIS GREAT INFO YOU PROVIDE
exactly what ive been waiting for, thank you!
Looks fantastic. These are brilliant. I hate it when you have a full battery. I run my RV off just the excess most days - which is awesome :) But finally a panel that uses excess heat too ;)
Very interesting stuff. I would love to see you put together a full system (budget-minded) with these panels.
Yo man thank you for installing some new knowledge in my brain. !
Excellent video. 👍
I have been concidering these panels for a home I hope to build soon. My thought was to combine geothermal and these panels by laying 6-8" pipe 3'-4' underground. Here in Georgia the grond temp is about 65°. When I mount panels mount them on a box. An enclosure that has silver reflective insulation panels on the inside. Hook the pipe to the box then using a fan blow the 65° ground cooled air inside the box to cool the panels. This would mounting method could also be used to melt snow off panels.
I just purchased some 555 W the solar panels for $67 US plus shipping. Yes the shipping did cost me 2.8 times the price of the solar panels but, at 555 W her panel I spent just over $187 USD each. This was delivered period I'm pretty sure you're not reading this.
This kind of stuff is why i subbed to a while ago! Back when you were living in the tiny home 👍🏻
I've had my Bifacials for over 2 years now, bought for all those reasons. And as a array on a truck for living it isnt about peak output for me; but about getting enough power in winter - in the UK where even summer can have weeks of cloud.
I struggled with the mounting and being able to angle them yet still be wind safe (also have bad winds in the UK) .
I think when I have it sorted I'll get the benefits, they are no worse than ordinary anyway.
With so much wind why not some turbines? I think only a few places can really rely on solar exclusively. The rest of us have a mix ,even here with so much sunshine the last week, it rains quite regularily, and in the winter feels like the sun wont show for weeks either. we have a lot of water here, so a hydro / solar system would be best. Theres little spinners that take fast moving or high water and generate 1500w, and the setup is about half the size of a 100w panel. Theres not enough wind at leaste regularily around here to use turbines but I hear others are installing them the just like solar, id imagine a little more exepnsive, but couldnt a simple fan be converted to a wind turbine generator? Diy seems more doable then solar anyway. But I hear you can make solar cells with CD's, so theres a diy option there too.
These would work fantastic on the roof of a van, especially because you could have as reflective of a roof as you want.
It's be especially good on an airstream.
Great video, I have a Chevy Volt that only charges up to 60 miles so I should be able to charge up fast between deliveries.
I hope this means a road-trip to somewhere snowy next winter!
No one:
Will: I have so much power I don’t even know what to do with it anymore
More power to the shields
Multiple battery Banks 20 batteries per Bank best to go with lithium iron phosphate a bit more expensive but only in the short-term they will pay for themselves within the first 5 years because that is about the time it will take for a lead acid battery to fail and they can discharge up to 90% instead of just 50 and they recharge and you've heard from twice as quick to three times as quick as lead acid make each battery Bank 48 volts the reason for this is you can have a 12 volt system with the exact same batteries and it will put a strain on them much more than making them a 48 volt Bank also use a voltage regulator auto shut off system so when each one of your battery Banks is charged fully it will cut power to them and will only turn back on if there is enough voltage provided to stably charge them and there is no overcharging which could damage your battery Bank each battery Bank of 20 batteries could run your house for 48 hours so if you have two fridges and one freezer a couple of TVs running for around four and a half to five hours a day energy efficient light bulbs and a window unit that does not exceed 1500 BTU and a gaming console or your PC for basic internet browsing each battery Bank should take one and a half to two full days of sunlight to fully recharge considering two of them are always charging and you will also be supplementing the battery bank that you're using with solar power when available your battery Bank could even last for three full days of use Non-Stop before you have to switch to the next battery Bank and that will be charged and half the time that will take for you to use the one you just switched to so you will have three battery Banks and only be using one at a time effectively making you off the grid
Just what i wanted to see. I wonder if putting a mirrored surface like foil or Mylar on the ground makes a big difference.
Get an ice maker. With extra energy MAKE ICE & GIVE OUT FREE BAGS. (Delivery to park, strip mall or leave a cardboard box with free sign on a busy street corner bench/newspaperbox). Everyone can appreciate that in warm weather & some may actually need it.
Very Great!,Thanks For All The Info ,& Research!
Use the bifacial solar panels as a fence would be possible very useful in winter time.
I am making a ground mount for 2 of them now , they should be 3' off the ground min. and I will use white lime stone on the ground behind them for reflection.
These coupled with a roof painted with the ultra white BaCO3 paint that reflects >98% light would be amazing.
I wonder how much more you could get out of them if you figured out the proper mounting angle and placed them on a polished surface like aluminum or stainless? You know something polished to a mirror like finish under them. Making sure to have them to still be aligned properly for good top surface exposure but at enough of an angle to get some really good back lighting on them as well. I find these incredibly interesting and didn't even know they existed. I also wonder how they would hold up to applications like using them on an RV Roof?
Thank you for all the cool tech you show us and your methodical testing so we know exactly what works, is a good value and what are the best deals without just going stupid cheap at the cost of pinching pennies to loose dollars...
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge . appreciated ! I learned a lot today:)
We appreciate your effort and share your valuable experiences with us, it would be great if pounds were translated into kilograms or Fahrenheit to Celsius temperature, etc.
It would be interesting to see the affect of tilting the panels arranged the way you had them.
As some light is reflected off the front of a panel it can then be captured into the back of the one in front of it.
They are using bifacial panels on large sailboats, they're game changers.
So these are really suitable for ground mount applications, I think a south oriented solar carport with white concrete surface would be the optimal setup. I am looking at a solar patio canopy and I can see that in the winter, from a white painted floor I would get a lot of sun reflected onto the back of the panels.
Very impressive and they would probably be even better on a reflective roof.
This sounds perfect for a boat too!
A few years ago I'd heard that the next generation of solar panels was nearby. I understood that they were supposed to be of a curved cell nature. But are these those? I have just the roof for them! Thank you for this, I'm excited!
If bifacial is so good one can just mount monoes back by back!Not forbidden.But yes new panels are better than old and maybe damaged.Thanks for video.
Looking forward to future updates. I’m guessing bifacial panels would rock on top of a white van.
These would be good for a shade structure roof or carport where there is a good distance to the ground.
Excellent information !
Really neat deal !
I have Sunpower 435 watt open circuit voltage of 85.6 on my motorhome best panels I've ever seen. These are B panels. I have 4 brand new panels in my Boulder City storage. My highs are usually about 800 watts for two. But have gotten 872 on 3 cloudy days with the B panels where the sun was low and the clouds were above. My panels in storage are A panels. Would like to see how they compare to the B panels one day. If you care to do a test without having to pay for panels, I'll be around in early Oct. Great channel by the way....
Interesting. I just purchased 12 of Seraphim 305W mono panels new in March. These 410W bifacial are almost $0.05/W cheaper and, while they are larger in size, they also produce a tiny bit more power (1W/ft2) for the space footprint. I factored in freight shipping cost of both as well. I'm very tempted to order a pallet of these as I'm working to move (and considering replacing) my 3rd array. I'm guessing there won't be much benefit to the bifacial part during summer for a ground mount array since grass doesn't reflect sun; however, in winter when there is snow on the ground, might increase production significantly.
good job WIll!!
Thank you.
These would be good for areas that get snow and limited sunlight hours.
Would be good for ski resorts, since the sun reflects well off snow.