Bifacial Solar Panels vs Increasingly Reflective Surfaces

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 พ.ย. 2024

ความคิดเห็น • 102

  • @footprinthero
    @footprinthero  หลายเดือนก่อน +7

    ☀ SOLAR CALCULATOR - estimate savings for your home, get free online quotes
    www.solarreviews.com/solar-estimator?aff=162985&cam=741
    Note: Everyday Dave and Everyday Solar both recently posted great videos on a similar topic. I filmed this video back in July and am just now getting around to posting it, so unfortunately I wasn’t able to incorporate or build off of their findings in this video. So, if you haven’t already, I highly recommend checking out their videos as well after watching:
    Everyday Dave’s video: th-cam.com/video/xD1MT-ek05w/w-d-xo.html
    Everyday Solar’s video: th-cam.com/video/PL17WVBvT4c/w-d-xo.html
    Also check out the video I mentioned from the channel The Kelley’s Country Life: th-cam.com/video/i7FOsQaFi5Q/w-d-xo.html

    • @QB2ERS
      @QB2ERS หลายเดือนก่อน

      Well informed....I have no knowledge of these things but i did read that reflected sunlight on the front of a panel will be 20% of direct sunlight.

    • @sang3Eta
      @sang3Eta 9 วันที่ผ่านมา

      Needed a 100w non-bifacial solar panel to see if it's worth the hassle. Probably why they have a white back on them anyway.

  • @madmaximus2836
    @madmaximus2836 หลายเดือนก่อน +32

    I'm an electrical engineer who used to design LED fixtures. Optimizing the optical cavity in LED fixtures that have optical cavities was one of the things we focused on during designing the LED fixtures. The goal is to maximize cavity's efficiency, which is part of the LED fixture's overall efficiency (or efficacy as it is called in that industry).
    A couple of comments regarding your experiment:
    There are 2 types of optical reflectors: diffusive (brilliant white) and specular (mirror-like). You also get reflectors with a bit of both. For solar you mostly want a specular reflector (mirror). To get the maximum benefit of a bi-facial solar panel, the size of the mirror must be the same size of the solar panel. You also need to aim the sunlight such that all the light of the mirror illuminates the back of the panel 100%. That is why the size of the mirror and panel should be the same (except if you use curved reflectors in which case the curved mirror can be larger). Lastly, the sunlight should hit the back of the panel perpendicular. This is to minimize total internal reflection when the light transitions between mediums with different refraction indexes (air to glass on the panel). Total internal reflection cannot be 100% avoided even if the light hits the panel perpendicular. The only way to really eliminate it, is to apply a special coating to the back of the panel that does optical impedance matching between the characteristic impedances of air and glass (the same applies to the front of the panel). This is unfortunately way too expensive. To "bend" the light in the way I described, you need to construct a retro reflector. In this case the retro reflector will have a triangular look and mirrors on the inside. If you are interested I can email you a simple drawing. It is a bit difficult to explain. Anyway, using this technique you will maximize the output of any bi-facial solar panel. I'm curious myself of how much extra power you can extract with a retro reflector. I'm not sure that it would be practical though, since the retro reflector would be fairly large, but it is a cool experiment and you would probably be the first guy on YT doing it.

    • @ecospider5
      @ecospider5 26 วันที่ผ่านมา

      This is an interesting ideas. The problem I see is. The sun moves. That is why we use the oversized reflector. So as the sun sweeps across the reflector some part of the reflector is shining onto the back of the panel.
      This also means you never have the perfect angle. Which is why a mirrored finish is not always perfect

    • @markam67
      @markam67 24 วันที่ผ่านมา +1

      I would think that if you go to the trouble of using a full on retro reflector box that it would better pay for itself if you also had a solar tracking system using a clock drive and or stepper motors using an Arduino solar tracker setup controlling the stepper motors. I would think it would then be an issue if cost of all the extras made sense vs brute force of adding more stationary panels.

    • @TimeSurfer206
      @TimeSurfer206 19 วันที่ผ่านมา +1

      I agree with you about the "Maximum Efficiency" of the mirrors, but, I r Electrical Trician, and I feel the complexity of construction is cost prohibitive.
      I am a Simple Man, so am going with a Simple Plan: I am going to mount my panels fixed and vertical for "Ease of cleaning," and about 5 feet behind them have a 10' x 10' patch of "Orca Grow Film.
      One of the problems I have with mirrors is that they reflect the Infrared along with the visible, increasing the heat of the panels, and thus lowering their output., whereas the Orca Film tends to bounce mostly the visible light.
      One of the reasons for the Orca film is to reflect light that hits beside and above the panels onto the back, and not just "Return only the light that passed through."

  • @olafschermann1592
    @olafschermann1592 หลายเดือนก่อน +28

    Why not combining 2 things. White color below and reflector behind?

    • @ecospider5
      @ecospider5 26 วันที่ผ่านมา

      I agree

    • @PhilB-yl4jk
      @PhilB-yl4jk 21 วันที่ผ่านมา

      Me as well. I would have loved to see what the percentage would have been with both

  • @JeromeDemers
    @JeromeDemers หลายเดือนก่อน +11

    No matter what, people will always complain. I think you did a good job in a very short video.

  • @chuckvoss9344
    @chuckvoss9344 18 วันที่ผ่านมา +3

    You did a great job. This is the type of test the average person would wonder about. Thanks for sharing.

  • @scoooterp801
    @scoooterp801 หลายเดือนก่อน +20

    I wish you would have put the reflective surfaces under the panels just to have an apples to apples comparison. You put the white rocks directly underneath so you should have done the same.

    • @thelonestead
      @thelonestead 20 วันที่ผ่านมา

      Yes, frustrating. Mounting an array of reflective surfaces isn't practical or appealing, you'd be better off with just mounting more solar panels.

  • @kyleschellenberg3777
    @kyleschellenberg3777 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    Impressed with the levels of control you built in. Recent discussion on bi-facials having more impact when mounted further off the ground.
    I bet there's a solution that hasn't been consider yet. Reminds me of when we learned a toroidal satellite dish can do the same thing as a motorized dish by bouncing off multiple angles and then focusing the signal.

  • @davidbent347
    @davidbent347 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    Fantastic tests...
    I've only just discovered Bi-facial panels, as I learnt how they work I immediately thought about increasing efficiency with something reflective on the backside...
    Of course this has already been thought of, tested, video'd & published on TH-cam...
    The results are actually huge!
    Anyone who's setting up with Bi-facial panels shouldn't overlook this aspect because the efficiency gains over time are potentially massive!
    👍

  • @spitalul2bad
    @spitalul2bad หลายเดือนก่อน +22

    If anyone passes by this guy's yard, they will have trouble understanding what's going on.

    • @footprinthero
      @footprinthero  หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      I thought about that the entire time while filming 😂

  • @BB_usmc
    @BB_usmc หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    Thank you for sharing this. You rock!!!

  • @russveinot5754
    @russveinot5754 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Your set up was one of the best backyard set ups I have seen. To improve reflection, you might try curving the reflecting panel some. I suspect curved panels might work better. Let me know if you try curved panels if you can. Great video.

  • @TheNewMediaoftheDawn
    @TheNewMediaoftheDawn 12 วันที่ผ่านมา

    That’s pretty good for a cheap system…. I’m planning, hopefully, to run an off grid cottage. Heat is wood or sunlight, hot water is propane, and everything else, TV, lights, small kitchen stuff, electric devices, is a portable solar generator. I was thinking 3000-5000 watt hours, but maybe less, cheers🎉
    Edit; btw, those power banks are so cool!

  • @pvere3246
    @pvere3246 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

    I would be interested to see the results if the panel was mounted above water.

  • @dwicahyoariswinarto
    @dwicahyoariswinarto 15 วันที่ผ่านมา +1

    Thank you for the test, may you do another test with mirror and the thing with white color surface if possible 😁

  • @diytwoincollege7079
    @diytwoincollege7079 12 วันที่ผ่านมา +1

    Try raising the panels off of the ground by a few feet

  • @douglasrobbie9998
    @douglasrobbie9998 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    When you have the solar panels pointing directly at the sun, most of the small gain from reflected surface is from light that passed thru the spaces between the cells and bounces back to hit back side of cells. When the panels are not directly pointing at the sun (like on a fixed mount) the reflective material, either horizontal in back of the panel or spread out on ground under the panel and in front and side, then you get reflected light reaching the back of the cells. The greater % gain of the test vs control was observed under these conditions. Since you had only one Test panel, you saw the greatest gain, a row of test panels would not see the same gain as light from the side would only effect 1 or 2 panels on that side.
    Personally, I like to see a 2 axis tracking (not the traditional pole mounted one) but more like fixed mount but where E/W movement of frame is moved by wheels on ground with one wheel driven by electric motor and whole frame pivots around a back center pole. N/S movement would use strong linear actuators or geared wheels crawling up curved arches with track or chain attached. Everything controlled by 2 axis solar controller with wind speed device.

  • @mrkeopele
    @mrkeopele หลายเดือนก่อน

    aloha from the puna rainforest where simple living earth friendly is encouraged. i have been field engineering my own stuff forever, and was adding another panel to one of my systems. couldn't find an answer to what really happens to electron flow when connecting different panels together, but, FOUND YOUR SOLAR POWER CALCULATOR and it was so helpful! thank you! I am retired elevator technician and love probing the unknown often finding great surprises as to what others believe from experts telling them. the sharing of this type of information has unlimited potential to get away from capitalism's financial slavery outcomes. i dream of a total sharing tribe with everyone living their passion and sharing it. smiling.

  • @PeterSedesse
    @PeterSedesse หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    With the cheap price of solar panels, in my opinion it is just better to buy an extra panel and not deal with all that extra construction. I mean paint your stuff white if you can, but that would be about it. Maybe collect pallet wood for free, and slap on some extra white paint and lay it under the panels.

  • @hydershah4234
    @hydershah4234 23 วันที่ผ่านมา +1

    Nice vídeo great job Sir ❤

  • @UserName-q4i5d
    @UserName-q4i5d 17 วันที่ผ่านมา +1

    You're using the wrong side of aluminum foil, you should use the matte side that scatters light. Once I was making a 3D projection screen and tested different foils for maximum light reflectivity and the back side of kitchen foil is the best material hands down.

  • @scollyb
    @scollyb หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    It would be useful to test daily power output with both a reflector behind or below. I suspect the range of solar angles a rear reflector will work out may mean on average its less effective than one below even though its peak is higher

  • @regor2102
    @regor2102 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    Thank you.

  • @dansklrvids7303
    @dansklrvids7303 หลายเดือนก่อน

    These are super interesting - thanks for doing this

  • @guillermomaguire5394
    @guillermomaguire5394 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Thanks for that. I think the real test, using your methods, is to put them out for the day, and see what total power generated is. If you can demonstrate 7% or so with just white backdrop, that is significant....and simple to implement.

  • @jessicaalvarez273
    @jessicaalvarez273 หลายเดือนก่อน

    the birds loooved the thermal blanket lol this might be my new favorite video of yours!

  • @mychannelrace
    @mychannelrace 24 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Your test highly appreciated

  • @actonnoel1284
    @actonnoel1284 24 วันที่ผ่านมา +1

    Very interesting test

  • @BillyBobDingledorf
    @BillyBobDingledorf 24 วันที่ผ่านมา +3

    With the money saved by not buying a bifacial solar panels, just buy one more panel and call it good.

  • @puddingtime3497
    @puddingtime3497 หลายเดือนก่อน

    This is good info.setting up an off grid shed at the moment, thank you!

  • @yusufcelik822
    @yusufcelik822 23 วันที่ผ่านมา +1

    thank you so much

  • @litnoregrets7551
    @litnoregrets7551 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Thanks. Really enjoyed your test. I have been thinking of doing the Mylar option.

  • @bruceeverett5372
    @bruceeverett5372 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Do it again. Next time see what the difference is when you aren't aiming the panel directly at the sun. ie, increased relative benefits may be from the indirect light that gets behind the panel well-before and well-after peak irradiance angle. Nice video-- I like your content!

    • @SacredHeart0520
      @SacredHeart0520 หลายเดือนก่อน

      With the price of solar just buy the biracial anyways

  • @PopsMedlong
    @PopsMedlong 19 วันที่ผ่านมา

    I watched this and then made a large panel with foil on it. I put it on the ground in front of a regular bluettie portable 200w array. when I got the angle on the reflector right I increased the output by up to 10 watts. I ran out of time but I will try again soon this time using the blanket on the panel.

  • @michaelgkellygreen
    @michaelgkellygreen หลายเดือนก่อน

    Nice test and well executed. Minimal gains for the effort but it seems in cloudy conditions bifacial do better gain wise over regular panels. Its all relative to the environment and location of the panels it seems.

  • @PjotrII
    @PjotrII 27 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Thank you for the test and information! It is interesting and important for me. I´m aiming to have my first small solar setup (with a microinverter - 4 panels) this winter, and then build it bigger in the future if I can afford. The reflective "stuff" is great and cheap for (on the ground panels) but not that easy to add to a roof or wall mount. Also the angles of the reflective surface affects the outcome if you want to research further.

  • @Clark-Mills
    @Clark-Mills หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Need more white rocks... The bright sun was falling outside the stoned area.
    [edit]: Maybe I take that back; the thumbnail now shows all white under & around one panel; I'm happy with that.

  • @z50king29
    @z50king29 19 วันที่ผ่านมา +1

    Nice thanks

  • @Sandmonmsn
    @Sandmonmsn หลายเดือนก่อน

    Try this again but try cooling the test panel, airflow or direct cooling with a hosepipe. When they test to get official numbers it's done at 25°C. That could be interesting to see.

  • @mosfet500
    @mosfet500 19 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Perhaps a better test would be to cover the faces of both modules and then test the back reflectivity gain.

  • @dailyrider2975
    @dailyrider2975 18 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Mount them in a pool coated in Mylar. Have a water pump pouring water over surface of panels. Water helps scatter light and keep panels cooler and more efficient! 😁😁

  • @novamikenovamike
    @novamikenovamike 6 วันที่ผ่านมา

    try magnifying glasses and see if that increases the power .Glasses that are about a foot & need four or six of those and put it about a foot away or two, find the sweet spot from the panel just make sure it doesn't burn your panel and see what that does

  • @5885ronny
    @5885ronny หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Gutes Video 👍🤗 Danke

  • @Adnan0010
    @Adnan0010 14 วันที่ผ่านมา

    I have a concrete roof, which is not black, but of light concrete colour. Similarly I believe most houses do not have black roof tops. So this test is misleading in a way that it doesn't give a comparison with standard concrete roof, but a non-standard black roof. Resultantly the gain appears more and worthwhile.
    Please repeat the same test on concrete floor or roof and you will see very negligible increase, which actually might be uneconomical Viz a Viz the effort and resources.

  • @djh7693
    @djh7693 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Can you do a video on having batteries in a system and what the difference is between the ways etc. please? I have a simple setup much like one of your old videos but I’ve since got my hands on another couple of batteries (I use old car batteries as they’re free!😅)

  • @tanalson
    @tanalson 5 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Instead of molar sheets, just straight up use mirrors. The increment might be 20%

  • @radio81ccc
    @radio81ccc 16 วันที่ผ่านมา

    What about mirror to put behind the solar panel?

  • @SonnyDarvish
    @SonnyDarvish หลายเดือนก่อน

    Nice test. So most of the times it's work back-litting it with bright and reflective material. Out of curiosity, have you ever tested solar gain on the back of the bifacial? Are both sides the same?

  • @ecospider5
    @ecospider5 26 วันที่ผ่านมา

    I would do more coverage of the material. Especially the rocks. Then once I found the best material. Cut it back a little each day until I started losing performance.
    I bet you could get close to 15% that way.

  • @ngana8755
    @ngana8755 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Do you have any videos of using a solar panel tracker to track the sun throughout the day to see if that increases the power output?

  • @dirkhintze
    @dirkhintze หลายเดือนก่อน

    You should place a mirror behind/under the panel

  • @theonebucketlist
    @theonebucketlist 10 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Wouldn’t it help more when the sun doesn’t face it directly any more?

  • @albertwesker4266
    @albertwesker4266 9 วันที่ผ่านมา

    What about panel vertical position ???

  • @nosferat_factory
    @nosferat_factory หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Are panels semi-transparent? I would try placing the blanket just bechind the panel.

    • @VideoMazk
      @VideoMazk หลายเดือนก่อน

      People just say "bifacial" and I've assumed they just have cells on the back too. Do they let light through like we see in the video?

  • @jorgef70
    @jorgef70 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    The test idea was good but the execution was not. Suggestion - rock test - rocks need to be on the right, left and especially 1 solar panel length behind to reflect. You need to redo this. White tarp - same thing, not enough space behind the panel. -angle tests need to be at the same angle as the panel and the same length. You might need to find the ideal angle of the solar panel based on the time of year in your location. You need to take into account that light is a wave. It’s scattering from many locations. You need to redo this.

    • @ecospider5
      @ecospider5 26 วันที่ผ่านมา

      Those suggestions are what I was thinking also. But he has already had his fun. Unless he really enjoyed do this test I think he can leave the changes to someone else.

  • @TimeSurfer206
    @TimeSurfer206 19 วันที่ผ่านมา

    So... I am now going to try vertically mounted fixed panels, with a 10' x 10' patch of Orca Grow Film about 5' behind them.
    Wish me luck :P

  • @trappedinroom1014
    @trappedinroom1014 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Why not use a curved foil board behind, to focus a broader light capture inwards to the underside of the panel…similar to a parabolic set up but set broadly instead of focused on a single point….you could even use a reflective board twice the size which would reflect light from either side directly inwards and doubling the light being focused up.

  • @HeadCannonPrime
    @HeadCannonPrime 20 วันที่ผ่านมา

    What kind of solar panel stands are those. They look very sturdy and well made.

  • @parart123
    @parart123 27 วันที่ผ่านมา

    great job!

  • @StartledPancake
    @StartledPancake หลายเดือนก่อน

    Having watched other tests, bifacials really seem to work best when its overcast.

  • @AskIveSolar
    @AskIveSolar หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Im finding that putting stuff under bifacials is just not worth the effort for the output in a ground deploy.

    • @ecospider5
      @ecospider5 26 วันที่ผ่านมา +1

      Doing it once for panels that will be there for a couple decades makes sense to me. That is why I like the white rocks. Very durable. But any real time spent on it doesn’t make much sense

  • @MmmHuggles
    @MmmHuggles หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Seems like it's not worth it unless the bifacial panels are the same cost or cheaper.

  • @scoobyblu5815
    @scoobyblu5815 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Don't forget you're reflectors will eventually heat the panel and make them less efficient😮

  • @robertdavis8646
    @robertdavis8646 16 วันที่ผ่านมา

    What panels did you use for the test?

  • @philspam2087
    @philspam2087 หลายเดือนก่อน

    One thing you didnt thought of is that the panel, which is standing west, is always outputting more Energy compared to the panel which is standing east and the Power difference is increasing by the lowering sun. So maybe the reflectors dont have that much impact on the results as it suggets.

  • @SacredHeart0520
    @SacredHeart0520 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Something that us white will reflect light better

  • @resinate
    @resinate 23 วันที่ผ่านมา

    should test using a mirrior

  • @xilio2622
    @xilio2622 9 วันที่ผ่านมา

    2 tests i'm wondering about..... Technology connections has this ultra white paint formula that can actually cool a surface. Curious how that would perform. 2nd would be a fresnel lens, like from an old DLP tv. The lens miiiiight damage something though lol.

  • @daviddawson9099
    @daviddawson9099 7 วันที่ผ่านมา

    why not try white stones and the blanket together?

  • @kwenamartinkgowa2554
    @kwenamartinkgowa2554 หลายเดือนก่อน

    "It's currently 95 degrees out here" I almost fainted before seeing the conversion to Celsius 😆😆

    • @adblocker276
      @adblocker276 18 วันที่ผ่านมา

      These people go to great lengths not to use the metric system. May god show mercy on their souls.

  • @jamesdean7756
    @jamesdean7756 6 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Why are you not using a big mirror. Wouldn’t that be the most reflective

  • @bobsmith9051
    @bobsmith9051 26 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Be interesting to see say 400w each no & bi facial same brand.

  • @cliftonmassey3143
    @cliftonmassey3143 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I would have like to see a piece of polished stainless steel used I'm this test

  • @NickWindham
    @NickWindham หลายเดือนก่อน

    Very cool

  • @CarlosCaldelas
    @CarlosCaldelas หลายเดือนก่อน

    I suppose there is a reason for that, but why not use a mirror behind?, just for testing.

  • @rubycabo5627
    @rubycabo5627 12 วันที่ผ่านมา

    have'nt you try a mirror??

  • @chasmarischen4459
    @chasmarischen4459 หลายเดือนก่อน

    MIRROR?

  • @colbaronrojo
    @colbaronrojo หลายเดือนก่อน

    coloca parte del reflector en frente del panel solar, es una forma de irradiar desde el suelo , en la teoria sobre Colectores solares planos, hay una explicación del porque los paneles termo solares funcionan un poco mejor con con el suelo lleno de nieve, algo así como lo hiciste en el minuto 4:00.
    pruébalo, todo el suelo blanco o reflectivo.

  • @faiolapat
    @faiolapat 18 วันที่ผ่านมา

    You should,of tried it with a mirror.

  • @JouniKyyronen-nv1ep
    @JouniKyyronen-nv1ep หลายเดือนก่อน

    water good

  • @MrLandphill
    @MrLandphill หลายเดือนก่อน

    rock on

  • @zenobikraweznick
    @zenobikraweznick หลายเดือนก่อน

    What about POPCORN ? 😂

  • @MoisesPinto-f2t
    @MoisesPinto-f2t หลายเดือนก่อน

    Try mirror

  • @Schwab.travis
    @Schwab.travis หลายเดือนก่อน

    FTA

  • @Revy501
    @Revy501 2 วันที่ผ่านมา

    Try a mirror?

  • @CYS7395
    @CYS7395 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Use a pure mirror. I m sure it can contribute more