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Old 12-11-2019, 01:03 PM   #2
Bill
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Location: The mountains of Scottsdale, AZ, and the beaches of Maine
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Interesting question. I never heard of bifacial panels, so I've learned something. A little research suggests what you might expect from the name - the panel can generate power from both front and back faces. This is a good thing, and you can think of it like two conventional panels mounted back-to-back. But the problem is that in order to generate power from one face or the other, that face must be exposed to light, and it must be reasonably strong light. Mounted on a TM roof, the front face will get direct sunlight, but the back face is shadowed by the front face, so it will generate little if any power.

Solar Power World, apparently a trade magazine, says that the light reaching the back face doesn't have to be direct sunlight, and can be sunlight light reflected from a wall or the ground. But "Bifacial modules mounted flush to a rooftop block any reflected light from reaching the backside of the cells." It goes on to say that if the panel is tilted, light can reach the back of the panel, and will generate extra power. But tiltable panels on an RV are rare.

My conclusion is that bifacial modules are not particularly helpful when mounted flat on a TM roof.

https://www.solarpowerworldonline.co...solar-modules/

Bill
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