If you’re purchasing a solar-powered device, then you’ll want to know how much energy you’re getting for your money’s worth. Just like with most things in life, price and value aren’t always the same. What’s more, even the most energy-efficient solar panels can’t give you a perfect picture of how much energy you’re getting – the environment plays a huge role in determining that. With that in mind, let’s take a quick look at how much solar energy bi-facial cells get from the back.
The Downsides Of Back-Facing Solar Panels
While most solar-powered devices need to be angled toward the sun to produce electricity, back-facing solar panels work the other way around. Back-facing panels have a number of drawbacks that make them less than ideal for certain applications. First, because of the way they work, back-facing solar panels only produce a small fraction of the energy that their angled counterparts do. In fact, some researchers have put out a number – that’s right, we’re talking about small fractions here, in terms of wattage produced.
Further, because of the way they’re configured, back-facing solar panels tend to be a bit thicker than their angled counterparts. While this might not seem like a big deal, the extra thickness makes these panels more vulnerable to damage (like scratches or fading). And, last but not least, back-facing solar panels need to be cleaned with alcohol or other chemicals to remove contaminants (like oil or dirt) that build up during daily use. This is critical – without proper cleaning, the panels will become less efficient and, eventually, break down completely.
The Upsides Of Back-Facing Solar Panels
Despite their drawbacks, back-facing solar panels have a number of important advantages that make them suitable for certain applications, such as powering electronics in low-light conditions or large appliances like refrigerators or dryers. First, because they face away from the sun, back-facing solar panels do not need to be tilted for maximum absorption of sunshine – this drastically reduces the energy loss that comes with tilting. Second, and perhaps most significantly, back-facing solar panels do not need to be angled toward the sun to generate electricity, which means they can continue to operate in full sunlight – a major advantage in terms of energy production (hence why we mentioned them above).
How Much Solar Energy Do Bi-Facial Cells Get From the Back?
Saving the best for last, let’s examine one of the most interesting and, at the same time, crucial features of back-facing solar panels: how much solar energy do they get from the back? This question is important for two reasons. First, like I mentioned above, back-facing solar panels don’t need to be angled toward the sun to produce electricity, which means they can continue to operate in full sunlight. Second, because of the way they’re set up, back-facing solar panels are basically two (2) solar panels plugged into each other. This means they can generate twice (double) the electricity of single-panel setups – again, significant energy production!
Back-facing solar panels get twice the energy from two (2) solar panels than they do from one (1), which means they can produce a total of four (4) times the energy – and this doesn’t even include the electricity they generate from the front! Four (4) times the energy? Sign me up!
To figure out how much solar energy bi-facial cells get from the back, we need to first determine how much energy a single panel generates – and we’re going to use the metric system for this, as it’s typically easier to communicate large numbers in this manner. To put it simply, a single solar panel generates a certain amount of watts – a watt is a unit of electricity, which means sun energy (light energy) is measured in watts. For the purposes of this article, we’ll use the standard abbreviation “W” (for watt).
Just like with most electricity-producing technologies, the efficiency of a solar panel drops as the intensity of sunlight increases – this is why panels need to be angled toward the sun to produce maximum energy. However, since back-facing solar panels don’t need to be as efficient as their angled counterparts, they can produce more energy per unit area (and hence, more electricity overall). In other words, the more you angle a panel toward the sun, the less efficient it becomes, but the more electricity it generates – that is, until you hit a certain point where it becomes less efficient again.
The Sun Is The Perfect Horizon For Bi-Facial Panels
As we mentioned above, because of the way back-facing solar panels work, they can operate in full sunlight without the need for an overhead filter – this drastically reduces the amount of dirt, dust, and pollution that typically comes with the need to filter the sun’s intense light. As a result, back-facing solar panels are perfect for applications where energy production needs to be as clean as possible – think industrial applications where there’s a lot of space aboveground, or in other areas where the air is thick with dirt and grime.
So, How Much Energy Does A 2-Panel Setup Get?
To determine how much energy a 2-panel setup gets, we simply add up the wattage of both panels and then divide it by two (2). To give you an idea, a 215-watt solar panel setup gets an average of 108.75 watts (or 107.75) from each individual panel – a total of 215 watts (or 215). And this is the same for any number of panels (hence why I put “average” in quotes above).
Now, what if we wanted to know how much energy a 3-panel setup gets? Simply add up the wattage of all three (3) panels and then divide it by three (3). And that’s the answer you’re looking for – any number of panels and you’ll get the same result. In this case, a 351-watt solar panel setup generates an estimated 177.5 watts (or 176.67) from each individual panel – a total of 351 watts (or 351).
Conclusion
While most people think of solar power when it comes to generating electricity for homes and businesses, there are actually many other viable applications – like powering electronics in remote locations or large appliances like refrigerators or dryers. Back-facing solar panels make a great choice for these applications because of the way they work and can produce more energy per square foot (or unit area) than most other solar panel technologies. If you’ve looked into solar energy and haven’t yet purchased a device, then now might be a good time to do so.