Fiji s double-sided solar panels

The technology behind solar panels continues to evolve and improve. Manufacturers are now able to produce bifacial panels, which feature energy-producing solar cells on both sides of the panel. With two faces capable of absorbing sunlight, bifacial solar panels can be more efficient than traditional monofacial panels – if used appropriately.

There's another type – bifacial solar panels. With bifacial panels, an extra part of the solar panel produces electricity – the back face. Bifacial solar panels are solar panels that can capture sunlight on both their front and back sides and are an interesting new solar solution for certain solar installations.

And, as we'll discuss, bifacial panels are also more expensive than traditional single-face panels, which can affect the breakeven point of your investment. Bifacial solar panels can capture light energy on both sides of the panel, whereas monofacial panels (AKA traditional solar panels) only absorb sunlight on the front.

Most of the solar panels you see are mono-facial solar panels. Sunlight hits the top face of the solar panel, and it generates electricity. But those aren't the only kind of solar panel that is out there. There's another type – bifacial solar panels. With bifacial panels, an extra part of the solar panel produces electricity – the back face.

Bifacial solar panels are not suitable for rooftop installations but may work well with residential ground-mounted solar systems. The ideal use case for bifacial solar panels is in commercial and utility-scale solar installations.

The model suggests that double-sided solar panels combined with single-axis tracking technology is most cost effective almost anywhere on the planet, although dual-axis trackers -- which follow the sun's path even more accurately but are more expensive than single-axis trackers -- are a more favorable substitute in latitudes near the poles.