Most solar panels today generate electricity by directly facing the sun. While these panels definitely reap the benefits of the direct sunlight, they are missing out on the reflected sunlight. Bsolar, an Israeli startup, plans on fixing this problem with its bifacial solar panels. Bsolar first showed off their product in a German trade show last month and has announced a 730W project in Japan that it will get involved in.
While bifacial solar cell research has been around for a while, bifacial solar panels are quite new on the market as it has been very difficult to find a cheap way to produce a double-sided solar panel, let alone a regular solar panel. Bsolar took the silicon wafers, which have decreased in price over the years, and engineered into the wafers the ability to collect reflected light on either side. The use of boron in the panels has helped make the products more durable and also more efficient in collecting sunlight. Everyone would use boron if it was that easy to use and with its benefits, but it is very difficult to get the boron layer correct while creating the solar panels.
These double-sided solar panels will most likely come at a large cost, but they will increase efficiency by a ton. While in a vertical position, the panels yield nearly 50% more energy. In typical positions such son a roof, the panels can yield anywhere from 10-30% depending on the reflectivity of the material in which the panel is placed on (white surfaces would reflect the most). These solar panels could change the renewable energy game if they are cheap enough and work as promised. Bsolar has already struck deals with panel manufacturers such as Aleo Solar, Asola Solarpower and Solar-Fabrik.
