Vertical Bifacial Solar Panel Performance Results Part 1

2024 ж. 12 Мам.
593 043 Рет қаралды

Have we been mounting solar panels wrong all along? Do vertical bifacial solar panels perform better than South facing panels? Here's the first round of winter results.
Link to Bifacial Solar Panels on my website: projectswithdave.com/solar-pa...
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Bifacial performance in winter: • Bifacial Solar Panel W...
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Reference Links:
Renogy Solar Panel Mount Brackets: renogy.sjv.io/Mm1ON3
SWI Fence Company - Vertical Pound in fence Posts: shopifence.com/
“Integration of vertical solar power plants into a future German energy system,” Sophia Reker, Jens Schneider, Christoph Gerhards, Smart Energy, Volume 7,2022: www.sciencedirect.com/science...
Next2Sun: next2sun.com/
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Inverter Solutions: projectswithdave.com/inverters/
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Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
04:32 Vertical Bifacial Sunny Performance
06:16 Vertical Bifacial + South Combined
06:53 Vertical Bifacial Cloudy Performance
07:27 Vertical Bifacial Cloudy + Snow Performance
08:39 Vertical Bifacial Sunny + Snow Performance
10:19 Vertical Bifacial Snow Coverd Panels
11:25 Vertical Bifacial Performance Summary
12:05 Vertical Bifacial January Result
12:26 Summary

Пікірлер
  • This has been one of my most interesting tests so far! I'll bring summer results when I get them. Let me know what you think below: Link to Bifacial Solar Panels on my website: projectswithdave.com/solar-panels/ Signature Solar has free shipping on there Solar Panels till 2/27/24: signaturesolar.com/shop-all/solar-panels/?ref=SALE FREE Solar Financial Calculator on my website ProjectsWithDave.com: projectswithdave.com/

    @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave3 ай бұрын
    • why not south north?

      @timmullins3132@timmullins31323 ай бұрын
    • 9:34 - You touched on it about using reflective rocks, but would a mirror in-front of the vertical panels, or possibly adjacent at a vertical+horizontal angle or a vertically angled curved/conical, solve the mid-day dip in performance? If so, what if the vertical panels are placed in-front of the 45° panels? The light would be reflected towards the vertical panels.

      @mattmill30@mattmill303 ай бұрын
    • ​@@timmullins3132 yes, north/ south would be best in winter,. Would not collect much in longer days though. Just turn them twice a year

      @joeycad@joeycad3 ай бұрын
    • @@timmullins3132 because your able to put up more rows w,o interfering with the other's light, Nor do you get the reflection benefits.

      @dizzlethe7346@dizzlethe73463 ай бұрын
    • I really need to write a script for this with how often I seem to be replying to videos on this...

      @dizzlethe7346@dizzlethe73463 ай бұрын
  • So glad you got to test this!!! Awesome results. Especially with the snow on the ground. I need to do a desert, high temp test

    @WillProwse@WillProwse3 ай бұрын
    • That would be great to compare. If you have sand as a background it would be nice to see how the reflectivity compares. Probably much better than grass but not as good as the snow results.

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave3 ай бұрын
    • Desert would have the reflectivity too, so it should be interesting

      @chrislaf89@chrislaf893 ай бұрын
    • One interesting thing i read about vertical bifacials is they stay cooler under midday sun, thus suffering less power loss at noon.

      @Skyhanger@Skyhanger3 ай бұрын
    • Hey Will glad to see you here! I just finished watching your last video and this came up as a suggested video. It's hard to know whose information to trust because there are so many people out there doing solar now and you don't know what is safe or isn't safe. So I always look for answers on your channel first LOL

      @MyCabinLife@MyCabinLife2 ай бұрын
    • I'm wondering if we'll see better results in hotter climates? With the panels not directly facing the sun they may run "cooler" and perform better.

      @hobbes1069@hobbes10692 ай бұрын
  • Going to be interesting in the summer because one of the (apparent) advantages of vertical mounting is that they do not get so hot and heat reduces panel output considerably.

    @mb-3faze@mb-3faze3 ай бұрын
    • I'll track it and see what happens.

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave3 ай бұрын
    • They don't get as hot because they don't get as much sun :)

      @Zorlig@Zorlig3 ай бұрын
    • @@Zorlig There's a joke that because the panels like being cool the best place for them is in the shade😊

      @mb-3faze@mb-3faze3 ай бұрын
    • @@Zorlig Are you in the States? In the UK where I am now, we can buy 425W longi panels for just less than $100(US) equivalent each (including our 20% tax) and that price includes delivery to the site. What's the price of panels in the US?

      @mb-3faze@mb-3faze3 ай бұрын
    • @@mb-3faze I lot more than that. They've basically banned the cheap Chinese ones here. I can get a 535 watt Canadian solar bifacial for $203 plus shipping. That's a great joke btw.

      @Zorlig@Zorlig2 ай бұрын
  • I have had similar results with one of my experiments. I use older bifacials, mounted them vertically on a concrete pad and alternately used mirrors and then white paint underneath for reflectivity. The results have been very good, getting as much as 209 watts from 157 watt panels. These were partly cloudy to mostly cloudy days. At midday the numbers were approximately 35% lest than rated. Enjoy your channel immensely!😊

    @stephenbrent2605@stephenbrent26053 ай бұрын
    • Nice! Thanks for posting your results!

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave3 ай бұрын
    • Do you find that you get more watt hours total over the course of the day?

      @Tailss1@Tailss13 ай бұрын
    • What if you gave them a slight tilt? Say there’s a hinge point at the top and the panel could swing 15 deg both ways as the sun passes overhead?

      @cerberes@cerberes3 ай бұрын
    • @@Tailss1 yes, 15 to 43% more depending on conditions. I am still fine tuning my setup so I keep making small changes from time to time.

      @stephenbrent2605@stephenbrent26053 ай бұрын
    • @@stephenbrent2605 I'm going to try this with mine - I have an experimental off grid homestead and used solar all last summer with okay results. I'm going to try using white gravel underneath mine (marble) as it's plentiful where I'm at.

      @Tailss1@Tailss13 ай бұрын
  • Im out in New Mexico. I have a former coworker who used bifacials to build a "ramada" but the panels were mounted like 25 feet up. He saw so much gain from a month where snow was on the ground he decided to duplicate it. Painted the concrete pad and then put white painted gravel 15 feet out in evey direction. He is still collecting data but says it looks like a 20% increase

    @PandorasFolly@PandorasFolly3 ай бұрын
  • Dave, I am impressed. Your experiment can easily get published in a scientific journal. You had a great approach to a question, performed a rigorous testing, present the data in a clean unbiased way, and told the story fantastically!

    @suvari225@suvari2253 ай бұрын
    • Publish Dave! Get credit for your effort.

      @jamesf1165@jamesf11652 ай бұрын
  • This video is nothing less than a profound service to the community. I will be installing solar on property around the 45th parallel, where snow is a very real likelihood throughout much of the winter. It's now crystal clear why bifacial solar panels are the only choice to consider! :)

    @jasonbroom7147@jasonbroom71473 ай бұрын
    • I'm glad this data was helpful for you!

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave2 ай бұрын
    • On the Utility scale it’s all you can buy

      @hewydewy2164@hewydewy21642 ай бұрын
  • I think this is amazing the amount of cleaning and hail damage are almost enough to switch

    @gerrywalsh6853@gerrywalsh68532 ай бұрын
  • Really looking forward to seeing the summer results

    @GamerLudwig@GamerLudwig2 ай бұрын
  • It's amazing ppl like you share these things for free with the rest of us, truly what KZhead is for! Thanks Dave, good research, consise information and great presentation!

    @malloott@malloott2 ай бұрын
    • Thanks!

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave2 ай бұрын
    • I mean, he is making money off the affiliate links and views, so not completely altruistically. Which I'm 100% for just saying facts.

      @GilliganRocks@GilliganRocks2 ай бұрын
    • @@GilliganRocks the information is free, his making money of us watching it for free doesn't change that right? And I pay premium so it isn't actually free for me 😅

      @malloott@malloott2 ай бұрын
  • Thanks for the awesome science! So many youtubers are doing the hype pieces, but you put in some real work to bring us the raw data.

    @DFPercush@DFPercush2 ай бұрын
  • Hey Dave, Thanks for your great data! I truly appreciate it!

    @tomcoryell@tomcoryell3 ай бұрын
  • Great to see your test results in my part of the country , northeast Ohio. Too many videos are posting test results in the south where sunny days are prevalent. Thx Dave

    @georgesadallah3341@georgesadallah33412 ай бұрын
  • I love seeing vertical bi-facial panels used as fencing. It would be cool to see them between bike lanes and car lanes.

    @Tysto@Tysto2 ай бұрын
    • May not be a great idea, cars kick up a significant amount of dirt and dust, and the panels will need to be cleaned often. Plus you've got a lot of heat coming off of pavement which may not be good for panel life, and you'll have a lot of shading from nearby buildings >3 stories. There are much cheaper and efficient places to put solar panels right now.

      @bradleylong3230@bradleylong32302 ай бұрын
    • ​@bradleylong3230 Panels are getting so cheap that even with significant shading, I wonder the cost/benefit of using them as back yard fences- those fences can be very pricy.

      @nlewis1111@nlewis11112 ай бұрын
    • nlewis1111 thats cause they are grossly subsidized. personal fences are silly and will just get damaged by people, rocks, animals etc not to mention all of the trash these things produce to kill the environment. heating up grass starting fires.

      @lolwtnick4362@lolwtnick4362Ай бұрын
  • Have you considered testing a south facing vertical panel? My dad's array in northern Michigan is on an adjustable rack. In mid-winter he has them tilted to a few degrees above the horizon and, with the additional reflection of the snow, his system produces far more during the winter than it does during the summer. It also provides the benefit of easily shedding snow, he never has to brush his panels off.

    @k87upkid@k87upkid2 ай бұрын
    • I'd like to see this too. Despite the reduction of diffracted light behind the panel, the effectiveness of the sun-facing panels implies this would be way more effective use for vertically mounted panels too.

      @TheRenofox@TheRenofox2 ай бұрын
    • I bet some of his improved performance is due to the cooler operation of the panel in winter.

      @leifhietala8074@leifhietala8074Ай бұрын
    • @@leifhietala8074 Obviously, but I'm curious whether it would be even better facing south and north instead of west and east. Obviously the backside would be getting less light, but the south-facing horizontal panels won every test until snow covered them so I'd like to know if a south facing vertical panel would be the best of both worlds.

      @TheRenofox@TheRenofoxАй бұрын
    • For south facing vertical panels you don't need bifacials, because the added power from adverse side is low. Therefore the overall cost of such installation is much lower and you can mount it simply on walls or fences pointing south.

      @vencdee@vencdeeАй бұрын
    • I'm also curious about sun tracking panels. I'm guessing the additional infrastructure makes it not worth it, but I would love to see the data.

      @Mnluda@Mnluda23 күн бұрын
  • I'm about to install solar next year. Thanks for the information, I'll definitely see more videos from your channel.

    @diegofernandez4789@diegofernandez47892 ай бұрын
  • superb video Dave. Keep up the good work.

    @gdpower456@gdpower4562 ай бұрын
  • Thank you Dave. I was following the vertical panel story. Your information here explains a lot. I hope you will continue the research. I’ll be watching.

    @OldManse09@OldManse093 ай бұрын
    • That's the great thing about the solar industry, it's constantly changing and improving. Always lots to study. 😀

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave3 ай бұрын
  • It will be interesting to see summer results in higher temperatures. Great video, Thanks

    @Roll2Videos@Roll2Videos3 ай бұрын
    • Yes, I'm curious. I may take temperature data on both panel orientations to see if there is a significant difference.

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave3 ай бұрын
    • will be nice to see if mornings and evenings make a difference in summer with the longer days with sun more behind main array. and also facing south with a white wall behind . the farther north longer sunny days in summer. two shine walls at 45 deg at north post might make a fair difference. i see a lot more tests👍👍

      @danielnicholls6868@danielnicholls68683 ай бұрын
    • @@ProjectsWithDave Temp monitoring is a great idea! I'd like to see the results, so I've subscribed!

      @Sekir80@Sekir802 ай бұрын
    • Imagine replacing the wooden fens in gardens with these 😮 it doesnt take much more place, and applied to a whole neighbourhood, it could be significant

      @Kytetiger@Kytetiger26 күн бұрын
  • Great info. Thanks for taking the time to collate all this amazing data.

    @marcfruchtman9473@marcfruchtman94733 ай бұрын
  • Great video, Dave. Thank you for making it.

    @Paul-cj1wb@Paul-cj1wb3 ай бұрын
  • OUTSTANDING topic and FANTASTIC presentation!!!!!! IMPRESSIVE Dave!!

    @MadMaxZ06@MadMaxZ063 ай бұрын
    • Thanks, glad you liked it!

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave3 ай бұрын
  • your channel is so valuable to all who view it! Thank you.

    @kitsurubami@kitsurubami3 ай бұрын
    • I appreciate that!

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave3 ай бұрын
  • I first saw this a few days ago from someone else on the vertical install and think it will good growing vegetables and things used is the way to go thank you.

    @danielreichoff5853@danielreichoff58533 ай бұрын
  • Interesting. Great to see the tech in solar is alive and well!

    @miked412@miked4122 ай бұрын
  • Not likely a problem in the cold areas, but sun heating of horizontal panels is also a factor because as the panels get hotter, their output goes down. From what I have heard, the reduced output due to hot panels is another plus for vertical panels. they don't heat up as much.

    @vorgon@vorgon3 ай бұрын
    • Research simulations also theorizes their is an increase of cooling because one side is in shade. Also the vertical arrangment creates a kind of "chimney" effect in the air allowing more passive coolsing.

      @PandorasFolly@PandorasFolly3 ай бұрын
    • This is a point I'd like to see tested as I've seen that research too. Everyone is on about spreading the output and the albedo which is great. But I am most excited about the cooling as heat is the big enemy in solar output and lifespan

      @SetitesTechAdventures@SetitesTechAdventures3 ай бұрын
    • The chimney effect is probably significant.

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave3 ай бұрын
    • @@ProjectsWithDave how about the impact of wind?

      @MadRat70@MadRat703 ай бұрын
  • I like your pile driver; the Kubota with a bucket full of rocks!

    @natehill8069@natehill80692 ай бұрын
  • Good to see you got to test this - I mentioned vertical arrays in your comments a year or so ago. I saw another video on vertical a couple days ago that pointed out one key advantage to vertical panels - morning and evening temperatures are lower than mid-day - the decreased panel efficiency due to panel temperature was limiting the south-facing panels versus the vertical tests. I think the temperature related losses amounted to 3%.

    @diepurpledino@diepurpledino2 ай бұрын
  • So pumped you did this!

    @DeckEdge@DeckEdge3 ай бұрын
  • One of the claims is that horizontal panels start overheating and dropping in efficiency. This clips the output similar to what you mention for an undersized inverter/solar charge controller. You may never experience this loss of efficiency in Ohio even during summer.

    @BrookerDynamics@BrookerDynamics3 ай бұрын
    • Our summers aren't supper hot, but probably hot enough to see the effect and extrapolate. I'll collect some data this summer.

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave3 ай бұрын
    • This is the explanation I've read. Apparently an extra 2%. Doesn't sound a lot, but for large solar farms, it adds up. Makes sense, as here in the UK, my Solar is most productive April /May. Once we hit June /July they never quite match the early months. Heat I guess

      @stuartburns8657@stuartburns86573 ай бұрын
    • How about a combined array single sided at thirty degrees at the bottom. And bifacial verticals along the top? It puts the bi facials where they can catch the most light from both sides. The single sided units are on top of the ground anyway so very little light gets reflected up under that narrow low triangle. 🤔 Having tried that you might try the same high low line up but you could space your bi facials E-W as well but to get meaningful results you would have to set up the Two new configurations ..they would have to be constructed and run at the same time in the same field.. The panels themselves would also need output calibration checks before and after just in case of any production faults or fall off after installation.

      @clivestainlesssteelwomble7665@clivestainlesssteelwomble76653 ай бұрын
    • this hype started longer north then ohio A group of researchers at the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) has conducted a series of tests and simulations to understand why vertical PV systems tend to provide unexpected yield gains compared to horizontal arrays and have found that vertical installations have much lower operating temperatures. after all the panels needs to be black to work best and the lower angle also works better in the northern part of the world im not sure this kind of experiment makes any sense in the equator area

      @Hansen710@Hansen7103 ай бұрын
    • I think horizontal panels will suffer long term, irreversible damage that will reduce their efficiency, while vertical mount panels will have more longevity as they'll suffer less from direct solar ray

      @michaelolayinka441@michaelolayinka44115 күн бұрын
  • Thank you!!! I've been contemplating vertical mounted panels on a rig that I could wheel around. I don't have much money (or land) so knowing results of actual tests is VERY valuable to me. Thanks for your thorough testing and detail!!!

    @veizour@veizour3 ай бұрын
    • Glad I could help!

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave3 ай бұрын
    • If you're doing a mobile rig why not just face the sun? These solutions seem tailored for permanent installation.

      @chublez@chublez2 ай бұрын
    • ​@@chublezMobile isnt the same as automated! A wheeled and anchoring rack will get a lot more if you optomize it even only once every few weeks, with minimal added conplexity. But a fully self orienting system is a lot different work.

      @sc149@sc149Ай бұрын
  • You are a great data collector! Thank you for sharing what you learn

    @nieldcreek2098@nieldcreek20983 ай бұрын
  • Awesome work Dave!

    @joshuatreepower@joshuatreepower3 ай бұрын
  • I look forward to see how the horizontals will work during the hot summer months. I could see how have some in both ways (hybred) could even out different types of weather. The use as a fence opens up alot of possible locations for solar.

    @putteslaintxtbks5166@putteslaintxtbks51663 ай бұрын
    • I would guess they would also get better result in summer since the sun does not hit the surface as much in the hottest time of the day and are probably better exposed to the wind, cooling them down more.

      @marwerno@marwerno2 ай бұрын
  • Thank you for sharing. You have no idea how much this sort of unbiased information can help people who are not so sure what works and what doesn't. By sharing, you're making a difference to global warming beyond just your array!

    @pranavswaroop4291@pranavswaroop42913 ай бұрын
    • Glad it was helpful!

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave2 ай бұрын
    • Add mirrors great results

      @doylewillis9587@doylewillis95872 ай бұрын
  • Dave, another outstanding video! You answered all my immediate vertical mount questions! Thank you very much.

    @keithcress1335@keithcress13353 ай бұрын
    • Excellent!

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave3 ай бұрын
  • Love this data! I've git a fence im thinking of converting partially to this as i dont have other great places to ground mount or roof mount. Looking forward to the follow up!

    @jonnycoolg@jonnycoolg3 ай бұрын
  • I think this changes dramatically in the summer and in hotter climates, because from what I've seen so far, the better cooling of the vertical panels also has a huge effect. And especially in places where you would not want to install traditional panels, such as on farmland, it is a great option to install panels at all AND it even provides a better microclimate and conditions for some farms. I guess as always: The mix is important and choosing the right orientation for the individual situation. Thanks for the video and these insights. It's really helpful to see this real life measurement.

    @Vakilando@Vakilando2 ай бұрын
  • I wouldn't stand right next the the stake being driven into the ground by the bucket... hold it with a pole or a piece of strut from a distance. Far too many things that could break, snap, or slip and result in an ER visit.

    @leebrandt2631@leebrandt26312 ай бұрын
  • Especially for snow it's amazing because it reflect so much

    @CUBETechie@CUBETechie2 ай бұрын
  • Dave - thank you. This is literally the first youtube video I've ever seen about solar where someone actually knew what they were talking about.

    @davehasenford3985@davehasenford398520 күн бұрын
  • face them vertical facing south, on the north side, you put mirrors on "heliosta'st" (like a solar tracker but directs the light reflected from a mirror onto 1 spot all day long) and focus the light so it hits the entire back side of the panel. this was the panel gets the same sun light on the back side as the front gets! heliostat is usually used to shine the sun into a north facing window or to focus the sun from many mirrors onto 1 spot to heat something in a solar concentrator!

    @steffybael1245@steffybael12452 ай бұрын
    • Good Idea but heliostats are expensive and for diy you need knowledge and/or adjust Them from time to time.

      @Aenkor1982@Aenkor19822 ай бұрын
    • Add more panels instead of heliostats?

      @RobertSzasz@RobertSzasz2 ай бұрын
  • Great video, thanks for experimenting with this. Have you thought about possible reflected gain from these being in multiple rows? I'm thinking one row might catch reflections from the row in front, and the row behind it. Thanks again, very informative!

    @BradCagle@BradCagle3 ай бұрын
    • Thanks! I think you will also see some additional shading in the early morning and late evening depending on row pitch. The shading could more than cancel any reflective benefit.

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave3 ай бұрын
    • Could there be some sort of case for densely packed almost vertical panels like pleats of an air filter, that would surely put out some interesting numbers in high noon, higher than just a single plane of panels for the same sq ft? I'm trying to optimize for space, I got lots of panels and no space to put them.

      @awasilenko@awasilenko3 ай бұрын
  • Great video. Am interested to see yr results throughout the year. Thx for sharing.

    @gsftom@gsftom3 ай бұрын
  • It’s wonderful to see openminded people. Very interesting.

    @Marcasecas@Marcasecas2 ай бұрын
  • Spent my first 40 years in the Cleveland, OH area and the past 20 in the Phoenix, AZ area. There does come a point where we start praying for cloudy days :-) Would loved to have seen the output results from horizontally mounted panels or horizontal minus 10 degrees towards the South during the winter solstice. Thinking about building a pergola type structure in the back yard and using bi-facial panels for the top of the pergola. The pergola would be 11' on one end and around 7' on the other which gives me about 10 degrees of slope over the length. Would provide some much needed filtered shade from the sun as well as power my house. Unlike your situation, I need the most power during the summer months for cooling. I really do enjoy and look forward to your videos. Thanks for taking us along on your journey.

    @NitePHX@NitePHX3 ай бұрын
    • Great idea, I'll consider how to test this for a future video.

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave3 ай бұрын
    • buildings with round roofs provide all angels needed for all seasons.. we need to start to build our houses so the look like greenhouse tunnels a garden rack would probetly also make sense to some people in a more round/bended version

      @Hansen710@Hansen7103 ай бұрын
    • Interesting. I spent my first 28 in Phoenix and my last 36 in Cleveland. I actually prefer Cleveland weather. Summers are really nice and in winter I can put on an extra layer if it gets cold. In Phoenix there is an absolute limit on how much I could take off. The one thing I absolutely do miss about Arizona is the mountains and the long distances to the horizon. In my last house in Phoenix I could lay in bed and see 4 Peaks 40 miles away through my bedroom window, or standing on top of Camelback Mountain and see the entire city. Here in the western suburbs of Cleveland, the horizon is the first row of trees. A person can get a little claustrophobic and so every couple of years I have to go back if just to get my "mountain fix" as my wife calls it. BTW, love the idea of a putting a pitch on the roof of a pergola as a place to put 100 ft2 or so of solar cells.

      @papparocket@papparocket3 ай бұрын
    • @@papparocket Grew up on the West side of Cleveland in Lakewood. Now live in Mesa. One of the first things you notice here is how far you can see. At night, from our back yard, we show visitors the red tower lights on South Mountain and they are in disbelief when I tell them those towers are 26 miles away.

      @NitePHX@NitePHX3 ай бұрын
    • @@NitePHX I grew up in Scottsdale and now live in Westlake.

      @papparocket@papparocket3 ай бұрын
  • You and @UndecidedMF seem to be mind-readers lately. One scenario that you should test (I may have missed it) - vertical-mount panels for people that don't have a good view to the south. If I understood correctly, your panels are facing east/west. Suddenly, ground-mount-with-white-stones might be an option for a ton of new customers.

    @jerkychew899@jerkychew8993 ай бұрын
    • They face E/W but you still need sun exposure from the south.

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave3 ай бұрын
  • Looking forward to watching the summer and spring results when autumn rolls around.

    @tulsatrash@tulsatrash2 ай бұрын
  • Great stuff, Dave! Thanks for producing and sharing this information!

    @FatherOfTheParty@FatherOfTheParty3 ай бұрын
    • Glad it was helpful!

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave3 ай бұрын
  • Ever try reflective ground cover, like the foil covered bubble insulation? The stuff I am talking about provides a R value of 6.

    @wkinne1@wkinne13 ай бұрын
    • sun will destroy it, just get bright white rock

      @TheGuruStud@TheGuruStud3 ай бұрын
    • I haven't tried it. I'm sure it would be helpful, but not very practical from a durability stand point.

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave3 ай бұрын
    • people are putting vertical arrays between rows of white foil covered greenhouses and shelters (quonset hut tarp)

      @sebastiant5695@sebastiant56953 ай бұрын
  • Anyone tried this on a hill or mountain where you have clear visibility to the horizon below you east and west? I’d guess that it would dramatically expand harvest and change the metric. But would love to know for sure.

    @jameshancock@jameshancock3 ай бұрын
    • Also probably a good place for a wind turbine.

      @nlewis1111@nlewis11112 ай бұрын
    • @@nlewis1111 they’re basically never worth it at small scale.

      @jameshancock@jameshancock2 ай бұрын
  • Good to watch, glad I don't have snow to worry about.

    @alphagoat1314@alphagoat13142 ай бұрын
  • Dude, your videos are great!

    @albinoadrianocordeiro9929@albinoadrianocordeiro99293 ай бұрын
  • Looks great Dave. Be sure to look into vineyard trellis orientations (which prefer NS rows, like your panels facing EW, with spacing between rows set to maximize light/minimize row to row shading). Putting cattle around solar panels as one photo showed will be problematic as the cattle will scratch against and destroy the posts and panels, which may mean a higher mounting solution so the cattle only hit the posts, but does the ground reflected light reach high mounted panels? Same if growing corn or sunflowers between panels so may be limited to short crops like beans. What crops are most/least light reflective? Which livestock are most light reflective (white chickens and ducks!).

    @jvin248@jvin2483 ай бұрын
    • White birds, I love it! 😂 I agree cows may not be a great livestock for solar panels. Also tall crops like corn would not make sense. Grains, maybe soybeans. Someone needs to do a crop performance comparison. I would like to know if the reduced sun exposure is enough to significantly reduce crop production. Seems like the crops that would work well with solar would be a limited list.

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave3 ай бұрын
    • @@ProjectsWithDave I doubt there is any reduced light exposure for crops. You might even have a longer winter growing day with the early morning and late afternoon reflected light from the panels

      @CorwinPatrick@CorwinPatrick3 ай бұрын
    • If you could install a temporary electrical shock on the panels it would not take long for the cattle stop touching them. On electric fences they learn pretty quick. One or two snaps and they won’t go back and you can shut the power off.

      @freddymax5256@freddymax52563 ай бұрын
    • ​@freddymax5256 That's exactly what I was going to say. Should be pretty easy to incorporate since you have an electricity source right there. The other major advantage is that Nimbyism has to be greatly reduced. How could people complain about a fence? Not like barbed wire or electric fences are things of beauty.

      @nlewis1111@nlewis11112 ай бұрын
    • I do wonder how they get the right series/parallel voltages. Seems like you would have some issues with extremely long wire runs/unbalanced voltage drops.

      @nlewis1111@nlewis11112 ай бұрын
  • I was wondering this myself. I live 53° north, and the summer sun rises in the northeast. It made me wonder about flat or vertical installs in the summer. I can't wait to see what you get!

    @geoffdmytruk6604@geoffdmytruk66042 ай бұрын
  • Just wow. Great content. Subscribed immediately. Thx man.

    @GreyDeathVaccine@GreyDeathVaccine2 ай бұрын
  • I've noticed something that NO ONE does even when they have tons of room like you. Space bifacials 6" or so from each other allowing lots of sun to reflect on the back (of course using white rock underneath would maximize benefits). Shading problem solved! It also relieves some wind force. Small scale testing could be done with plywood used to simulate panels on the edges. Vary the gap size to see what's the best size vs performance curve. I bet on sunny days there's a huge boost.

    @TheGuruStud@TheGuruStud3 ай бұрын
    • It makes racking them more complex and expensive, though.

      @spankeyfish@spankeyfish3 ай бұрын
    • I believe the increased cost of racking would negate any benefit.

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave3 ай бұрын
    • How so? Most people don't have more than 20 panels (double row so 10 wide). Total width would only increase 4.5 ft with 6" gaps. Yours would increase 9.5 ft, but with all the money you spent on that metal, it's not much of an increase, especially if your output is boosted 25% in winter. (looks like you'd have to add in 2 more sections). DIY wood mount would be negligible increase.

      @TheGuruStud@TheGuruStud2 ай бұрын
    • @@TheGuruStud DIY wood mount would also be worthless.

      @evrythingis1@evrythingis1Ай бұрын
  • Thank You for supporting Solar and for All that you are doing for our Planet Earth.... Peace.. Shalom.. Salam.. Namaste 🙏🏻 😊 🌈 ✌ ☮ ❤

    @PeaceChanel@PeaceChanel3 ай бұрын
  • GREAT video, you just saved me a ton of work, i was about to put in a bunch of vertical bi facials… wow

    @Jennifer-007@Jennifer-0073 ай бұрын
  • Awesome video, thanks so much for doing all this comparison for us 🙏

    @tjmooney4181@tjmooney41813 ай бұрын
  • Paint the ground white!

    @FengG0@FengG02 ай бұрын
    • Or use white sand/ concrete/ gravel

      @nathanlamberth7631@nathanlamberth7631Ай бұрын
  • Put some Mirrors 🪞 on the ground

    @whatthefunction9140@whatthefunction91403 ай бұрын
    • I want to see that

      @lovewenwin@lovewenwin17 күн бұрын
    • Or two tilted 3"x36" mounted just under the panel off the ground.

      @LP-MeAndMyShadow@LP-MeAndMyShadow15 күн бұрын
    • Great idea

      @jasonz7788@jasonz778814 күн бұрын
    • Water will do.

      @mattg432@mattg43212 күн бұрын
    • ​@@jasonz7788Are you going to pay for the silver?

      @artsmith103@artsmith10311 күн бұрын
  • Honestly this the first channel where someone got into his mind to make his own lab to testing PV panels performances, according different factors including positions (Vertical, leaning, East, West...). Really I enjoyed watching that video. I wanted to make the same test unfortunately I have no yard...What about the optimizes? How do you qualify them in increasing production? You gave us a huge informations where even no one did before...Big thanks

    @youme4391@youme43912 ай бұрын
    • Thanks! I would not use optimizers in this setup, they just add cost. I need them to monitor performance at the individual panel level and they allow me to have panels facing all different directions connected to the same inverter.

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave2 ай бұрын
  • Very interesting. I’ve vertically mounted some south facing standard panels on my house. Just used unistrut and some bolts. Not connected them yet but an excited to see what they manage vs roof mounted.

    @alexlovett1991@alexlovett19912 ай бұрын
  • How do yall watch these videos without ad blockers? It would be insufferable

    @mattbrew11@mattbrew113 ай бұрын
    • The only people who can tolerate youtube with ads in any capacity are children and boomers.

      @evrythingis1@evrythingis1Ай бұрын
    • Simply buy a subscription. It's very cheap and you don't see ads..

      @SjaakSchulteis@SjaakSchulteisАй бұрын
    • @@SjaakSchulteis Ok Boomer.

      @evrythingis1@evrythingis1Ай бұрын
    • @@evrythingis1 So everyone is a Boomer? You just wrote that anyone who can watch with ads are children and boomers. I say to buy a subscription, then you call me Boomer too? So who is it? 😂😂

      @SjaakSchulteis@SjaakSchulteisАй бұрын
    • @@SjaakSchulteis I dont see the ads I just know when they how often they would have occurred

      @mattbrew11@mattbrew11Ай бұрын
  • nice video, keen for the hot season test results

    @BJL2142@BJL21422 ай бұрын
  • What you brought up is amazing. I love simplicity and you dig into core. Definitely bifacial panel is something which needs attenation and broadens user cases for installation. Thanks for making an effort to share your findings. Cheers.

    @simonmeszaros2770@simonmeszaros27702 ай бұрын
    • Glad you enjoyed it!

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave2 ай бұрын
  • I have found the same thing in my testing. Not having to clean snow off my panels is a huge benefit to me. I live in northern Montana. Sometimes I have to clean my south facing panels several times a day.

    @Andrew-jm4tp@Andrew-jm4tp2 ай бұрын
    • Way up there it would be great to see the results after a year of half the panels hung vertically facing south vs whatever racks you have. Seems like a simple idea to replace long fence lines with vertical panels, low maintenance and no land lost.

      @dave882@dave8822 ай бұрын
  • Congratulation on your channel blowing up

    @randomzocker8956@randomzocker89562 ай бұрын
  • the chart of the vertical panels is great from an energy demand perspective, where you see peaks in morning & evening with dip in the middle...great work!

    @pj3200@pj320012 күн бұрын
    • Thanks!

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave11 күн бұрын
  • I've been intrigued by the theory! Thanks for your tests and report. I may need to put in a new array...

    @Sylvan_dB@Sylvan_dB3 ай бұрын
  • This guy is one of the mvps for solar knowledge

    @e6ensperception@e6ensperception2 ай бұрын
  • I am in Wasilla and was thinking about putting some of these panels in. I dont have a ton of usable space for something like this on my acre lot. So I think these might be the perfect solution. Especially since winter is when I need power the most.

    @tibbified@tibbified3 ай бұрын
  • Greetings from Germany. You put alot of work into it and got some nice results. thanks.

    @flycrack7686@flycrack76862 ай бұрын
    • Thank you!

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave2 ай бұрын
  • Great experiment, Dave! Excellent info!

    @zmarko@zmarko3 ай бұрын
    • Thanks! 👍

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave3 ай бұрын
  • Really appreciate this information!!!

    @stalwart56k@stalwart56kАй бұрын
  • I think that there is a good combo for your weather: 60º panels in East/West azimuth, like the vertical ones. Very good and clear info, thanks a lot.

    @PacoSS67@PacoSS672 ай бұрын
  • Crazy. Look look ! Blue sky in the back ground ! --- Fellow Ohioian. Thank You for these tests !

    @GREGGRCO@GREGGRCO3 ай бұрын
  • Oh what a wonderful job ! Great work. Greetings from Germany 🇩🇪

    @volkerbosch9078@volkerbosch90783 ай бұрын
  • Superb test! thank you for this😊

    @elmakcnc5960@elmakcnc59602 ай бұрын
  • Wow dude, awesome work and data

    @ll1881ll@ll1881ll2 ай бұрын
    • Thanks!

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave2 ай бұрын
  • Great thinking out of the box!

    @ernstlemm9379@ernstlemm93792 ай бұрын
  • Great video! Got yourself a new subscriber!

    @flack3@flack3Ай бұрын
  • Thank you so much for this amazingly informative video!

    @kevingearyart@kevingearyartКүн бұрын
  • This is my first time seeing your channel. Very nice video style.

    @RinoaL@RinoaL2 ай бұрын
    • Welcome!

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave2 ай бұрын
  • My first time that I have commented. I have been doing a great deal of research on this subject. 2 key takeaways, bifacial is generally the better choice, and having a toolbox of solutions for the unique environment offer great benefits for a given system. I look forward to the summer testing, I think the heat aspect, and clipping issues will give the vertical mount some interesting results. Thanks for the great information share!

    @garylpretty@garylpretty3 ай бұрын
  • Great analysis!

    @rodrigomohr1277@rodrigomohr12772 ай бұрын
  • Thanks for this excellent presentation. Lots to take in from your experiment.

    @jps99@jps9918 күн бұрын
  • Well this is a fantastic study, I certainly wish I could find a study for the equator. Since in a few short months I will be building there.

    @am-fil@am-filАй бұрын
  • excellent work.. thank you for sharing

    @mzimmerman1988@mzimmerman1988Ай бұрын
  • @ProjectsWithDave. You can also place some cheap mirrors to maximes the input..

    @Simonb1977@Simonb197729 күн бұрын
  • Nice expalnation being a researcer in solar cell technology i understood it very well. I have made bifacial solar module in our physics laboratory.

    @PhysicsKApplications@PhysicsKApplications2 ай бұрын
  • super information and it is why I contacted you. It is what I expected though for some applications like three and four story buildings where there is only limited space or high rise buildings with reflective glass walls I could easily imagine they would perform nicely

    @stevepailet8258@stevepailet82583 ай бұрын
    • Thanks. High rise buildings would not be able to take advantage of the back side boost like an open array can.

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave3 ай бұрын
    • @@ProjectsWithDave Was thinking more about putting panels out board perhaps a foot so that they can capture sunlight from reflection from the glass. Just my oddball thoughts

      @stevepailet8258@stevepailet82583 ай бұрын
  • i guess it would depend on where you use it and how many you could fit in. i do like the idea of using them as fence panel or even on the wall of industrial buildings.

    @keshlalish5586@keshlalish55862 ай бұрын
  • Thanks for posting this. The verticle option is exciting from the perspective of dual use in agricultural settings. I have heard the term agro-voltics used to describe it. I'm also intrigued by the results because I have a few locations where I could have a verticle array with the back side not accessible to sunlight (the vertical south-facing side of a building.) While payback would be much longer, it could still be worthwhile. I'm not far from Camp Ravenna in Ohio, whose site was chosen because it's the 5th cloudiest place in the US east of the Mississippi. I chose to install panels on both the north and south roofs of a building (I don't have good locations for a ground mount), and because of the cloud cover, I often see similar output from both arrays.

    @ericapelz260@ericapelz2602 ай бұрын
    • Try google for "AgriPV"

      @fckfascism@fckfascismАй бұрын
  • Thank you so much sir. For this crystal clear clarity

    @crchetann@crchetann2 ай бұрын
  • I have a small 12v 400w setup , two 150w standard and one 100w bi facial . Since installing the bifacial I definitely see a difrence I my collection on those cloudy winter days

    @stewgjeff@stewgjeff2 ай бұрын
    • Thanks for posting. As you have experienced, bifacial panels shine in cloudy weather.

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave2 ай бұрын
  • Great overview, thanks for sharing. Got me thinking about my next array

    @ParksWithPoints@ParksWithPoints3 ай бұрын
    • Glad it was helpful!

      @ProjectsWithDave@ProjectsWithDave3 ай бұрын
  • IMO outstanding presentation !

    @luvdogsandhorses@luvdogsandhorses3 ай бұрын
  • Great video - but as others have stated - supposedly the biggest gains are in the summer in hot climates - where the vertical panels do not get as hot. Will be interested to see our results then. thanks for the video.

    @davethepak@davethepak12 күн бұрын
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