The typical solar panels you and I know are fairly straightforward – light hits the solar cell from above and generates electricity.

Any light that passes on and gets reflected from the ground and hits the backside of the panel is just wasted, because the typical solar panel’s back side just has a polymer backsheet and not the semiconductor cells.

A cool idea has tried to change this. Called the bifacial solar panel, in this, instead of the backsheet covering the back of the solar cell, the backside is covered by glass too, similar to what is on top, and thus reflected light too now hits the cells and can generate power.

Sounds exciting, doesn’t it?

Read more on these interesting bifacial solar panels and how they work, and some real life examples, from the Solar Mango post here. (part of Innovations in Solar series)

Also check out: EAI Consulting for Solar Energy – Solar PV & Solar Thermal