Are Bi-Facial Solar Panels Really Better For YOU??

[@joen5000]

I can't believe, you're testing bi-facial solar panels with dark background and expecting better results. Really smart!

[@johnnysweekends]

Do you know how many people install bi facial solar panels and install mirrors or glossy back grounds or reflective tarps….? Zero! But you know where to find the people who do…KZbinrs right here. No one in the real world asks for bi facial panels and they would like a reflective material on the ground or where ever. Shade structures or parking lots are where they are used. But sure put some mirrors down, tarps and more and add some maintenance. Again no one does that in real world installs.

[@jounikyy7715]

u cannot see sun light it reflects any surface even black, black just suck it like ur mo

[@jackechan1311]

That`s what I am intending to do. I didn`t know that I am such a unicorn.

[@VictorPoulin]

For best results the bifacial should be at least 3 feet off the ground. This allows for the sun to shine through the front and go under the panels. I've placed mirrors flat on the ground along the frontside of my panels. The sun hits and reflects directly on the backside of the panels. Still experimenting for best results but making small gains with every new idea. I live where temps get to 90 and have had no overheating issues. Highest temp so far on the panel was 125F. If you live where temps get over 100F I would not suggest using mirrors.

[@Jasonoid]

I am a huge fan of the newer black panel designs with 9BB and half cut cells. I love how they are two panels in one as well which really helps with partial shading. I have four Esolar 410w panels, and three Talesun 400w bi-facials. Im getting around 2200 watts from them consistently. Fun stuff! Thanks for the comparison, Johnny. I always love simple comparisons.

[@johnnysweekends]

The new panels really are so much better than the older modules of just a couple years ago. I definitely wanna get some others to test. And thanks. I like simple tests sometimes. 👍🏼😀

[@TheSoupier]

I did a comparison between bifacial and monofacial solar panels on my sienna. I think that my car reflects a lot of light so it had considerably more energy. Love your video, it was very informational.

[@PjotrII]

Yeah the detail many forget is that usually Bi-facial isn´t much better UNLESS you steer (reflect) light in some way.

[@johnnysweekends]

@PjotrII and no body in real life installs do that. Except KZbinrs lol. I have yet to see a bi facial install with reflective material under it purposely

[@PjotrII]

@@johnnysweekends It´s true, that some youtubers TEST that to show if it has some effect. There are some problems with REAL life situations... and one of the best material to reflect is aluminium foil, however as such it is not good for weather conditions, so to have one, it should be attached to plexi or something alike, and then costs rise immediately. I am planning for a solar build 2025, where some panels are planned to have some reflectors attached. It´s more common to have some "white" gravel on the ground, however the reflection coefficient is lower than on aluminium foil.

[@todd.parker]

Cool video Johnny! I was surprised that there was basically no difference in output, very good tests.

[@johnnysweekends]

Yea minimal over 4 hours. But times that by a few days or a few weeks then the spread would be bigger. But with bi facials on the ground you’re not gaining anything.

[@PjotrII]

yeah one would expect a little more, however the important thing is to steer = reflect light to the backside... a passive setup (like here) usually brings 0-5% gain.

[@SoberLivingHome]

I dont’ see how you think this is a comparative test when the bi-facial panel is not getting any reflection on the back side like it’s supposed to be demonstrate how much better they are. And aren’t they supposed to be standing up? Unlike the other type panels?

[@bobmonztr]

Try the same test in full overcast might be interesting results. My vertical bi facial is 12" off the ground 465w panels record was 569w with snow and sun. 98% of the time 105w in full overcast.

[@johnnysweekends]

Yea with snow and even broken clouds for cloud effect you can pull some really big numbers! I did my first test in an over cast day against the wall and the bifacial was just ahead like in the video. But the Canadian 395 are no joke and perform really well..!!

[@bobmonztr]

@@johnnysweekends have jinko ,465 wanted 7 more but no more so 6x550w thornova and I hope they are ok,changed my mind 5x600w bf now

[@arnoldreiter435]

you mentioned at the beginning that the recommendation is for one meter of clearance for the bi facial. also the sun is very high in the sky making a sharp angle of any reflected sunlight against the wall. Good tests and what i see is that the one meter recommendation is important and a roof mount for bi facial may be wasted if you want any performance increase.

[@mattman6199]

Would love to see if they are mounted on a gazebo or something that places them up off the ground… that is what I figured they would get the best performance from .. but I have no data to back it up …

[@johnnysweekends]

I will be doing more stuff soon.

[@charlesklaus6290]

Interesting video. Not really in the market for solar panels right now but might upgrade my RV lead acid batteries to LifePo4 before the tariffs kick in. Thanks!

[@chancejensen9324]

Awesome video as always!

[@johnnysweekends]

Thank you 😀👍🏼

[@deuxpiecesSaintLouis]

4:20 Nice test to make! For the rest there is too much of shade in the back. I guess it would behave better farther from a really white wall, or even in open field where it could produce at different times of the day.

[@Capitalist_Pig314]

I’m looking for solar panels that I can mount on my davits on a boat. A sailboat the panels will be about 8 feet off the water sitting flat. And my question would be mono versus my facial or having two rows of mono Cristos on face and towards sky and one facing down towards the water to get the reflection that bounces off the ocean. Does that make sense if it’s that high off the ocean to get enough reflection to justify having bi facial or even a second row of one sided solar panels, but facing downward?

[@stedyone1090]

Are lifepo4 batteries also going up. If so how much?

[@johnnysweekends]

Yes they are saying 20-50% Will see 🫤

[@chancejensen9324]

I wonder if companies like EcoFlow, Anker, and Oupes would be affected price-wise.

[@samledo8558]

Hello and thank you for the videos you create wonderful job! Anyways to my point : I bought a eco flow delta pro two generators and four extra batteries. Can I use aptos 400watt panels w my setup. I already have the MTS wired into my sub panel by an electrician. I planned on purchasing the spots 31 panel bundle. Tyvm

[@johnnysweekends]

You can definitely use these panels you just have to set it up correctly to not go over input voltage and leave room for temp changes. Temp coefficient comes with the panels

[@moderngunguy3666]

New study shows that if you put the vertical straight up and down, you can actually get more power out of them because of his medication you should look into that study

[@johnnysweekends]

Yea seen it along time ago and they are still looking into it as who it’s best for. I may try a simulation but I don’t have a place for long term testing. Only day tests. Majority of people still won’t mount like that though

[@moderngunguy3666]

@@johnnysweekends Yeah I've never seen the mounted like that in the real world.. seen some videos of some solar farms that have them mounted that way though but never in person.

[@SaabAholic]

Nice info, thanks! 🤠

[@JONNYM.-ix2wd]

"JET STREAMS" 👍🤣🤣🤣

[@samledo8558]

More like jet screams aka the dimming

[@samserious1337]

Bi-Facial modules are much heavier due to glass also on their backside, which makes them a bad choice for RVs. Mono crystaline panels are still the way to go for most usecases.

[@johnnysweekends]

Yea they can be, these are about 5 lbs heavier.

[@timblain7256]

Any deals on purchasing few than 10 panels?

[@johnnysweekends]

Unless you close to me then IDK…lol Normally the more you buy the better the deal but most people want 4-10. So hard to get the really good deals unless buying a couple pallets or more. But they normally have the best deals right now.

[@vinnyareid]

Not a fair comparison. The bifacial is not maximizing it's full potential because the wall is half white and half brown behind the panels. Plus bifacial are not designed to work on the ground. Off the ground to catch reflections 😔

[@VictorPoulin]

Agreed, they should be at least 3 feet off the ground. This allows for the sun to shine through the front and go under the panels. I've placed mirrors flat on the ground along the frontside of my panels. The sun hits and reflects directly on the backside of the panels. Still experimenting for best results but making small gains with every new idea. I live where temps get to 90 and have had no overheating issues. Highest temp so far on the panel was 125F. If you live where temps get over 100F I would not suggest using mirrors.

[@johnnysweekends]

I mention the 3 foot distance in the video. But people skip around a lot

[@VictorPoulin]

@@johnnysweekends I didn't skip but I did miss where you said it. No big deal either way. At least your making these videos to give people an idea of what they are getting into.

[@aoeuuaoaou]

That kinda makes it worse, that you know this is a garbage test?

[@marcvandaele1878]

This is not a real test,this is misleading how you test them You said it’s for beginners but they don’t know how you must use bifacial

[@tibonange1111]

What if you can't pay the light bill

[@jeffsteele1295]

How far is a meter ? We are in the USA.

[@johandschep9364]

@@jeffsteele1295 1 meter = 3,28 feet

[@Shawn-ts4jw]

Ah ok so you are stupid then?

[@johnnysweekends]

Hope this video gave you some information for your build. Bi-facial solar panels are great but may not always be the best choice for what you are doing. The mono panel from Canadian Solar is an excellent choice and I’ll leave a list of a couple popular Bi-facials below. #solar #bifacialsolarpanel #offgrid #RV “Non-sponsored video” thanks for the support…😀👍🏼 ITEMS IN VIDEO…….. Canadian 395 watt: signaturesolar.com/canadian-solar-395w-mono-crystalline-solar-panel-black-cs6r395/?ref=JOHNNYWKND GREAT DEALS HERE…….. Aptos 400 watt: signaturesolar.com/aptos-400w-bifacial-dna-108-bf10/?ref=JOHNNYWKND Aptos 370 watt: signaturesolar.com/preoder-aptos-370w-bifacial-solar-panel-black-up-to-480w-bifacial-gain-dna-120-bf26-370w/?ref=JOHNNYWKND Hyperion 395 Bi-facial: signaturesolar.com/hyperion-395w-bifacial-solar-panel-black?ref=JOHNNYWKND Hyundia 395: Out of stock Solar panel tester: amzn.to/4bKz53L Victron Solar charge controller:amzn.to/3yRuNJB Renogy BT battery: amzn.to/4e4IsND Other Bi-facial and regular mono panels: signaturesolar.com/preoder-aptos-370w-bifacial-solar-panel-black-up-to-480w-bifacial-gain-dna-120-bf26-370w/?ref=JOHNNYWKND Bundles here: signaturesolar.com/?ref=JOHNNYWKND Discount Code JOHNNYWKND Have a question you want answered fast: asqme.com/@johnnysweekends SAVE BIG ON NEW SOLAR PANELS HERE: signaturesolar.com/?ref=JWKNDS DISCOUNT CODE: JOHNNYWKND BUNDLE & SAVE SHOP SOLAR KITS ! shopsolarkits.com/1134 CHEAP USED CERTIFIED SOLAR PANELS HERE: www.santansolar.com/?ref=Johnnys%20Weekends CHECK OUT MY AMAZON STORE: www.amazon.com/shop/johnnysweekends

[@lperezph]

It's weird.. My jinko 405w bifacial 23kg feels heavier than sunova 580w monofacial 27.6kg.. Could be the frame.. 40mm vs 30mm

[@johnnysweekends]

Two layers of glass is heavy! Mono only one glass layer

[@jounikyy7715]

water is goof reflector, spring time panels make too many power when snow

[@stedyone1090]

Solar panels and LifePo4 batteries Joe Biden tarrifs coming this month Wonderful 😮

[@johnnysweekends]

I don’t think it’s for like 4-6 months

[@wipatriot510]

"Are Bi-Facial Solar Panels Really Better For YOU??" In a word, no... I just built a dual axis tracking system with bi-facial panels, and it really doesn't yield any additional significant results... Going with quality(Renogy, Rich Solar, etc) single face panels will yield better and more consistent results... Panels are panels until they're not...

[@johnnysweekends]

These Canadian solar panels are so good, such a great panel 👍🏼 But it’s more a commercial type so deals are better when bought in bulk. Of course that’s anything

[@mindbender50]

crappy example read on how their to be mounted and how high up they need to be for the bi-facials to work properly ... you might as well tape the back of the bi-facials up for all your test has done for them..

[@johnnysweekends]

Wow did you listen at all….? 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@vidzilla1]

If I knew what I know now I would have not purchased them. Having to rely on the sun hitting it for the back power to meet the panels objective is bad unless you’re going to vertically hang them