<p>Community-scale batteries are already achievable in Australia, will complement existing household batteries and will allow more solar energy to be stored in our suburbs, analysis from The Australian National University (ANU) shows. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>With the move towards community-scale batteries gathering pace across the nation, two new reports from ANU show the best way forward when it comes to their rollout.&nbsp;</p><p>The batteries have power capacity of around one megawatt (MW), or enough to power around 100 houses. They help "soak up" solar power generated during the day, improving reliability.&nbsp;</p><p>"They have the potential to play an integral role in Australia's transition to a decentralised grid by keeping generated energy close to where it will be used," project lead Dr Marnie Shaw from the ANU Battery Storage and Grid Integration Program (BSGIP) said.&nbsp;</p><p>"A key finding of our research is that current regulations could do more to encourage local management of rooftop solar and community battery uptake.</p><p>"As such, we propose a tariff that incentivises the use of energy, close to where that energy is produced.</p><p>"This 'Local Use of Service tariff' is essentially a price signal to customers, allowing them to benefit monetarily for storing and using energy locally."</p><p>The reports examined social aspects that drive the uptake of community batteries - including why people are either willing or unwilling to us them.</p><p>"We weighed up potential benefits and drawbacks of community-scale batteries," co-author Dr Hedda Ransan-Cooper said.</p><p>"Some risks are relatively easy to overcome, like ensuring safety measures in the event of a fire, while others, such as ensuring the benefits are fairly distributed, are more complicated."</p><p>Several community-scale battery projects are already underway across Australia.</p><p>The guidelines set out in the ANU reports will be applied in the Melbourne CBD as part of a partnership with the Yarra Energy Foundation and electricity network CitiPower. ANU will also be delivering tailored software for this trial.</p><p>"This will enable a trial of community batteries, or 'solar sponges' to be established in the CBD and inner-city suburbs of Melbourne," Dr Shaw said.</p><p>"It's clear that complex challenges around transitioning from a centralised to a decentralised energy system can really benefit from engineers and social scientists working together."</p><p>The ANU reports are available <a href="https://arena.gov.au/assets/2020/12/bsgip-regulatory-technical-and-logistical-considerations.pdf" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://arena.gov.au/assets/2020/12/implementing-community-scale-batteries-bsgip.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable fr-active" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/npwhuildLGg?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable" style="width: 789px; height: 447px;"></iframe></span><br></p>

Western Power has been trialling community batteries in WA that integrate bulk solar battery storage into the existing electricity grid, while also prviding customers with an option to virtually store excess rooftop solar energy. Credit: Western Power

Community-scale batteries are already achievable in Australia, will complement existing household batteries and will allow more solar energy to be stored in our suburbs, analysis from The Australian National University (ANU) shows.

Powering ahead with community batteries

<p>In this episode, we talk about MIT’s lobster inspired armor, wireless charging of electric vehicles, and a joint effort between RE2 Robotics and the US Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office to reduce the set up time/cost of solar farms. As always, you can find these and other interesting &amp; impactful engineering articles on Wevolver.com.</p><p><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe height="200px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/fa44d108-9844-4ca7-87eb-afaec05e0160?dark=false" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe></span>&nbsp;</p><h3>EPISODE NOTES</h3><p>(0:45) Lobster Inspired Armor:&nbsp;</p><p>MIT’s mechanical engineering department faculty had a breakthrough caused by lobster dinner: lobster underbelly membrane is the strongest known natural hydrogel. The team wants to use synthetic forms of this membrane to create flexible body armor with many properties that surpass that of kevlars.&nbsp;</p><p>(5:50) Wireless EV Charging:&nbsp;</p><p>Research from Cornell University displays one of the first promising steps towards wireless charging of electric vehicles using electric fields. The team hopes to deploy this technology underneath roads to give drivers the ability to charge as they drive.</p><p>(13:15) Autonomous Solar Farm Setup:&nbsp;</p><p>Green energy is becoming increasingly more important with the United States goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50% in 2030 and the key is driving down the cost of these energy harvesting technologies. RE2 robotics hopes to contribute to this goal by creating robots that can set up solar farms autonomously and reduce setup time by 40%.</p><p dir="ltr">--</p><p dir="ltr">About the podcast:</p><p dir="ltr">Every day, some of the most innovative universities, companies, and individual technology developers share their knowledge on Wevolver. To ensure we can also provide this knowledge for the growing group of podcast listeners, we started a collaboration with two young engineers, Daniel Scott Mitchell &amp; Farbod Moghaddam who discuss the most interesting content in this podcast series.&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">To learn more about this show, please visit the <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte" target="_blank">shows page</a>. By following the page, you will get automatic updates by email when a new show is published.</p><p dir="ltr">Be sure to give us a follow and review on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/the-next-byte/id1548255861?l=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple</a> podcasts,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6lPPsRtegnivsRUEsQ09R7?si=IPMiah7xT_apJtPjqvXMlA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spotify</a>, and most of your favorite podcast platforms!</p>

The wireless charging project combines two very different communities – high-frequency electronics and high-power electronics – to create a new field and enable new applications. John Munson/Cornell University

In this episode, we talk about MIT’s lobster inspired armor, wireless charging of electric vehicles, and a joint effort between RE2 Robotics and the US Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office to reduce the set up time/cost of solar farms.

Podcast: Lobster Inspired Armor, Wireless EV Charging, Autonomous Solar Farm Setup

<p dir="ltr">Energy systems are increasingly becoming systems of variable power demand. From large-scale smart grids to small personal electronic devices; the variety of functions and use cases require different power requirements. Supercapacitors are devices that can charge and discharge energy very quickly and are becoming increasingly important to meet this demand. However, traditional supercapacitors are square-shaped devices that can take up to as much as 50% of printed circuit board real estate, reducing their ability to be broadly applied in small and weight-conscious devices. Usually, the industry responds to similar problems by sacrificing the value added by supercapacitors and using the space to add new capabilities, but an alternative approach has been taken with the delivery of an entirely new form factor so that sacrifice is a thing of the past.&nbsp;</p><h1 dir="ltr">A new supercapacitor</h1><p dir="ltr">Cable-Based Capacitors (CBC), a proprietary technology of Orlando-based <a href="https://www.capacitechenergy.com/flexible-supercapacitors" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"></a><a href="https://www.capacitechenergy.com/flexible-supercapacitors" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Capacitech Energy</a>, are wire-shaped, flexible power storage devices with supercapacitor performance. CBC’s are designed to deliver energy very quickly and in a thin enough wire shape that they can be used in entirely new ways. For example, the CBC can be built inside of a wiring harness, incorporating distributed power storage capability into a product’s wiring infrastructure.&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">The unique form offers numerous space and aesthetic advantages, perfect for adding redundancy or offsetting components from printed circuit boards. Supercapacitance means they have a higher energy density than standard capacitors do and a higher power density than batteries. This flexibility and increased utility could have widespread implications in industries such as IoT, electronics, particularly portable and wearable devices, energy storage, and the automotive industry.</p><h2 dir="ltr">IoT market</h2><p dir="ltr">With the IoT market growing rapidly and millions of devices installed each year, questions of infrastructure maintenance are looming. Rechargeable or not, batteries represent a single point of failure and one with a short service life. For this reason, energy harvesting technologies are gaining a foothold in battery-powered IoT devices, although they lack the ability to provide enough power to replace the battery altogether. The size and flexibility of the CBC allow it to be incorporated into small enclosures—increasing the ability to keep IoT devices tucked away discretely. Energy harvesting technologies can be used with the CBC to replace batteries, which would be a money saver over the total service life of a device, thanks to the <a href="https://www.capacitechenergy.com/internet-of-things" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CBC’s long service life.</a></p><p dir="ltr">The industry may be on the precipice of massive expansion in connectivity. Leveraging the supercapacitor’s power density can help extend the range of communication, reducing the limitations imposed on connectivity by how far a signal can travel. Given that the distance a signal can travel is proportional to the power applied to the signal, doubling the peak power of the device by using the CBC can also double the range the signal could travel. For a Smart Building IoT system with 200 battery-powered devices, pairing a CBC with an energy harvesting module will save thousands of dollars over its service life.</p><h2 dir="ltr">Wearables</h2><p dir="ltr">Also benefitting from the form factor of the CBC are portable devices and wearable electronics. The cutting edge of phones, cameras, and fitness trackers, and other smart wearables is always how they can be smaller, lighter, more flexible. This development has been bottlenecked by the size of the electronic components in a circuit. While the CBC is not any smaller than a traditional supercapacitor that might be used in any of these devices, they are able to be folded into small enclosures and used off the circuit board. For example, the CBC could be incorporated into shoes to create smart running equipment. On top of reducing overall size, saved space can be used to add features or increase the performance of existing features.</p><h2 dir="ltr">Energy Storage systems</h2><p dir="ltr">The <a href="https://www.capacitechenergy.com/energy-storage" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">high density of the CBC&nbsp;</a>can also serve as a complement to energy storage systems and even extend energy storage infrastructure. There are devices designed for sustained delivery of energy, and there are devices for quick delivery, but an ideal energy storage system will accomplish both. Capacitech’s supercapacitors can alleviate what is often a design tradeoff when they are built into the cabling that connects the power source to load. This can inject additional capacity into the system, protect batteries from fluctuations in power, and address other common tradeoffs such as size, weight, and power constraints.</p><p dir="ltr">As it stands, these supercapacitors are poised to deliver over ten times the power than even the best batteries on the market—and more power means the ability to turn on a larger load than batteries of fuel cells can on their own. The flexibility of the CBC design means that there is no need to eliminate batteries in order to adopt supercapacitors. They’re designed to be added to the existing infrastructures of both solar panels and batteries; anywhere the system already uses cabling, supercapacitors can be added to store energy, deliver more power, and expand design possibilities. And with the solar industry pressed to produce more with less, the inclusion of CBCs can do a lot to increase peak power and deliver the initial rush of power needed to turn on loads in off-grid panels.</p><h2 dir="ltr"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 788px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjE4NTg2MjQzMTk1LWJtdyBzdG9yYWdlLmpwZWciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false">BMW's battery storage farm at its plant in Leipzig, Germany. Image credit: BMW</span></span></span>Transportation</h2><p dir="ltr">The transportation industry is rapidly adding electrification to everything. The expanded design options posed by CBC could increase possibilities by leaps and bounds. The automotive industry has always made use of capacitors in its systems, but their role has been expanding as the management of electrical current and circuits has become integral to alternative propulsion techniques. Supercapacitors have been used to supplement and even replace batteries in both electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.2 Similar to its addition to energy storage infrastructure, the CBC can run within the existing wiring to improve performance and extend operating life.</p><p dir="ltr"><br></p><p class="fr-img-space-wrap"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 788px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjE4NTg2MzU0MjQ0LWF1ZGkuanBnIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false">CBC’s offer potential for new wiring harnesses in electric vehicles that can reduce weight and increase efficiency. Image: Audi AG.</span></span></span></p><p class="fr-img-space-wrap2">This integration into the wiring harness creates the advantage of storing energy closer to the load. This means increased power filtering to remove noise between systems and power supply and increased means to address the unique automotive challenge of reliably regulating the voltage from the battery to power sensors and processors. Ability to utilize the entire existing wiring system—again, anywhere you already have wires, you can have a supercapacitor—also means increased potential for enabling a connected car and all of the remote sensors that have become the trend in automotive design. This is not to mention cost benefits and the potential for electric cars to become lighter, roomier, and more affordable.&nbsp;</p><h2 dir="ltr">Inside the world’s wiring infrastructure.&nbsp;</h2><p dir="ltr">Capacitech, has built this technology with the belief that the future hinges on energy storage—and this incomplete list of exciting use cases may serve as some proof. They are working to build energy storage into existing wiring infrastructure and enable next-gen technologies. To this end, CBC components will be available direct and through <a href="https://www.mouser.com/new/capacitech/capacitech-cable-based-capacitor/" target="_blank">component suppliers</a> as they work to offer more industries the potential for compact design and increased power.</p><h1 dir="ltr">Summary&nbsp;</h1><p dir="ltr">This supercapacitor design comes at a time when many industries are poised for the next generation of technology and could be one of the pushes that gets them there. One of their most attractive features is that it comes with no engineering tradeoffs in existing designs—it is not intended to replace but to augment and expand upon. As technologies push for increased connectivity, sleeker designs, and increased capabilities and features without giving up space or convenience, the CBC presents numerous solutions and possibilities: peak power assistance, backup power, reduced EMF/EMI, miniaturization, and ultimately a discrete and distributed network of power storage.&nbsp;</p><p>Complete information on product specs, as well as ordering and delivery, can be found on the <a href="https://www.capacitechenergy.com/" target="_blank">Capacitech site</a>.</p><p><em>References and further reading</em></p><p class="fr-img-space-wrap"><em>1. G Gautham Prasad et al 2019 IOP Conf. Ser.: Mater. Sci. Eng. 561 012105</em></p><p class="fr-img-space-wrap"><em>2. Oyama, H. &amp; Shinzato, T. &amp; Hayashi, K. &amp; Kitajima, K. &amp; Ariyoshi, T. &amp; Sawai, T.. (2008). Application of superconductors for automobiles. 22-26.</em></p>

A supercapacitor that utilizes form takes energy storage ‘off board.’

Wire-shaped flexible capacitors deliver innovation by freeing size and location restrictions.

Article 1 of our Energy Storage Solutions series: State-of-the-art battery monitoring systems can exploit the benefits of new lithium battery chemistries.

Higher Reliability and Longer Lifetimes with Advanced Battery Management in Healthcare Energy Storage Systems

<p dir="ltr">Energy storage systems, often referred to as ESS, play a fundamental role in helping with the intermittent nature of renewable energy and provide reliable supply of energy. In the recent year, the most commonplace energy storage technology has been battery energy storage (BESS) due to its shrinking costs and technological advances. However, ESS types do not end there. Although the majority of other such technologies are not currently commercially feasible and still developing, it is important to take stock of their progress and limitations.&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">When it comes to renewable energy production, wind and solar applications have become more ubiquitous in the last decade, accounting for a bigger chunk of the renewable energy mix. Due to the upward trend in global solar photovoltaic (PV) installations and technological progress, this article is mainly focused on relevant energy storage systems to solar and its applications, which can be divided into three main categories of:</p><ul><li dir="ltr">Utility: These systems are also referred to as grid-connected and they facilitate the backup of excess renewable energy through the grid, using an inverter. The inverter converts the DC output of the system to AC electricity in phase with the grid of the local power company. In case of shortage of renewable energy production, the local power company supplements the difference.</li><li dir="ltr">Standalone: This is more of a common application in the industrial and residential context i.e.traffic lighting, remote site electricity generation, electric vehicle (EV), etc. This system directly deploys the energy generated without feeding the surplus back into the grid. The excess energy then is stored in an energy storage system, commonly a battery bank.</li><li dir="ltr">Hybrid: The hybrid system, touted as the future of energy production, combines the integration of the above systems with other sources, for instance solar, wind and storage. Not only does this help create greater efficiency but also greater balance in supply. &nbsp;</li></ul><h1 dir="ltr">Energy Storage System (ESS) Technology Types</h1><p dir="ltr">The generated energy from the solar initially comes in the form of electricity and can either be stored directly in that form or converted to another form then stored. Now, what are some of the important ESS systems?</p><h2 dir="ltr">Mechanical Storage&nbsp;</h2><p dir="ltr">As the name suggests, this ESS converts renewable energy into mechanical energy, which is then stored in one of the following forms: pumped hydro (PHS), flywheel energy (FESS) or compressed air energy (AES). Mechanical energy storage relies on kinetic forces to store the energy i.e. spinning a flywheel. As simple as the physics mechanical ESS sounds, the technologies enabling this type of storage is made up of advanced computer control systems and high-tech materials.&nbsp;</p><ul><li dir="ltr">Pumped hydro storage: PHS uses the potential energy of water in order to store electrical energy. When demand is low and the electrical energy output high, the water is pumped and stored in an upper body of water (i.e. pond or reservoir). This energy can then be released on demand and converted into electrical energy within a short span of time.The stored water volume in the upper body of water and the height of the waterfall directly influence the energy that is stored in PHS.</li><li dir="ltr">Flywheel energy storage: Employing kinetic energy stored in a spinning mass (rotor), FESS accounts for low frictional losses. The flywheel acts as a motor and accelerates in a rotary motion, transferring its (rotational) kinetic energy into the storage. The amount of stored energy is proportional to the square of its rotating speed and inertia. The process that accelerates and decelerates the flywheel utilizes electricity, which can be provided by the renewable energy source.&nbsp;</li><li dir="ltr">Compressed air energy storage: CAES is quite similar to pumped-hydro storage in its application. However, instead of pumping water to an upper reservoir in instances of power surplus, CAES deploys compressed ambient air or another type of gas and stores it in an underground container. The compressed air is heated when electricity is needed and expanded in a turbine, which drives a power production generator.</li></ul><h2 dir="ltr"><div class="fr-img-space-wrap"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 788px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjExNzgzNDgwNjA4LWFpcl9jb21wcmltZS5qcGciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19" style="width: 788px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false">Image courtesy of Planete Energies.</span></span></span><p class="fr-img-space-wrap2">Electrical Storage</p></div></h2><p dir="ltr">As suggested by the name, electrical storage systems store energy in electrical form instead of mechanical form, which was explained earlier. Some of the examples of this technology are supercapacitor ESS and superconducting magnet storage systems (SMES). Supercapacitor energy storage systems utilize one or more supercapacitors, which are defined as electrostatic capacitors with an energy density of roughly 10 to 100 times larger than electrolytic capacitors. Therefore, supercapacitor ESS is most suitable when a lot of charge-discharge cycles are required and not so much for long-term energy storage. Superconducting magnet storage system stores electrical energy in a magnetic field, and the electrical energy is produced via passing a direct current through superconducting materials (i.e. mercury) coil. SMES is more appropriate for short-term energy storage and their large capital cost makes them not economically viable for utility-scale projects.</p><h2 dir="ltr">Electrochemical Energy Storage System</h2><p dir="ltr">Electrochemical storage systems are commonly known as Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) as they rely on rechargeable batteries to store energy. Overall, the rechargeable batteries with current applications fall into the following categories: lead acid, alkaline, silver, lithium, sodium-sulphur and flow batteries. The solar plus storage industry has been mainly dominated by lithium-ion batteries due to the accessibility and budget-friendly nature of the technology. However, other battery technologies such as flow batteries have made big strides.&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">All in all, the application of battery energy storage systems has witnessed an uprise, aided by their technological improvement and growing use cases. The research to improve the performance of these batteries will only continue to expand as they play a crucial role in realizing a clean energy future.&nbsp;</p><h1 dir="ltr">Sources &amp; Further Reading</h1><p dir="ltr">Review of energy storage services, applications, limitations, and benefits, October 2020,<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306261920309028?via%3Dihub#!" target="_blank">Dharik S.Mallapragadaa, Nestor A.Sepulvedaa, Jesse D.Jenkins</a>, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306261920309028?via%3Dihub" target="_blank">https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306261920309028?via%3Dihub</a></p><p dir="ltr">Energy storage emerging: A perspective from the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, June 2020, Lynn Trahey, Fikile R. Brushett, Nitash P. Balsara, Gerbrand Ceder, LeiCheng, Yet-Ming Chiang, Nathan T. Hahn, Brian J. Ingram, Shelley D.Minteer, Jeffrey S. Moore, Karl T. Mueller, Linda F. Nazar, Kristin A.Persson, Donald J. Siegel, Kang Xu, Kevin R. Zavadil, Venkat Srinivasan, George W. Crabtree, <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/117/23/12550" target="_blank">https://www.pnas.org/content/117/23/12550</a></p>

Optimum solutions to store the clean energy generated by renewable sources has never been more accessible.

Energy Storage System (ESS) Technologies Most Suitable for Renewable Energy Usage

<p dir="ltr">The clean energy transition has only been gaining momentum in order to meet the growing energy demands all over the world. In particular, the usage of solar technology has become more popular due to its shrinking levelized cost of energy (LCOE) over the last decade. There have been many research studies on increasing the efficiency of solar PV modules. Bifacial solar technology has been a proven way to achieve a higher energy yield. This has led to an uprise in the deployment of bifacial modules in the solar sector.&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 788px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjEwNTQ1OTE2OTcwLUJpZmFjaWFsLVNvbGFyLVBhbmVscy5wbmciLCJlZGl0cyI6eyJyZXNpemUiOnsid2lkdGgiOjk1MCwiZml0IjoiY292ZXIifX19"><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false">Image courtesy of Paradise Energy Solutions</span></span></span></p><p dir="ltr">This concept is not particularly a new phenomenon as in essence all solar cells are bifacial when uncoated on both sides. However, due to uncertain performance prediction and lack of optimum installation options, this technology has not been commonly used until the last few years. Historically, monofacial cells have been the dominant solar cell technology. These cells are coated on the rear side with material such as aluminium (AKA aluminium back-surface field/ Al-BSF), which prevents light from reaching the back side of the cell. Before diving into the dominant existing bifacial solar panel technologies, it’s important to understand what bifacial coefficient is. This parameter helps with gaining a better grasp of &nbsp;the differences between these technologies.&nbsp;</p><h1 dir="ltr">What is the bifacial coefficient?</h1><p dir="ltr">Since bifacial solar panels can convert rays of sunshine to electricity from both sides, they account for a greater energy yield. However, the cell layout is not symmetrical on both sides and thus it reacts differently to the light hitting its front and rear-side, which forms the foundation of Bifaciality Factor or Bifacial Coefficient. This concept is measured as the ratio of the nominal efficiency at the rear side of the cell, with respect to the nominal efficiency of its front side. A high bifacility factor helps get the maximum benefits of deploying this solar cell technology. There are a number of factors that impact the bifacial coefficient, including:</p><ul><li dir="ltr">Irradiance on the ground&nbsp;</li><li dir="ltr">Irradiance on the rear-side</li><li dir="ltr">Reflected irradiance on the front side</li><li dir="ltr">Tracking systems</li></ul><p dir="ltr">The additional energy yield of solar bifacial panels (AKA bifacial gain) predominantly comes from the reflected light on the rear-side, which is the irradiance received by the ground times the albedo factor (the surface reflectivity of the ground under the array). The amount of shading also determines the available surface of the rear side of the panel, meaning that any element that impacts shading i.e. height and tilt of the array, mounting system design, cable management, etc. will inevitably also impact the bifacial efficiency gain. Overall, the most important factor shaping the bifacial efficiency gain by far is the ground albedo- aka whiteness- which is de ned as the ratio of the diffuse re ection of solar radiation to the global radiation. Albedo is dimensionless and expressed as a number between 0 and 1, where 0 represents total absorption and 1 total reflection.</p><p dir="ltr">Moving onto the cell technology itself, different solar cell technologies impact the bifacial properties differently. Bifacial solar cells can be categorized based on the number of junctions and fall into the following three categories.</p><h1 dir="ltr">What are the dominant existing cell technologies?</h1><p>1. p-PERC: This cell technology has swiftly dominated the industry. There are only a small number of changes needed in the manufacturing process in order to make p-PERC “bifacial ready”. However, the bifacial coefficient seems to be more limited in this type of solar cell as the cell still needs to be imprinted with a thin grid of aluminium on the back side. This helps increase the cell’s efficiency by acting as an impurity-trap for where p-type Si wafer comes in contact with the aluminium. This thin grid of Al leads to some shading and hence adversely affecting the bifacial coefficient for p-PERC cells.</p><p><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 788px;"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjEwNTQ2MTQ3OTgzLU5SRUwucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ=="><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false">Figure 1: Comparing module bifaciality (Surce: NREL)</span></span></span></p><p>2. n-PERT: Generally speaking, N-type wafers come with a set of advantages in comparison with p-PERC wafers. Some of these advantages include longer lifetime and lower light-induced degradation. This helps N-type solar cells achieve greater bifaciality than p-type cells as shown in figure 1. This solar cell technology is also bifacial ready from the get-go as it does not require any Al on the rear-side. Having said that, n-PERTs are pricier with less common manufacturing processes. So, they come with a premium price tag.</p><p>3. Hetero-Junction technology (HJT): HJT solar cells possess a vastly different architecture. They have a relatively high Cost of Ownership (AKA COO) due to the sophistication production equipment they require. Additionally, the manufacturing process calls for premium-quality and more costly n-type wafers. Nonetheless as depicted in the overview of dominant bifacial solar panels, HJTs account for the highest bifacial coefficient of up to even 95%.&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr">In summary, bifacial solar panels offer a variety of advantages when it comes to solar energy efficiency. They ensure that indirect rays of sun are captured by the glass panel on the backside of the module,enhancing efficiency and energy production. In comparison with the glass-to-backsheet modules, bifacial modules are embedded with a glass composite and this glass-to-glass structure makes them distinctly protected against environmental influences. The module design and application of bifacial modules entails fewer restrictions since the direction, which the modules are facing is not as consequential. In fact, these modules can be installed vertically, which helps mitigate the negative effect of soiling (accumulation of dust on the surface of panels).</p><h1 dir="ltr">Sources &amp; Further Reading</h1><p dir="ltr">NREL, Understanding Bifacial Photovoltaic Potential: Field Performance, December 03, 2019, <a href="https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy20osti/75532.pdf" target="_blank" data-lf-fd-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true">https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy20osti/75532.pdf</a></p><p dir="ltr">High-efficiency n-type silicon PERT bifacial solar cells with selective emitters and poly-Si based passivating contacts, November 15, 2019, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0038092X19309600#!" target="_blank">Don Ding, Guilin Lu, Zhengping Li, Yueheng Zhang,Wenzhong Shen</a>, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0038092X19309600" target="_blank">https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0038092X19309600</a></p><p dir="ltr">Optimization and Performance of Bifacial Solar Modules: A Global Perspective, Xingshu Sun, Mohammad Ryyan Khan, Chris Deline, and Muhammad Ashraful Alam, <a href="https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1709/1709.10026.pdf" target="_blank" data-lf-fd-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true">https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1709/1709.10026.pdf</a></p>

Bifacial solar panels are capable of converting rays of sunshine into energy from both their front and rear-sides. This leads to higher energy efficiency and greater energy production.

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