415w BiFacial Solar Panels with Mirrors Mylar and More!!

Super cool and fun testing. Heck yeah man. Crazy all the solar channels did bifacial solar panel videos randomly this week 😂 isn't that crazy haha love how you tested with the front of the panel covered. so cool

thats a great test, i thought the mirrors would do better but good to see the cheap blankets did a great job, if your cat helped the results would be even better lol

Just curious if you tried one of these big panels under a full moon at night?

Can we get a link where we don't have to buy 10! 🤷🤦

ok, simple questions that might be a complex to answer. Cost per watt generated, which panels are the best? And watts per sq ft – what are the best?

I assume some people besides me might wonder if more cheap panels would be cheaper than expensive bi-facial ones? But if you have limited space, then??

You did great testing, thank you! The video was helpful.

Thanks for this rigorous extensive test.

Nice testing! Wish I had some snow to test these panels with. They should definitely do great in the winter

I'm still missing the Average Joe on his back managing 3 mirrors in realtime to solar track!

Take a tall boy can place it on the panel and eliminate the shadow. From “off grid garage”

I think it was a very informative test. You saved many people some trial and error and gave us all some ideas. 👍

You left out one scenario, and maybe the most realistic… Set up 2 panels on the racks, one in back of the other, relative to the sun, and far enough apart so the back one isn't shaded by the front. Then, set the angle on the rear panel so its reflected light is falling on the back of the front panel. (Like you did with the mirrors and mylar, but from the same height, not on the ground). Then set the angle of the front panel to match the rear panel, and see what the combined (front+rear) output is for the front panel.
This should replicate these panels being 2elements in a larger panel array, which i think is the intended use of bifacial panels. The sun angle on the front face isn't ideal, but is the power loss made up by the power coming from the rear face?
Great tests, though, and very illuminating.😁😁😁

I too have discovered with my bi-facial panels that very reflective material like mirrors do not work well. Not only do they reflect light back but the heat they reflect as well negates everything else. Now you know that a white background like rock or siding of a house will be more suitable. Distance is key as the panels will use the ambient light without increasing deficiency due to increase temperatures from very reflective material. I wonder how much more efficient it would have been had you sprayed the back of the panel. Regardless great job on this video and the testing. Just had an idea, since you are a tuber and I am not. I was just wondering if shining lights at dusk if the panels would produce any voltage.

Thanks for all the testing. If you want an obscure test, I'd love to see the max output if you're able to cool the panel while in the sun. It doesn't have to be a bi-facial panel. Perhaps water flowing down the panel while taking readings. Keep in mind, safety first. Water and electricity don't mix. The goal is just to see if the panel performs better if the panel is cooled. Great work!!!

5:08 Seven years bad luck for breaking mirrors, huh? So how many years for breaking the Solar Panel?

Very good BiFacial Solar Panel test.

Probably, brought up before but what if the panels are just vertical. Facing, East/West. Reflective material on both sides.

Excellent review and methodical process I think you've now made me decide not to pay extra for bifacial panels the value is just not there For my application. But you are to be applauded for your exemplary effort and sharing your findings with all of us bravo!

Thank you for making the video. Rename your channel to Super Joe..

aluminium sheet mirrors are the most durable in the long run. also you could try to put a solar panel on the general collection point of a spherical parabolic aluminium mirror. yep it does not have to be point focused. just square mirror tiles are fine. what about the rage, ave. just try to increase the solar collection surface area without needing to use more solar panels. ie the more collection area must be radically cheaper simpler than the main solar panel. parabolic mirror with the solar panel flipped around, back side to the sun. ie the main sun light to the panel is the parabolic mirror/ditch reflection. multiply the sun. any angle, because you are comparing everything with the base line. and others are in the same test conditions. try acrylic + black sheet with thin water channel between sandwich, for solar flash boiling solar heat collection. or call it leaf solar collection. no need to do heat tower solar concentration plants, just do large parabolic pv solar collection dishes. wind power is an option. try wedge sail vawt wind turbines. when doing parabolic concentration solar pv, the mirrors must point the solar fully to the panel, not away from it, naturally. clear indication of course is that the mirror illuminates the back side completely. maybe try the reflector in the same orientation as the solar panel, ie vertical, not horizontal. maximize the reflection area etc. numbers are just spread sheets. like solar panels. flip the solar panel and cover the front side, to get only the bi-facial back side max power in the sun. splitting internet hairs here. lol. watch out, commenter feeling may get hurt. as usual. consider solar bbq cooking device diy. also with wind, just wing it.

Awesome Video ❤❤❤

How about placing the rear face towards the sun and compair front to rear outputs and also do a vertical test on boath sides as if you were going to make a fence with them along a north south axis to gain morning and after noon sun from tha same panel. make sure the panels are perpendicular to the sun as time passes to keep your results more acurate compaied to sun angle. I ask this as i want to set some panels on a fence for winter time to boost output during lower sun hight in the sky should get better the lower the sun in the sky. thanks for all your good experimenting.

I was sleeping, woke up, noticed the video, and I had to watch every second of it. First of all, I enjoyed the editing, your little car ride made me laugh. Secondly, I think that you went above and beyond with this test. Now the people can have a very good indication what to expect if they would make something that is really reflective with a good angle. I do not think that you could have done it any better. And now I think that after watching this test it would be something for people who already have a solar array on a rack that is tracking the sun. And the golden side from the mylar is mostly reflecting infrared light so that explains the heat. The tools that you bought are always handy for later tests. Well done, and thank you for satisfying the curiosity from your viewers, it is much appreciated, so a huuuuuge 👍

Now that you have all that reflective material, perhaps it is a nice idea to use that with a test on a cloudy day on the top side from a solar panel. Just to see if that would make a significant improvement. Something reflective that is mounted to the panel on either side and at an angle. More like a 3D shape, if that makes any sense. Or just by putting something reflective in front of the panel at an angle. The 3 D shape might be a bit complicated to do. So I wouldn't blame you if you skip that. 👍

Hey Joe fantastic results. That helped clarify some numbers for me. I’m gonna head over to Patreon and throw a little cash in the pot for your expenses that saved me some time & was the reality check I needed for sizing my system. Thanks man you da best!