Get 4X The Power From Your Solar Panels! - TI Sunday

Yeah this always seems like a good idea with initial testing. But keep in mind that cell degradation increases dramatically when cell temp is increased. These panels are designed to work at the temperatures reached without reflectors. And connected to a load. Even leaving a panel out in the desert, open circuit, will be at a higher temperature than they are designed to work. Bifacial panels are actually designed to work at higher temps and having a reflector on the back is great. And you will have normal cell degradation rates. Just ensure that there is convective flow under them. Bifacial panels may have a different temperature coefficient, but they still have reduced output at higher temperatures (as do all solar cells!). So lifting them off the mounting surface at least 3 feet is recommended from most sources. I think reflectors are fantastic for mobile systems that are not outside 365 days a year, and/or if weight is an issue. You can become very creative by making lightweight reflectors. A roll up reflector and certain types of flex panels can work together in this way. Fun video! Love your content. Been watching for years.

I'm a electric engineering teacher. Your demonstrations, classes and explanations are one of the best lectures I ever saw. My congratulations for all your dedication. And greetings from Brazil.

This teacher is a college professor? He knows more than anyone I've heard, he knows his tech. Excellent explanations in video on increasing efficiency in solar panels.😊

Nice setup. Note that with reflectors of a similar area as the panel, the most you can increase irradiance is by 1x per reflector. This is because we're simply reflecting the rays from one adjacent area to the panel. The increase is actually less, because either the angled reflector or the panel are at an angle that is not perpendicular to the incident rays. So two reflectors at an optimal angle can give up to 3x the total output of a single panel at an optimal angle. Achieving 4x or more will require larger or more reflectors. Still, it's a good idea given that the reflectors cost and weigh less than adding another panel or getting higher efficiency panels. edit- Note the voltage at the single panel is low, about 14V. The optimal voltage probably doesn't change much with irradiance, but the optimal load does. That's what maximium power point tracking controllers take care of. In this case it's likely the panel would generate more power when presented a more optimal load.

I've tried similar methods and, yes, it works, and it works great! While the additional heat does degrade them a bit quicker, you won't notice because they will be gone on the first windy day. A similar panel, on an easel in the yard, became an airplane for a short while and made a not so graceful landing into the bed of a pickup truck two blocks over. Tethers are a good thing.

Would love to see a long term test of this. Please set up and use two panels one standard and one with the reflectors long term and provide the data after each month. Consider adding a third to the testing with cooling to dissapate any extra heat. You make very great videos.

I love people with a practical approach rather than bookish knowledge. Thank you Sir

The single axis tracking aspect of the placed mirrors (without moving the main body) is really a significant value addition to the system 👍

Another interesting advantage of this setup is reducing the effect shadows have on solar panels (as made clear by the effect those small branches had in cutting the power output almost in half of the unmodified solar panel) because now the panel is getting light from 3 seperate directions, which will contain different shadow patterns.

Aluminized mylar film survival blankets are the lightest mirror and can be stretched taut over a wooden frame and concertinered for portability too. (These survival blankets can also make deadly effective parabolic mirrors using a large cylinder to make a drum and pulling partial vacuum - I made one 30 years ago and it was a lot of fun) Keeping the panels cool becomes a major issue - excessive heat reduces their efficiency and lifetime dramatically, so use a watercooled panel behind the solar panel to take away the heat for storage for a win-win. This is where it gets more expensive though, so the bottom line is to just add more cheap panels instead!

Love your content! Thanks so much for doing what you do. Please continue doing these deep dives into improving practical things that we can do at home. Love the catamaran, the speaker boards, and now this solar power increase. Appreciate you!

I'm always so amazed at how you project such an honestly deep level of understanding of all the technical things you describe. It feels like you are someone that could be questioned endlessly on a topic and all your answers would be genuine with no bull in between. Your descriptions always feel so focused in reality that creating a mental image that sticks is very easy. The math you present always seems well placed where you use it as an aid to come to a conclusion rather than a crutch to compensate for lack of a full embodied understanding.

EEVBlog recently showed a tiny shadow from a wire destroyed efficiency on his solar panels in Australia. In his panels, the surrounding doides get overheated, reducing efficiency and panel life. Even tiny shadows can be a disaster for solar panels.

A new Tech Ingredients video, always endlessly entertaining and informative. Thank you guys for the great content!

Another great video. Thank you for all you provide to the community. Ive said it before, but I'll say it again, You have one of the best channels on youtube and in my opinion youve consistently held your place at the top for a very long time. I appreciate your hard work.

i've watched several of your video's with great pleasure you are highly skilled in both voice and mannerisms along with precise science, so as to leave me with zero questions.

I did this in 1991 when I was living in my RV on a couple of 35 W PV panels for electricity. I used aluminum foil-backed Styrofoam insulation sheets for the reflectors. The panels were what they referred to as 'muds' that I got second hand because they had turned brownish due to someone using reflectors on them and overheating them, causing the adhesives inside to cook. I only used the reflectors in the winter snows up in the CO mountains, so the reflectors didn't appear to do any further harm. (Power output reduced only about 1% over a year.) But they gave me substantially more power with the reflectors, about double. The foil works just fine since getting anywhere close to 100% reflected energy from 2 'wings' will cook the panels anyway, so the attenuation caused by the cheap reflectors works just fine.

I really can't get enough of this stuff, it gives me so much hope for the future and that I can make a difference too!

Excellent content, product improvements, and presentation! Keep up the good instructional videos guys. YouTube needs more like these that are worth watching and not a bunch of nonsense. Great work.

I'm a solar sales consultant working remote from Brazil. Your videos are the coolest!