Are Double-Sided Panels That Follow the Sun the Future of Solar?

Solar panels currently convert roughly 22 percent of the light they capture into energy, but the position of the sun can limit how effective they are. Double-sided panels that can track the sun could be a game-changer for the solar energy industry as they produce 35 percent more energy than immobile ones and are more cost efficient, according to a new study. Though double-sided panels and ones that track the sun are already in use, combining them would be getting the best of both worlds. And as experts predict explosive growth in solar energy, this would definitely be an innovation to look for on the market, Gizmodo reports. 

Most solar panels capture sunlight from only one side, meaning they can capture more or less of it depending on where the sun is in the sky. In recent years, they’ve become far more efficient, typically converting around 22 percent of the light they capture into energy.

In a new study published in the journal Joule on Tuesday, scientists put forth a way to boost that percentage even higher: double-sided solar panels that can move to follow the sun.

Compared with other innovations in the solar sector (like using a material called perovskite, which sounds like an ancient bug), this is a remarkably simple concept that could pay big dividends. Basically, these panels can capture sun from not only their sun-facing side but also from the light reflected off the ground onto their dark undersides. At the same time, a GPS allows them to tilt on an axis from east to west in order to always be pointed at an optimal angle to catch the sun’s rays.

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