For decades, solar panels have looked to the sky with an almost religious inclination. But, what if the error was precisely that? What if the future of solar energy lies in putting them on their feet?
Position is everything. The Norwegian company Over Easy Solar and its Spanish partner Albricias Energía have installed the first two vertical solar systems in the Valencian Community: one in the Elche business park and another on the roof of a residential building in Bétera.
The idea of raising the panels is not only aesthetic: it responds to a practical need. In cities there are more and more flat roofs and fewer sloping roofs, and in the countryside, agrivoltaics seeks to free up soil for crops. In this context, verticality is becoming a solution that is as logical as it is efficient.
The logic behind the vertical panel. Its promise is as simple as it is disruptive: assembly in 15 minutes per kWp, without tools or ballasts, and with a design that does not pierce the roof or alter its tightness. The panels, manufactured with heterojunction (HJT) cellsreach an efficiency of 22% and a bifaciality of 92%, that is, they capture solar radiation on both sides. In addition, being in a vertical position, they dissipate heat better, which translates into better thermal performance.
At the Elche facilitythe modules were placed with an east-west orientation, so that one side receives the morning sun and the other the evening sun. That generates two daily production peaks —one around 10:00 and another around 8:00 p.m.—, just when domestic electricity demand is usually highest. While traditional panels reach their maximum at noon and fall when more energy is needed, the vertical ones fill those production “valleys”, reducing dependence on batteries or the electrical grid.
Production curves of the Elche facility Source: Over Easy Solar
Beyond the angle. Furthermore, their shape and geometry make them almost immune to dirt, hail or wind, and as they do not require screws or ballasts, they can be easily dismantled if the roof requires maintenance. The Fraunhofer ISE Institute has endorsed that this configuration does not compromise structural stability, which reinforces its technical feasibility. According to Over Easy itselfvertical solar installations are becoming a value option for both urban rooftops and large-scale or agrivoltaic projects, and offer competitive capture rates and payback periods compared to conventional photovoltaics.
The vertical spin expands. It is not an isolated idea. In California, the Sunstall company has developed Sunzauna system of vertical bifacial panels designed to combine agriculture and energy. The project, installed in a vineyard in Somerset, uses modules that generate electricity on both sides and allow cultivation under partial shade, reducing UV stress on the plants and taking advantage of the land for both uses. The principle is the same: more usable surface area, less heat, less maintenance and a more stable production curve. And, furthermore, with added value: keeping the land available to produce food.
In urban environments, verticality also makes its way. The Canadian Mitrex SolarRail has launcheda bifacial solar railing system that turns balconies into small energy generators. With transparent and opaque versions, these modules integrate photovoltaics into the architecture without altering the design of the building or taking up additional space.
The technology that makes it possible. With twist or without it, all recent proposals point in the same direction: bifaciality. HJT (heterojunction) cells combine crystalline and amorphous silicon to make better use of reflected light and reduce temperature losses. This symmetrical structure allows energy to be generated from both the front and rear of the panel, something essential for vertical systems or systems integrated into facades.
And it doesn’t stop there. New advances, such as bifacial perovskite panels developed by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Dharwad, could make these solutions even cheaper and better.
Will the future be vertical? Verticality does not seek to replace traditional photovoltaics, but rather to complement it. It allows energy to be produced when it is needed most, reduces the visual footprint and increases generation on already saturated roofs or in buildings without inclination. In the words of Pablo Sánchez-Roblesfounder of Albricias Energía: “Over Easy systems can complement already executed installations, increasing generation without changing the inverter.”
Maybe in a few years we will look at the sloping roofs and think that the panels always wanted to be standing. After all, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
Image | Over Easy Solar
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