Dear PV-scientists,

Photovoltaics (PV) is increasingly becoming the most important energy source for a clean and widespread energy supply. In 2017 alone, 100GWp of PV capacity was installed globally. Every country has now realized that PV is not only ecological, but becoming extremely economical, with an average levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) of around 5¢/kWh. (In some cases, PV can reach a LCOE of around 2¢/kWh.) Bifaciality is one of the most promising technologies for driving these costs even lower. Bifacial PV systems can sometimes see gains of more than 30% and, combined with tracking, the total electrical gain can be close to 50%, which will reduce LCOE to below 2¢/kWh.

bifiPV Workshop 2018 

The National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), the International Solar Energy Research Center Konstanz (ISC Konstanz), the National Solar Energy Institute (INES), Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), and the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) are proud to organise

The goal of this workshop is not only to review all existing technologies on the market, but also to begin setting standards, to identify the market potential, and improve bankability of bifacial PV. We hope to see you at the workshop in Denver!

Your organisers –         

Chris Deline (NREL) and Josh Stein (SNL)

Radovan Kopecek and Joris Libal (ISC Konstanz); Ingrid Romijn and Bas van Aken (ECN)

Marylin Joanny (INES); Hartmut Nussbaumer (ZHAW)

Dear Bifacial Friends, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the 2018 Bifacial PV Workshop in sunny Denver!

If this years’ trade shows are any indication, Bifacial PV has made it to the mainstream!  The trend is clear – PV manufacturing is shifting towards higher efficiency cell technologies, and module construction techniques are allowing the full power of the sun to be collected – from the front AND backside of the module. 

The 5th installment of the Bifacial PV Workshop hosted in the United States will focus closely on challenges faced by PV integrators in the deployment of bifacial PV modules, including field test results, site prospecting, financing of bifacial PV projects, and energy yield estimation.  Of course, we will also present on recent progress in bifacial cell and module technology including efficiency and bifaciality gains.  Also, details of new bifacial system installations will be reported on as we learn of them.

The market research firm TaiyangNews has projected a global 2017 bifacial module production of 300-400 MW, with an expected doubling in 2018.  At the time of the 2017 Bifi workshop, the largest reported bifacial PV installation had a capacity of 50 MW, and  I now hear that Yingli has broken ground on a 100 MW bifacial system, to begin operation in June of 2018.  What does the future have in store for Bifacial PV?  Come to BiFiPV 2018 in Denver to hear all about it!

Sunny regards,
Chris Deline, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

NREL Site Tours – September 12th

Technical tours will be hosted at NREL on Wednesday, September 12.  Due to visitor hosting limitations, attendance will be limited to 30 morning and 30 afternoon visitors on a first-come, first-served basis.

NREL tours will last approximately 2-3 hours and cover several outdoor field test deployments of bifacial PV systems, along with our Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF).

AM technical tours will depart the Sheraton conference venue at 9am, and be served lunch at NREL from 12pm – 1pm.  Visitors will return via shuttle bus to the Sheraton hotel at 1pm.

PM technical tours will meet at NREL at 12pm for lunch, and return via shuttle bus to the Sheraton hotel at 4pm.

Foreign visitors will need to provide visa and passport information at least 30 days prior to the site visit.