Vertical solar panels, also known as “vertical solar arrays,” are solar panels that are mounted vertically rather than horizontally. Traditional solar panels are typically installed on rooftops or in large fields, angled to capture the most sunlight possible.
Vertical solar panels, on the other hand, can be installed on the side of buildings, walls, or even on lamp posts. They are often designed to be more compact and take up less space than traditional solar panels, making them ideal for urban environments where space is limited.
For one of our projects – Eugene Science Center, Everybody Solar installed a two-part array, where, due to the conditions of the roof, we used vertical installation to maximize the system available to them (see images). Within the first month of being live, this solar array left Eugene Science Center with a $0 electricity bill.
One advantage of vertical solar panels is that they can capture sunlight at different angles throughout the day as the sun moves across the sky.
Another advantage is that vertical solar panels are a great solution for the agriculture sector too. The same piece of land can be used for farming and solar energy collection at the same time.
“Sunstall, a California-based company, has launched a vertical solar panel, Sunzaun, which can be used in existing fields and arable lands without sacrificing them for clean green energy. The installation is much like conventional solar systems, just that the system uses bifacial solar modules, and the entire array stands like a boundary wall in the field.”
Source: “Vertical solar panels could save farm land and transform agriculture” by Ameya Paleja, for interestingengineering.com.
However, vertical solar panels generally have a lower energy output because they have a smaller surface area exposed to the sun, and they may not be able to capture sunlight as efficiently due to their orientation.
In the end, it is important to say that vertical solar panels are a great solution for people who are in need of preserving space, but they also should consider the fact that the area exposed to the sun is small, resulting in less energy produced when compared to traditional solar panels.
