Solar Energy Trends to Keep Your Eye On in 2020

New decade, new year, new trends in the solar power industry! Just like every other industry, there’s going to be new trends that hit the solar power industry every year.

Here are some of the emerging trends to keep your eyes on in 2020.

Floating Solar Panel Installation (Floatovoltaics)

What are floatovoltaics? Floating solar panel installations are just as the name states, solar panel installations that float. They are floating structures that are made up of solar panels and then installed on bodies of water. The solar power system is essentially going to essentially be a floating power plant that provides solar power.

Floating solar panel installations offer the opportunity to generate solar power in places where you normally would not be able to. These solar panel installation can now turn wastewater holding areas, into an area that generates solar power.

The first floating solar panel installation was completed in 2007. Thanks to improvements in solar panels technology, floating solar power systems are now a viable option for large solar panel installations. But, if you are a homeowner with water on your property, floating solar panels are probably not the best option for you.

More Commercial and Utility-Scale Solar Panel Installations

This year 2020 is expected to see an uptick in commercial solar panel installations of all sizes for companies as more and more of them realize that it is cheaper and much easier to maintain than the traditional methods of generating electricity.

The smaller companies are seeing the crucial savings that they need for their business to grow with solar panels while the larger ones are more than willing to invest, especially if it affects their bottom line.

As more and more consumers begin demanding clean energy, big businesses, and Fortune 500 companies are jumping on the solar panel installation bandwagon, for both the environmental impacts and the good publicity that comes with becoming ‘greener’.

There’s also been an increase in utility-scale solar panel installation, especially in the Golden Stats, which is currently one of the largest producers of solar power in the United States.

Bifacial Solar Panels

Solar panels have come a very long way since the start of the solar power industry, and one of the latest changes has been the adoption of bifacial solar panels. The older solar panels were only able to generate solar power from one side, but the bifacial solar panels can generate solar power from both their front and back sides. This is going to increase the solar energy generate and will add even more options for new and attractive solar power system designs.

These solar panels are hailed as being more durable than other styles of solar panels since they’re made with both sides being UV resistant. They are also going to be considered to be more aesthetically pleasing than the older solar panels, especially when they are used in carport style solar panel installations, where both sides of the solar power systems are the most visible.

Solar Batteries

With more people worrying about the stability of the grid are causing an increase in interest in adding solar batteries to their solar power systems. The frequency of massive storms and weather events that have a lot of homeowners considering adding solar batteries to their solar power systems, so they can rely on solar batteries when the grid goes down.

While adding backup solar batteries to a solar power system, you can expect an increase in the cost of solar, but it is important to know that solar batteries can also help increase how much money a homeowner can get back from the grid. By storing the extra solar power in the solar batteries instead of selling it back to the grid right away, the homeowner can hold on to it until peak utility rates to get the most money back.

Solar Farms

A study was released in 2019 that reveled that solar panels can produce more solar power when it is installed on agricultural lands. The idea of combining solar panel installations with agriculture is called ‘agrivoltaics’.

This study also found that the climate that exists in the agricultural area of western America, southern Africa, and the Middle East provides a great environment for solar panels to efficiently produce solar power.

Solar panels are not only going to produce more solar power on farmland, but they also can help increase a farmer’s crop yield. A certain crop like aloe vera, tomatoes, lettuce, and corn used for biogas, tend to grow better when they have access to intermittent shade, which can be provided by a solar panel installation. The shade can also be used to help keep the livestock cool.

When incorporating solar panels into agriculture, the benefits won’t end at increasing crop production. Agriculture is an extremely energy-intensive sector and solar panels can be used to help offset the electricity costs. The farmers that utilize solar power systems are going to spend less on their electric bills, and can, lower the prices of their products.