Reflective Efficiencies of Materials for Applications of Bifacial Solar Cells

The bifacial solar cell is superior to its monofacial predecessor due to its ability to convert both incident light on top and reflected light from below into energy. The scattering of the reflected light is affected by the property of the material on which it is interacting. To date, little work has been contributed to studying the properties of these materials to determine optimal quantities for bifacial solar cells. In the first experiment, reflective efficiencies compared to the angle of reflection were explored for different grit of sandpaper in order to develop an understanding of how surface texture impacts reflectivity. Then materials that would typically be used in construction are explored using the same techniques. As the world becomes more energy efficient, it is important to understand what building materials should be used to increase solar cell efficiencies