Mixed solar array pairs bifacial and monofacial panels to outshine shading losses

Bifacial solar panels, which capture sunlight on both their front and rear surfaces, are prized for their higher energy yield, but their cost has kept them out of many large-scale installations. A new experimental study in Scientific Reports proposes a middle path: a hybrid photovoltaic array that mixes cheaper monofacial modules with a smaller number of bifacial ones, positioned so that the expensive panels deliver the most benefit. The researchers built a 3 × 3 array containing six monofacial and three bifacial panels and tested it under twelve distinct partial shading scenarios.

The team evaluated performance by measuring maximum power, voltage, and current across each scenario. Because the placement of bifacial modules matters, the study systematically compared several arrangements. These included diagonal layouts, bifacial panels concentrated in the first row or first column, and grouped configurations such as 2 × 2, 3 × 1, and 3 × 3 blocks.

The results were then benchmarked against double-hybrid and triple-hybrid configurations to identify which arrangement extracted the most power. The reported power output ranged from 95 watts under no-shading conditions down to 26 watts under severe shading. First-row and first-column bifacial placements, in particular the 2 × 2, 3 × 1, and 3 × 3 groupings, delivered superior performance in the majority of the shading scenarios tested.

Across the twelve shading cases, the proposed hybrid approach achieved higher power output in eleven of them, compared with only five cases for conventional configurations. That contrast is the study's central result: strategic placement of a few bifacial modules allowed the mixed array to hold its advantage under nearly every shading condition examined. To make the system practical, the researchers incorporated a switching matrix circuit that dynamically selects the optimal hybrid configuration as shading conditions change.

Rather than locking the array into a single fixed wiring arrangement, the circuit reconfigures the connections so that power extraction is maximized across multiple shading patterns in real time. The economic logic behind the design is straightforward. Because bifacial modules are more expensive, deploying them everywhere raises the cost of a solar installation.

By reserving bifacial technology for the positions where it contributes most, and filling the rest of the array with monofacial panels, the hybrid scheme aims to balance enhanced power output against financial feasibility, making the approach attractive for cost-sensitive deployments. The authors position the hybrid configuration as a cost-effective and robust solution for maximizing power generation under partial shading. The findings come from an experimental investigation of a specific 3 × 3 array under controlled shading scenarios, so the reported wattage figures and configuration rankings reflect those test conditions.

Even so, the study offers a concrete demonstration that how bifacial modules are arranged within a mixed array, and how dynamically the array can be reconfigured, can decide whether a shading event becomes a minor dip or a major loss in solar yield.

Subject of Research: Hybrid monofacial-bifacial photovoltaic array performance under partial shading

Article Title: An experimental investigation of photovoltaic array with mixed mono-facial and bi-facial modules

Article References: Thangaraj, H., David, P. W., Murugan, M. S., & Balachandran, P. K. (2026). An experimental investigation of photovoltaic array with mixed mono-facial and bi-facial modules. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-75433-z

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-75433-z

Keywords: photovoltaics, bifacial modules, partial shading, solar energy, hybrid array, switching matrix, power output, renewable energy, experimental study, Scientific Reports, experimental, investigation