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I think eventually the hardware will be so cheap it'll make more sense to use them as solar fences. Reduce the cost to install and maintain by 3-4x easily. Or

I think eventually the hardware will be so cheap it'll make more sense to use them as solar fences. Reduce the cost to install and maintain by 3-4x easily. Or DIY for practically nothing.

marssaxman 2y ago
There's an apartment building here in Seattle which has solar panels mounted flat on its west-facing wall (602 12th Ave). The panels were apparently cheap enough that they did not care about maximizing daylight exposure and simply installed them in the easiest place. Quite a change this is from what I remember when I had solar panels installed on my roof eleven years ago!
- mercutio2 2y ago
  West-facing is pretty close to revenue maximizing, with current consumption peaks in the early evening.
  - m463 2y ago
    I remember asking a friend who understood solar what angle was best to capture the most energy. He told me "you don't aim for the sun, you aim for PG&E"
oakesm9 2y ago
There’s an Undecided video on this exact topic https://youtu.be/LqizLQDi9BM?si=nnWVU-Espt7a6VDv https://youtu.be/LqizLQDi9BM?si=nnWVU-Espt7a6VDv
- gniv 2y ago
  This is fantastic! Somehow I hadn't heard about vertically mounted solar panels until now but it sounds great. There are so many advantages to vertical mounts I would expect them to become the norm.
xnx 2y ago
"already, across Europe, homeowners are building garden fences with solar panels simply because it’s not much more expensive than doing so using traditional materials — namely, wood." https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/28/opinion/solar-power-free-energy.html https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/28/opinion/solar-power-free-...
pests 2y ago
There is research coming out that vertical solar panels are more efficient. I think part of it comes from lower temps allowing for more efficient operating. No tracking or pointing required. Less cleaning as its not a flat surface for dust or fall impacts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AVO1IyfA9M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AVO1IyfA9M edit: I see others have linked similar videos, all good sources on this topic.

I think eventually the hardware will be so cheap it'll make more sense to use them as solar fences. Reduce the cost to install and maintain by 3-4x easily. Or DIY for practically nothing.

marssaxman 2y ago

There's an apartment building here in Seattle which has solar panels mounted flat on its west-facing wall (602 12th Ave). The panels were apparently cheap enough that they did not care about maximizing daylight exposure and simply installed them in the easiest place. Quite a change this is from what I remember when I had solar panels installed on my roof eleven years ago!

mercutio2 2y ago
West-facing is pretty close to revenue maximizing, with current consumption peaks in the early evening.
- m463 2y ago
  I remember asking a friend who understood solar what angle was best to capture the most energy. He told me "you don't aim for the sun, you aim for PG&E"

oakesm9 2y ago

There’s an Undecided video on this exact topic https://youtu.be/LqizLQDi9BM?si=nnWVU-Espt7a6VDv https://youtu.be/LqizLQDi9BM?si=nnWVU-Espt7a6VDv

gniv 2y ago
This is fantastic! Somehow I hadn't heard about vertically mounted solar panels until now but it sounds great. There are so many advantages to vertical mounts I would expect them to become the norm.

xnx 2y ago

"already, across Europe, homeowners are building garden fences with solar panels simply because it’s not much more expensive than doing so using traditional materials — namely, wood." https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/28/opinion/solar-power-free-energy.html https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/28/opinion/solar-power-free-...

pests 2y ago

There is research coming out that vertical solar panels are more efficient. I think part of it comes from lower temps allowing for more efficient operating. No tracking or pointing required. Less cleaning as its not a flat surface for dust or fall impacts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AVO1IyfA9M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AVO1IyfA9M edit: I see others have linked similar videos, all good sources on this topic.