In Norway, the world’s largest solar power plant with vertical panels was built on the roof of the Ullevaal Stadion football stadium. This made it possible to place the operating surfaces of the panels side by side so that the light operated on both sides of the pairs, increasing power output by 20–30%. The vertical arrangement also has a lot of other advantages, which the Norwegians intend to take advantage of more than once.
Image source: Over Easy Solar
The local company Over Easy Solar placed 1,242 solar panels with a capacity of 200 W on an area of 2,500 m2. The declared field power reaches 248 kW. Over the course of a year, the power plant will be able to generate up to 219 MWh of electricity. The panels are oriented north to south with a 20° deviation to the east on the south side. This will allow them to work more efficiently in winter. Also, reflection from light will play a significant role in increasing the power output in winter, which is also an advantage of the vertical arrangement of the panels. This factor is especially important if we take into account the unfavorable location of the power plant: it is located in Oslo, a city located at the latitude of St. Petersburg and not spoiled by sunlight.
The biggest challenge for the designer and manufacturer of an array of vertically oriented panels was the increased weight of the tie-down system to hold the panels upright. The problem was solved by reducing the total mass of the array to 11 kg/m2, and this is a huge space for maneuver, which will make it possible to create vertical solar farms on the roofs of many buildings.
Other benefits of vertical orientation of solar panels include the freed-up space for roof inspections and easy maintenance of the array. Together with the increased efficiency due to double-sided lighting, which creates two peaks of production instead of one, the method of vertical placement of solar panels promises to become very popular, so the company promises to soon break the established record with a new achievement.