Mongolia s double-sided solar panels

Mongolia is uniquely suited for mobile solar power systems. The country, landlocked between Russia and China, has long depended on vast coal deposits to provide electricity for some city centers. All grid-based electricity is generated and transmitted from one, government-owned system of coal power plants.

Mongolia's unique environment is perfectly situated for the use of solar panels. Mongolia has a dry climate, with long, cold but sunny winters, dry hot summers, low precipitation, and large temperature fluctuations. It is estimated that the country has 260 sunny days (Fassnacht et al., 2011) or 2791.5 hours of sunshine per year.

The technology behind solar panels continues to evolve and improve. Manufacturers are now able to produce bifacial panels, which feature energy-producing solar cells on both sides of the panel. With two faces capable of absorbing sunlight, bifacial solar panels can be more efficient than traditional monofacial panels – if used appropriately.

It builds upon the success of the SHS systems and plans $54.4 million USD for supplying nine of the country's provinces with energy grids, and installing Mongolia's first large-scale build photovoltaic solar energy (PV) plant. Note that this system would not be mobile, but rather a large solar farm in the Gobi.

There's another type – bifacial solar panels. With bifacial panels, an extra part of the solar panel produces electricity – the back face. Bifacial solar panels are solar panels that can capture sunlight on both their front and back sides and are an interesting new solar solution for certain solar installations.

Solar home systems were for sale in Mongolia by 1992, and perhaps earlier. Many of these systems were donated to Mongolia. For example in one early donation, between 1992 and 1996 Japan provided 200 solar power generators to herding families.