Photovoltaic (PV) technology has evolved very quickly and new technologies have been hitting the market at unprecedented pace. PV Tech Lab aims to test new technologies such as Double Glass and Bifacial modules, along with more conventional technologies, in order to bring added value to EDP's business units and ensure the production of sustainable energy at the lowest possible cost.

Bifacial modules make it possible to convert the radiation that hits the module's front and back surfaces into electricity. Gains provided by the back surface can reach about 10% or even higher, although this depends on the environment where the module is located, namely: module's distance to the ground, distance between neighboring modules, soil reflectivity, etc.

While conventional modules are usually opaque, the structure of bifacial modules consists of transparent layers encapsulated between two layers of glass. However, there are some modules with a double-glass structure which are not bifacial; these are usually referred to as 'double glass' modules.

A double-glass structure also offers some technical advantages such as increased resilience and lower induced degradation in the absence of a frame (frameless)