Vertical solar panels stand upright, usually in rows facing east and west, and use double-sided (bifacial) panels. Over a year they make about the same or slightly less power per kW than standard tilted panels facing south. Their power comes in the morning and evening, when farms and businesses use more and electricity is worth more.

What is vertical bifacial solar?

Bifacial solar panels make power from both faces. The back face makes just over 90% of what the front does in the same light, according to the maker Next2Sun.

Stand these panels upright in a north-south line and one face catches the morning sun, the other the evening sun. Both faces also pick up light reflected off the ground. Built along a boundary, this is called a solar fence or solar panel fence.

How much power do vertical panels make?

Source What it found
Next2Sun (maker) Claims up to 10% more per kW than conventional systems. At its Löffingen site in Germany, the vertical rows fed more energy into the grid than the south-facing section from May to September 2025.
Aarhus University, Denmark (independent, one year) Vertical east-west panels made “slightly less” electricity per year than tilted south-facing ones, but at more useful times.
University of York (independent, 2023) A small rooftop test of upright panels on white gravel beat a tilted panel in every season. It was one site, against an older type of panel.

In short: makers’ figures are the most upbeat. Independent tests in northern Europe mostly show a little less energy each year. Bright ground (snow, pale gravel, light crops) helps. Hedges, trees or buildings to the east or west hurt a lot.

Why the timing matters

Standard south-facing solar peaks at midday. With so much solar on the grid, midday is now the cheapest time for power. In summer 2025, GB midday prices averaged about £28/MWh, against about £50/MWh in the evening. In April 2026, nearly 17% of midday half-hours had negative prices.

Vertical panels miss most of that midday dip. Their two peaks, morning and late afternoon, also match many farm and business loads. A dairy that milks at 7am and 5pm is the classic example.

Snow and dirt

Upright panels shed snow and collect less dust and bird mess than tilted ones. Snow on the ground also bounces extra light onto them.

Where vertical panels work

  • Field boundaries and fences. A row along a north-south boundary does a fence’s job and makes power.
  • Agrivoltaics. Wide strips of crops or grass between rows, worked with normal machinery. More on farming with solar.
  • Grazing. Sheep graze between rows. Cattle need to be fenced off the panels.
  • Noise barriers. Along roads and railways. The UK’s first solar motorway noise barrier, a 50m trial on the M27, went up in 2004.
  • Car parks and site boundaries. Perimeter fencing for yards, depots and business parks.
  • Gardens and small businesses. Short fence runs, often one row of panels.

UK examples: few so far

We found very few published UK farm projects using vertical panels. The best-reported farm fence nearby is in Ireland: a 27kW, 150m east-west fence on a Co. Waterford dairy farm, built in 2019. It supplies power around milking times, and electric fencing on both sides keeps the cows off.

Practical points

  • Row direction. Rows run north to south, so the faces point east and west.
  • Row spacing. For crops, Next2Sun uses strips of 8 to 15 metres between rows (13.5m at Löffingen). Machines can work over 90% of the field. At Aarhus, the panels covered about 10% of the field.
  • Height. A one-panel fence is about 1.2 to 1.6m high. Two panels stacked is over 2m. Three-high farm rows reach about 4.5m, with the bottom edge about 0.8m off the ground.
  • Wind and foundations. An upright panel takes the wind full on. Posts are usually steel, driven into the ground. Ask for structural calculations for your site’s wind, especially on exposed ground.
  • Livestock. Sheep are usually fine. Cattle and horses need a fence, often electric, on both sides.
  • Cost. Expect to pay more per kW than standard ground-mount. A 2021 study for Bavaria’s TFZ put a vertical farm system at about €688/kW, against €572/kW for a standard ground-mount. That is around 20% more per kW. It costs less per hectare, because there are fewer panels.
  • Inverters and grid. The lower, wider output curve means less power lost under an export limit. Anything over 3.68kW needs network operator approval under G99. G99 explained.

Do you need planning permission in England?

Almost always, yes. Farms and businesses have a small permitted development right for stand-alone solar (Class K). It does not fit most vertical schemes:

  • Only one stand-alone array is allowed.
  • Panels no bigger than 9 square metres, and no side longer than 3 metres.
  • No higher than 4 metres.
  • Not within 5 metres of the boundary.
  • Not in the grounds of a listed building or on a scheduled monument.

So a solar fence on a boundary falls outside it. A solar fence is solar equipment, so don’t assume the normal fence and wall rules apply either. Check with the council first. Planning for small ground-mounted solar.

Things the council will look at:

  • Height and views. Tall rows can be seen further than low, tilted panels.
  • Glint and glare. Upright faces catch low sun, so checks matter near roads, railways and homes.
  • Boundaries. Hedgerows, footpaths, highway sight lines and neighbours.
  • Farmland grade. Policy steers solar away from the best farmland. Keeping the land in crops may help your case, but each site is judged on its merits.

When it makes sense, and when tilted panels are better

Vertical panels can make sense when:

  • You use lots of power early and late, such as milking, drying or chilling.
  • You want to keep cropping the field with normal machinery.
  • You need a fence or noise barrier anyway.
  • Your export capacity is limited.

Standard tilted panels are usually better when:

  • You want the most kWh for your money.
  • Trees, hedges or buildings shade the east or west side.
  • A roof is available. Solar on farm buildings.
  • The site is in a sensitive view, where tall rows would stand out.

What we do

We check the land, the grid and the planning position, then design farm and commercial solar to fit how you use power, vertical or tilted. Installs are delivered with certified partner installers. Farm and off-grid solar → · Get a commercial solar quote →

Sources

Facts last checked 25 October 2026. Every site is different. This is general information, not planning, engineering or investment advice.