JJN Bifacial 200W Review

The JJN Bifacial 200W is a great panel overall. Its bifacial design makes it extremely efficienct at converting sunlight into energy, but it's not as portable or as easy to set up as a folding solar panel.

Power Efficiency

The Bifacial 200W is the most efficient solar panel we tested. This panel will never leave you without power on a sunny day.

It uses monocrystalline silicon solar cells rated at 23% efficiency. And both sides of the panel are working to turn sunlight into energy. This bifacial design captures light on the backside of the panel and converts it into energy. JJN claims this can increase total energy yield by 14–30%, depending on the installation and conditions.

During our power efficiency test, the Bifacial 200W generated 182 watts per hour, which is among the highest measured outputs of any panel we tested.

When you compare the advertised watts of the Bifacial 200W to the actual watts it generated during our testing, you'll see it's a very efficient panel. This is one of the lowest discrepancies between claimed watts and measured watts we've seen.

We don't doubt that, in ideal test conditions, the Bifacial 200W could generate 200 watts of power in an hour. Real-world conditions are never perfect, so the fact that this panel is as efficient as it is in the real world is remarkably notable. It's also evidence that the bifacial backsheet is actually doing more than just being a bullet point in marketing jargon.

Portability

Unlike the folding portable panels we primarily tested for this guide, the Bifacial 200W is a rigid, fixed panel designed for permanent mounting. So while it doesn't fold up, it is still portable in a different sense - think van conversions, RV roofs, or on top of other vehicles.

Your van or RV won't notice the 25-pound weight after you've mounted the Bifacial 200W with solar panel mounting brackets. However, if you try to load this into the back of your Subaru for your next camping trip, you'll definitely notice the weight and bulk. This isn't designed to be portable in the same way a folding solar panel is.

It measures 54 x 30 x 1.2 inches and has pre-drilled mounting holes for bolting to your vehicle's roof. It's also IP68 rated, which means you can leave this out in any rainstorm without worry.

The real trade-off with a panel like this is that, while it won't fit in the trunk of your car, it is very portable after you've mounted it on the roof of a larger vehicle. Once it's up there, you'll never have to think about hauling it anywhere again.

Ease of Setup

The Bifacial 200W takes longer to set up than any other panel. However, as discussed above regarding Portability, this panel doesn't really compare to the other folding solar panels we tested. It takes longer to set up than the other panels, but you'll only need to set it up once if you use it as intended.

Everything about the Bifacial 200W makes it more difficult to set up than a folding, portable solar panel. However, it has all the right features you'd want for permanent installation on a solar panel stand or roof. It has pre-slotted holes for bolting to your mounting surface of choice. And the MC4 connectors it has are standard for a waterproof connection, so you can hardwire it directly to a solar charge controller or use an adaptor for your power station.

It's rated for both 12V and 24V systems, with an open-circuit voltage of 28.1V and a short-circuit current of 9.12A. You can wire multiple panels in series or parallel to scale up your solar array, too.

Should You Buy the JJN Bifacial 200W?

The JJN Bifacial 200W is much less expensive than any other panel we tested and more efficient, too. This makes it an obvious choice for someone looking to permanently mount a large solar panel to the roof of their van, RV, or off-grid cabin. However, if you're looking for a panel to set up at camp and fold away to transport in your trunk, you should not buy this panel.

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