Are Bifacial Solar Panels Worth It for Power Stations?

Bifacial panels are worth it when your power station can use the extra watts and you can raise the panel so light reaches its back. EcoFlow rates the 125W Bifacial panel at 125W (STC) and 138W (BNPI), and the 400W Lightweight panel at 400W (STC) and 445W (BNPI). Neither 125W Bifacial setup works on RIVER 2, RIVER 3 or RIVER 2 Max/Pro.

How bifacial panels work

A normal panel collects light only on its front. A bifacial panel also has cells that collect light reaching its back, mostly sunlight reflected off the ground and surroundings. EcoFlow gives two ratings:

• STC, the standard front-side rating, used for all our compatibility checks.
• BNPI, a rating with added back-side light under a bifacial test condition.

How much of that extra you actually get depends on your setup. A panel raised on its stand over pale concrete or sand gains more than one lying flat on dark soil or grass. The front still needs to face the sun.

EcoFlow’s two bifacial panels

The 125W is a high-voltage, low-current panel built for parallel. The 400W Lightweight is a large single panel.

Which stations they fit

Verified pairings (all within each port’s voltage and current limits):

Two 400W Lightweight panels in series reach 78.6V. That is too high for every 60V DELTA 3 input, so don’t wire them that way.

Buyer’s guides: RIVER 3 Plus, RIVER 2 Max, DELTA 3, DELTA 3 Max.

The back-side current caution

Back-side light adds current. Our checks use the STC current, which is within the limit in every pairing above. But on 13A inputs, the BNPI current would go over:

• One 400W Lightweight: 13.5A BNPI vs the 13A input of RIVER 2 Max/Pro, RIVER 3 Plus/Max/Max Plus and DELTA 3 Max.
• Four 125W in parallel on DELTA 3 Max: 13.6A BNPI vs 13A.

These are flagged, not failed. If you want to stay strictly inside the limit on a 13A station, use three 125W panels instead of four on DELTA 3 Max (9.6A STC), and don’t set the 400W Lightweight up for maximum back-side gain.

So, is it worth it?

• Yes if your station can take more than the panel’s front-side watts. On a DELTA 3, four 125W Bifacial panels fill the full 500W input.
• Less so if the station’s cap is already filled. On a RIVER 2 Max or RIVER 3 Plus, a single 400W Lightweight already exceeds the 220W cap, so back-side gain adds little.
• No for RIVER 2 and RIVER 3. Neither bifacial panel is compatible.

Plug-and-play portable panels can be set up by the owner following the manual. Anything wired to the house, a breaker panel, the roof or the grid needs a licensed electrician or PEE and an LGU electrical permit.

What to buy

• EcoFlow 125W Bifacial panel: Lazada (EcoFlow PH) · Shopee
• EcoFlow 400W Lightweight panel: Lazada (EcoFlow PH)
• A station that uses the extra watts: DELTA 3 on Shopee · Lazada, or RIVER 3 Plus on Shopee · Lazada

Check today’s price before you buy.

Bottom line

Bifacial panels earn their keep on stations with room to spare, especially the DELTA 3 family with four 125W panels in parallel. Raise them over a light surface to get the back-side gain. Never use the 125W Bifacial on RIVER 2, RIVER 3 or RIVER 2 Max/Pro, and keep the back-side current caution in mind on 13A inputs.