Solar Panels

Simon — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 08:35:10 +0000

Solar panels are manufactured by a range of companies including BP Solar, Evergreen Solar, Global Solar, Kaneka, Kyocera Solar, Mitsubishi, Sany Solar, Sharp, SolarWorld, SunTech.

Solar panels generate electricity and are often referred to as photovoltaic or PV panels. Different makes and models of solar panels use different technologies such as monocrystalline, polycrystalline and thin film (amorphous). Each has their advantages and disadvantages but the factors to focus on when designing your solar system are space, sunlight and cost.

Do not use photovoltaic panels for heating or cooling systems because they are not efficient enough. You want to use solar collectors for heating hot water.

Our recommended supplier of Solar Panels is the altE Store, who offer a range of solar panels and accessories including:

1 to 50 Watt Solar Panels

Product Name	Volts	Watts
BP SX 330J 30W Solar Panel	12 V	30 W
BP350J 50W 12V Solar Panel	12 V	50 W
Global Solar 12W 12V Framed Solar Panel	12 V	12 W
Global Solar 30W 12V Framed Solar Panel	12 V	30 W
Go Power Duralite Solar Charger Module 10W	12 V	10 W
Go Power Duralite Solar Charger Module 20W	12 V	20 W
Go Power Duralite Solar Charger Module 5W	12 V	5 W
Kyocera 1.2W 12V Mini Solar Panel	12 V	1.2 W
Kyocera KC40T 40W 12V Solar Panel with J-Box	12 V	40 W
Kyocera KC50T 50W 12V Solar Panel with J-Box	12 V	50 W
Kyocera KS10 10W 12V Solar Panel	12 V	10 W
Kyocera KS20 20W 12V Solar Panel	12 V	20 W
Kyocera KS5 5W 12V Solar Panel	12 V	5 W
Power Up 5W 12V Solar Panel	12 V	5 W
Power Up BSP1-12 1W 12V Solar Panel	12 V	1 W
Power Up BSP10-12 10W 12V Solar Panel	12 V	10 W
Power Up BSP20-12 20W 12V Solar Panel	12 V	20 W
Power Up BSP30-12 30W 12V Solar Panel	12 V	30 W
Sunwize OEM10 10W 12V Solar Panel	12 V	10 W
Sunwize OEM40 40W 12V Solar Panel	12 V	40 W
Sunwize SC12-12V, 12 Watt, 12 Volt SolCharger	12 V	12 W
Sunwize SC12-6V, 12 Watt, 6 Volt SolCharger	6 V	12 W
Sunwize SC18-12V, 18 Watt, 12 Volt SolCharger	12 V	18 W
Sunwize SC24-12V, 24 Watt, 12 Volt SolCharger	12 V	24 W
Sunwize SC3-12V, 3 Watt, 12 Volt SolCharger	12 V	3 W
Sunwize SC3-6V 3 Watt 6 Volt Durable SolCharger	6 V	3 W
Sunwize SC6-12V, 6 Watt, 12 Volt SolCharger	12 V	6 W
Sunwize SC6-6V, 6 Watt, 6 Volt SolCharger	6 V	6 W
Unisolar Us-11 11W, 12V Thinfilm Module	12 V	10 W
Unisolar Us-5 5W, 12V Thinfilm Module	12 V	5 W

Check availability of 1 to 50 Watt Solar Panels

51 to 99 Watt Solar Panels

Product Name	Volts	Watts
BP 380J 80W Solar Panel	12 V	80 W
Kaneka 60W 48v Thinfilm Solar Panel	48 V	60 W
Kyocera KC65T 65W 12V Solar Panel with J-Box	12 V	65 W
Kyocera KC85T 85W 12V Solar Panel with J-Box	12 V	85 W
Sharp NE-80EJEA 80W 12V Solar Panel	12 V	80 W
Sunwize 55WA 12V Solar Panel	12 V	55 W
Sunwize SW60A 60W 12V Solar Panel	12 V	60 W
Sunwize SW75A 75W 12V Solar Panel	12 V	75 W
Sunwize SW80 80W 12V Solar Panel	12 V	80 W
Sunwize SW90 90W 12V Solar Panel	12 V	90 W

Check availability of 51 to 99 Watt Solar Panels

100 to 149 Watts Solar Panels

Product Name	Volts	Watts
Carmanah Technologies CTI-110 110W, 12V Solar Panels	12 V	110 W
Kyocera KC130 TM 130W 12V Solar Panel w J-Box	12 V	130 W
Kyocera KD135GX-LP 135W 12V Solar Panel	12 V	135 W
Sharp ND-130UJF 130W 12V Solar Panel	12 V	130 W
Sunwize SW100C 100W 18V Nominal Solar Panel	18 V	100 W

Check availability of 100 to 149 Watts Solar Panels

150 Watts & Up Solar Panels

Product Name	Volts	Watts
Canadian Solar, Inc. CS6P-170 170W "e-Module" Solar Panel	18 V	170 W
Canadian Solar, Inc. CS6P-180 180W "e-Module" Solar Panel	18 V	180 W
Canadian Solar, Inc. CS6P-190 190W "e-Module" Solar Panel	18 V	190 W
Canadian Solar, Inc. CS6P-200 200W "e-Module" Solar Panel	18 V	200 W
Evergreen ES-A-195 195W 12V Solar Panel	12 V	195 W
Evergreen ES-A-210 210W 12V Solar Panel	12 V	210 W
Evergreen ES180 RL/SL 180W 18V Solar Panel	18 V	180 W
Kyocera KD180GX-LP 180W 18V Solar Panel	18 V	180 W
Kyocera KD205GX-LP 205W 18V Solar Panel	18 V	205 W
Kyocera KD210GX-LP 210W 18V Solar Panel	18 V	210 W
Mitsubishi Electric MF165B3 165W 18V Solar Panel	18 V	165 W
Mitsubishi Electric MF170EB3 170W 18V Solar Panel	18 V	170 W
Mitsubishi Electric PV-UD180MF5 180W 18V Solar Panel	18 V	180 W
Sanyo Solar HIT Double 186w HIT 186DA3 Solar Panel	42 V	186 W
Sanyo Solar HIT Double 190W HIP-190DA3 Solar Panel	42 V	190 W
Sanyo Solar HIT Double 195W HIT 195DA3 Solar Panel	42 V	195 W
Sanyo Solar Sanyo HIT-195BA19 195W Solar Panel	42 V	195 W
Sanyo Solar Sanyo HIT-200BA19 200W Solar Panel	42 V	200 W
Sharp 165W Solar Panel (NE165U1)	24 V	165 W
Sharp 208 Watt Poly-crystalline Solar Panel	18 V	208 W
Sharp ND-216U1F 216W Solar Panel	18 V	216 W
Sharp ND-224U1F 224W Solar Panel	18 V	224 W
Sharp NE-170U1 170W 24V Solar Panel	24 V	170 W
Sharp NT-175U1 175W 24V Solar Panel	24 V	175 W
Solar World SolarWorld SW165 165W 24V Solar Panel	24 V	165 W
SolarWorld SW175 175W 24V Solar Panel	24 V	175 W
SunTech STP175S-24/Ab-175W Solar Panel	24 V	175 W
SunTech STP210-18/UB-1 210W Solar Panel	18 V	210 W

Check availability of 150 Watts & Up Solar Panels

Flexible and Rollable Solar Panels

Product Name	Volts	Watts
PowerFilm Inc. 18W,12V Thin Film Solar Panel	12 V	18 W
PowerFilm Inc. 4.5W, 12V Thin Film Solar Panel	12 V	4.5 W
PowerFilm Inc. 9W,12V Thin Film Solar Panel	12 V	9 W

Check availability of Flexible and Rollable Solar Panels

Foldable Solar Panels

Product Name	Volts	Watts
Global Solar P3-30 30W 12V Portable Power Pack Black	12 V	30 W
Global Solar P3-62 62W 12V Portable Power Pack Black	12 V	62 W
Sunlinq 12Watt 12V Portable Power Pack	12 V	12 W
Sunlinq 25Watt 12V Portable Power Pack	12 V	25 W
Sunlinq 6.5Watt 12V Portable Power Pack	12 V	6.5 W

Check availability of Foldable Solar Panels

Solar Panels by the Pallet

Product Name	Volts	Watts
Kaneka K60 60W Thinfilm Solar Panel	48 V	1500 W
Kyocera KC130TM 130W 12V Solar Panel PALLET	12 V	2600 W
Kyocera KD135GX-LP 135W 12V Solar Panel PALLET	12 V	2700 W
Kyocera KD180GX-LP 180W 18V Solar Panels PALLET	18 V	3600 W
Kyocera KD205GX-LP 205W 18V Solar Panel PALLET	18 V	4100 W
Kyocera KD210GX-LP 210W 18V Solar Panel PALLET	18 V	4200 W
Sharp NE-175U1 175W 24V PALLET	24 V	5100 W
SunTech 175W, 24V Black Label Solar Panel PALLET	24 V	4550 W
SunTech 175W, 24V Solar Panel PALLET	24 V	4550 W
SunTech 210W, 18V Solar Panel PALLET	18 V	5460 W
SunTech STP270-24/Vb-270 PV Panel PALLET QTY 21	24 V	5670 W

Check availability, price & order Solar Panels

Advantages and Disadvantages of Thin Film Solar Panels

Simon — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 11:16:46 +0000

Thin film solar panels are the new kids on the block. Learn about the pro’s and con’s of using thin film solar panels for your home.

Thin film solar panels are one method of generating electric power from the sun that’s only come onto the market in recent years. They’re also called amorphous silicon photovoltaic cells, and they aren’t rigid, unlike traditional panels. They use an amorphous type of silicon instead of one or more crystals. These thin panels could end up replacing rigid monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar cell. Made of a silicon material placed between flexible laminate, steel or glass, this new type of panel has some real possibilities. Let’s take a look at the good and bad things about this new type of solar panel.

The most common and popular type of thin film solar panel is the flexible laminate type. That’s because they’re the most versatile. Their thin film allows them to be applied to almost all surfaces and to take up a lot less space than a traditional panel. They’ve even been used as a type of roofing material. Unlike rigid panel types, they don’t stand out, blending in better with the roof itself. They can actually be used instead of steel or shingles for roofing, creating an entire roof that generates power from sunlight.

However, there’s a reason why thin film solar panels haven’t replaced older types yet. They’re just not as efficient. With about a six percent conversion rate for energy drawn from the sun, they can only draw about half the wattage from sunlight that mono and polycrystalline panels do, making them take up twice as much installation space for the same amount of power. They do cost less, however.

Their thinner structure needs less material, allowing much cheaper panels to be produced. In terms of price per watt of power output, thin film panels are as high as other technologies, allowing budget conscious homeowners to pay less for their power generation. At about seven to ten dollars per watt, the costs are lower than the other solar panels on the market. The best known brand is probably UniSolar.

The less fragile nature of these panels also means they are unlikely to become damaged during shipping. Monocrystalline panels, by comparison, are especially fragile. For those who aren’t worried about space but are worried about what they’re paying for their solar power system, these are a great choice. You should be aware that their longevity may be questionable, though. There’s a possibility that they’ll hold up just as long as their competitors, but this technology is new and still hasn’t been well tested. A decrease in efficiency may occur over time.

One benefit of thin film solar panels that other types can’t offer is that they don’t suffer a decrease in output when temperatures go up. Some may even have a slight increase in their outputs. That’s impressive, since areas where sunlight is readily available are also usually hot. Because of this, thin film solar panels often have an actual output that’s very close to the one they’re rated for. This can make planning a solar power system much easier using this kind of panel.

Solar Power » thin film