How Important Is Efficiency When Choosing A Solar Panel?

November 15, 2010 2014-12-12T12:13:56 by 21 Comments

I get a lot of emails from people asking “Which is the most efficient solar panel on the market?”.

Last time I checked, the awesomely awesome Sanyo HIT 195DA3 (note: now manufactured under the Panasonic brand) laid claim to the most efficient panels in production at a whopping 20.5% panel efficiency!

(And before you SunPower fans swamp me with emails – yes, I understand that this is including light coming into the back side of the panel, which is would require special mounting – see the pic below. On a typical roof, the Sunpower E20 327W will be the most efficient at 20.4% panel efficiency)

Mounting a solar panel to allow "backside irradiance"

An example of Sanyo HIT solar panel mounting to maximise efficiency.

But whilst solar panel manufacturers like SunPower and Sanyo battle it out for the “most efficient panel” gong, the question we really need to ask is: “Is the most efficient panel the best option for your roof?”.

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Is this the daftest solar power promotion in Australia?

October 17, 2010 2017-05-03T13:52:36 by Leave a Comment

Watching the late movie on TV last night the most ridiculous ad for solar power I have ever seen came on.

I nearly fell off my sofa when I saw that if you buy a 1.5kW solar system from these guys, they’ll throw in a ‘free’ 50″ plasma TV.

Large Plasma TV’s are, of course, the most energy inefficient form of watching telly known to man. Apart from maybe hiring your own multiplex cinema every evening.

Let’s do some sums:

Having a quick look on energyrating.gov.au tells me that a typical 50 inch plasma with typical usage patterns will suck about 850kWh of electricity per year.

So that’s 2.3kWh of electricity per day.

A good quality 1.5kW solar system in Adelaide will produce approximately 6.6kWh per day.

So that ‘free’ plasma is going to reduce the output of your $10,000 (gross of all rebates) solar power system by 35%.

And if you were planning on exporting that 2.3kWh of electricity to take advantage of SA’s generous net Feed In Tariff then you would be losing $503 per year thanks to the ‘free’ plasma TV.

What a great offer!

P.S. The number one sign of a great solar panel installer is that they actually care about your current and future electricity usage so that you will get the maximum benefit and maximum payback from your shiny new solar panels. If the installer doesn’t care about energy efficiency, quickly move on to someone that does.

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German magazine tests 10 solar panels

September 4, 2010 2014-01-05T18:53:50 by 3 Comments

In September 2006, respected solar power magazine, Photon International, bolted 10 different solar panel manufacturers panels to a test rig in Germany and measured the performance of those panels over 12 months.

The panels they tested were:

  • Photwatt
  • Solarworld
  • Shell Solar
  • BP Solar
  • Solar Fabrik
  • Isofoton
  • Kyocera
  • Sunways
  • Sanyo
  • Sharp

The results of the testing were that the difference in power produced across all the solar panel brands was 9.85%.

The results are shown here:

Solar Panel test

From Photon International Magazine September 2007

As you can see Photwatt panels came top.

Interestingly the Sanyo panels which many vendors claim are the “best of the best”, came second last. Apparently Sanyo’s excuse was that the magazine were supplied with defective panels, oh and the dog ate their homework too I imagine.

The well known brand “Sharp” came a surprising last place.

Of course this test was 3 years ago. I imagine that the losers of this test have upped their game in recent years. The latest issue of the magazine has some more recent results in it as soon as it arrives in the mail from sunny Germany, I’ll let you know the latest winners.

Wouldn’t it be great to put the top 10 most popular Australia panels through a similar test (including the many ‘own-brand’ panels). Let me know if you think that is a good idea in the comments. If I get enough interest I may organise such a test myself. Watch this space…

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Solar Power Isn’t Perfect (but it’s still worth it!)

June 12, 2009 2017-05-03T14:08:37 by Leave a Comment

Making solar panels requires old-fashioned coal-fired power

The city of Bay City, Michigan has an interest in solar power, and in this article (http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2009/06/making_solar_panels_requires_o.html) the pros and cons of using this alternative form of clean energy are dissected and stacked against one another to determine whether solar power is really the best way forward for energy production.

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Recycling and Solar Panels

May 19, 2009 2017-05-03T14:12:40 by 1 Comment

No-one knows how long a solar panel should last – currently, some are over 30 years old and still working well. However, it is anticipated that an increasing number will need to be replaced. In today’s worldwide drive to save energy wherever possible, it would be better to recycle.

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Dodgy Solar Panels Landing In Australia

May 1, 2009 2017-05-03T14:25:16 by 2 Comments

Time is running out for the Australian Federal Governments ‘grid connect solar power rebate’. Unfortunately, the $8000 rebate has been tainted by unethical, ‘overnight’ companies duping consumers with inferior equipment and ‘too good to be true’ deals.

Of course, there are genuine companies selling genuine products within the solar industry, but the emergence of many underhand tactics continues to threaten an unsuspecting public.

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Cambridge Uni Boffins Hoping To Win Aussie Solar Powered Car Race

April 21, 2009 2017-05-03T14:34:31 by Leave a Comment

Cambridge University students, in the UK predict their new solar powered car will be capable of cruising at 60mph, and intend to enter the up and coming World Solar Challenge.

Equipped with a 6m2 ‘skin’ of silicon cells, the journey, from Darwin, will take the car, AKA ‘Bethany’, across Australia’s arduous outback, over three thousand kilometres, to Adelaide. Bethany’s outer skin covers a highly efficient electric car, one its creators say could be a prototype for future ‘green transport’.

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Suntech and Aussie Uni Team Up to Make Dirt Cheap Solar Cells

April 10, 2009 2017-05-03T14:36:25 by 2 Comments

Victoria’s Swinburne University of Technology in Australia will be developing the most efficient, and inexpensive solar cells ever made. Along with Suntech Power Holdings Co, the biggest manufacturer of solar cells in the world. Together, they plan to invest a total of three million Australian dollars into the project and proposals have already been made to the Victorian Government with regards to extra funding.

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Chinese Solar Company Says Improved Solar Efficiency On The Way (based on Aussie Technology!)

April 7, 2009 2017-05-03T14:37:44 by 2 Comments

The largest producer of solar panels in the world, Suntech Power Holdings, has recently reported more information regarding its latest Pluto technology. This new technology has made substantial progress in improving the conversion efficiencies of solar cell technology

Although there have been a number of improvements in technology in the industry overall, none of the others are yet ready for commercial distribution. Although the Fraunhofer Institute achieved a solar cell efficiency of over forty percent, it, also, is far from ready for mass production.

Already in the process of mass production, Suntech’s Pluto technology has employed solar panels with efficiencies of 19% in monocrystalline technology and 17% in polycrystalline panels. Other current technology currently has efficiencies of 18% and 14% respectively.

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Silicon Price Slumps – When will Solar Panels Follow Suit?

April 5, 2009 2017-05-03T14:38:58 by Leave a Comment

The value of silicon has plummetted recently with refined silicon (used to make solar cells) being around $100 per kilo, about 4-5 times cheaper than it was only a year ago.

Dare I say it – Silicon is Cheap As Chips!

Sorry…couldn’t resist that one.

Unfortunately this hasn’t followed through to hugely reduce the price of solar panels yet (silicon is the biggest ingredient in most solar PV panels).

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