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  • Recommended panels

    Hello All,
    I am soliciting quotes from various providers in Maryland and would like to know what panels should I include while requesting for a quote for 6 KW system.

    Can someone recommend me a site that provides panel information in table format so that I can import it into excel and slice & dice the data.
    My preference is to opt for panels with
    • 17% plus efficiency,
    • 280 watts plus of power generation
    • annual efficiency degradation of 0.7% of less


    thanks

  • #2
    Going to be hard to get the 17% efficiency other than Sunpower or a bifacial like the Panasonic which used to be the Sanyo
    Problem comes in with the bifacial is if there is no reflected light from the back there is no appreciable gain.
    Also check the warranty carefully these generally have a shorter warranty period due to the amorphous film which is integrated with the hard crystals.
    NABCEP certified Technical Sales Professional

    [URL="http://www.solarpaneltalk.com/showthread.php?5334-Solar-Off-Grid-Battery-Design"]http://www.solarpaneltalk.com/showth...Battery-Design[/URL]

    [URL]http://www.calculator.net/voltage-drop-calculator.html[/URL] (Voltage drop Calculator among others)

    [URL="http://www.gaisma.com"]www.gaisma.com[/URL]

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    • #3
      Do you specifically require 17% efficiency due to limited space considerations? I recently learned on this forum that space considerations are essentially the only advantage you can gain by demanding such high efficiency. Otherwise a 15% efficient 280 Watt Panel and a 17% efficient 280 Watt panel are pretty much identical to the end user.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Silver_Is_Money View Post
        Do you specifically require 17% efficiency due to limited space considerations? I recently learned on this forum that space considerations are essentially the only advantage you can gain by demanding such high efficiency. Otherwise a 15% efficient 280 Watt Panel and a 17% efficient 280 Watt panel are pretty much identical to the end user.
        That seems to be what's floating to the surface in the pool of common wisdom born of experience and common sense around here.

        Add to that: And if you are space constrained, do what's more cost effective in the first place and reduce the load and thus reduce the required array size for the same % load offset. Works every time.

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        • #5
          Of the three criteria mentioned, I'd say only the third one is of general use/applicability. As others have said, efficiency only comes into play if you're space constrained. As for panel wattage, that's really just a function of the trend in the industry. A higher wattage panel is not inherently superior to a low wattage one although it may be indirectly if it results in less mounting hardware used. That said, a lower wattage panel is more liable to be on closeout as a prior year's model so an installed system using it may actually be cheaper.

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          • #6
            do a google search for 'solar panel reviews" then pick your poison. I can't get to the sites from work but there are a number of review sites that have some pretty good comparison charts

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            • #7
              While I don't have a space crunch, the 'A' shapes are causing more shading issues and thereby forcing me to go with fewer efficient panels.
              While surfing through individual sites, I came across companies like LG Neon and Silveo claiming theoretical 17 plus efficiency.

              I wanted to know if there are any other companies as well.

              I have already reduced my power consumption by installing ceiling fans, kill-a-watt etc.

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by nomorecoal View Post
                While I don't have a space crunch, the 'A' shapes are causing more shading issues and thereby forcing me to go with fewer efficient panels.
                While surfing through individual sites, I came across companies like LG Neon and Silveo claiming theoretical 17 plus efficiency.

                I wanted to know if there are any other companies as well.

                I have already reduced my power consumption by installing ceiling fans, kill-a-watt etc.
                What you describe is what is generally considered one of the ways of being space constrained.

                While Sunpower is overpriced, it does have a smaller footprint.

                While not recommending anything, I find it interesting that for my location, the SAM annual output for the LG 300 panel is slightly higher than the Sunpower 327 on a per nameplate Watt basis. On an annual output/area basis, S.P. is about 7 % more efficient than the LG 300 in my area. I haven't figured out why yet. Might be a software quirk. Depending on how you see it, S.P. may be worth a slight premium, but I'd suggest quite a bit less than the 15-25 % premiums as has been common and usual in the past.

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