What solar panels do you have & why did you choose them?
- Thread starter diytx
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NCislander
Solar Enthusiast
QCells originally, (4) 350 watt units. Testing/Learning.
Expanded using these:
Solarever (12) 455 watt additional.
All panels new. Within my budget and great feedback on the forums.
My thought are bigger panels/capacities. Why buy (4) 100 watt panels, instead of (1) 400 watt panel.
These within my budget and no regrets.
Expanded using these:
Solarever (12) 455 watt additional.
All panels new. Within my budget and great feedback on the forums.
My thought are bigger panels/capacities. Why buy (4) 100 watt panels, instead of (1) 400 watt panel.
These within my budget and no regrets.
pollenface
Solar Addict
I have various 2nd hand 72cell 175-190w 1588x808mm panels, they all put out about 140w each max. I acquired them from people "replacing" their old panels with new panels for about $20-$25aud each.
I have 3x 36cell 250w 1100x1000mm panels which I got from ebay for $119aud each. I think they were the last properly rated panels to be found on ebay, why I didn't get 4x baffles me.
I have a single 72cell 300watter, which I got for free from someone cleaning out their shed.
I couldn't tell you any brand names, the only things that concern me are their price vs surface area.
I have 3x 36cell 250w 1100x1000mm panels which I got from ebay for $119aud each. I think they were the last properly rated panels to be found on ebay, why I didn't get 4x baffles me.
I have a single 72cell 300watter, which I got for free from someone cleaning out their shed.
I couldn't tell you any brand names, the only things that concern me are their price vs surface area.
425w Trina vertex because it was the cheapest per watt
midsummerwholesale.co.uk
Trina Vertex S 425W Black White Mono
High-power mono panels with half-cell technology for optimal energy production with minimal loss.
midsummerwholesale.co.uk
Where did you get the 350w QCells?
Any sources for Bifacial 350w or 400 w?
I am trying to get close to the max for Bluetti AC300 dual input limit of 1200w per input.
Thanks!
NCislander
Solar Enthusiast
A1solar, though looking back this vendor was no bargain pricing. Great service & delivery. But I could have shopped around for better pricing. QCell purchase was in 2019. Quality cells for sure.
My Solarever panels purchase was from santansolar, Savanah Ga location. I drove 6 hours for local pickup there. Big savings on shipping costs.
If you're in Texas, Signature Solar may have new panels of interest. I have had good purchase experiences from Signature Solar.
NCislander
Solar Enthusiast
I imagine the limit of 10 units online/shipped is due to workload handing smaller shipments.
Onsite purchase I would imagine is no brainer easy. That was my experience at Santan Solar (Savannah, Ga).
Good luck.
I have 20 x Yangtze solar 500W panels. I'm about to start my 5th year with them and have no issues. That said, some others do have issues with the company, so I'm not recommending them. At the time I imported them directly from China since they (or similar large panels) weren't available in Europe at all (or even close to the price I paid). I like the aesthetics and they would allow me to most efficiently make a ground mount (old pic, there are 6 on there right now):
This year, I also bought 36 x ASTROENERGY 410W new panels locally because they were so cheap ($108 each). I'll split these with family, and will probably keep 16 or so for myself. I've just finished building the new wood shed (just in time for winter) and these will go on the roof of that - hopefully this year still.
This year, I also bought 36 x ASTROENERGY 410W new panels locally because they were so cheap ($108 each). I'll split these with family, and will probably keep 16 or so for myself. I've just finished building the new wood shed (just in time for winter) and these will go on the roof of that - hopefully this year still.
shadowmaker
Solar Addict
Knew nothing about solar, but was determined to DIY a vertical array with bifacials to cope with snow in the winter and midnight sun in the summer. Got quotes from China, but never even dreamed to find something this fancy for the lowest price: Bluesun BSM700PMB6-70SDC, N-type shingled cell 700W bifacial with 22,8% efficiency. I later learned that they are quite big (2400x1300x35mm) and heavy (40kg) to handle, so maybe that's the reason for low price.
Here's the first 12 panels out of 63 installed.
Because of their size these are not for everybody, but I'm very happy with them so far. Too early to say anything about their performance in the long run though.
Here's the first 12 panels out of 63 installed.
Because of their size these are not for everybody, but I'm very happy with them so far. Too early to say anything about their performance in the long run though.
wildbillpdx
Solar Enthusiast
I'm using 20 Sanyo HIP-200BA3 200 watt panels. They made up our 17 year old grid-tied system which we replaced just a few weeks ago when we had to re-roof our house. Put up a new 9.6kW system but couldn't stand the idea of scrapping the old panels so I built a new all-in-one with EG4 equipment to supplement the power generated by the new, grid-tied system. The old panels seem to be working well.
(46) REC NP2 365w Black panels.
Chose them as they were the best middle ground of:
1. W/in^2 when I laid them out on my roof [different sized panels hit different edges/obstructions]
2. Purchased through a dealer to obtain the longer warranty period and degradation warranty
3. Maxed out the SolArk 15k pv input
Used those 3 ideas to find the middle of the Venn diagram. Some higher wattage panels would have resulted in a second inverter and that input cost killed the payback I was looking for. Overall still fighting with the local AHJ, but I'm satisfied with the panels.
Chose them as they were the best middle ground of:
1. W/in^2 when I laid them out on my roof [different sized panels hit different edges/obstructions]
2. Purchased through a dealer to obtain the longer warranty period and degradation warranty
3. Maxed out the SolArk 15k pv input
Used those 3 ideas to find the middle of the Venn diagram. Some higher wattage panels would have resulted in a second inverter and that input cost killed the payback I was looking for. Overall still fighting with the local AHJ, but I'm satisfied with the panels.
Tomthumb62
Solar Wizard
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2022
- Messages
- 1,871
We have 2x100W WindyNation flexible panels and 2x100W Sunpower flexible panels. The WindyNation ones are 4 years old and still produce very well. The Sunpower ones are new and produce better than our portable suitcase rigid panels. When the WindyNation ones die, we’ll replace them with more Sunpower ones.
We want flexible because of their low profile. Invisible on the roof of our camp trailer when standing on the ground and can be screwed or taped or glued down, reducing wind lifting. Also much lighter than rigid panels. Our roof is plywood and tongue and groove fir, so we want as little weight on it as possible.
Flexibles have their place, you've just got to understand their limitations!
Hopefully they will get better and better
Hedges
I See Electromagnetic Fields!
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2020
- Messages
- 21,259
AstroPower 120W monocrystaline
Sharp 165W polycrystaline
SunPower 327W monocrystaline
REC 325W half-cut monocrystaline.
Some of the Sharp were severely degraded after 17 years.
PV panels have various degradation mechanisms. Some due to water intrusion, some cracking. Some early panels were severely degraded when used in a negative grounded array, others when positive grounded (P-type vs. N-type silicon). Newer transformerless inverters with non-grounded array mean half the panels are biased positive, half biased negative, so some inevitably subjected to this "PID" situation, where ions were forced into the doped silicon. Look for PID resistant panels, which were developed after the issue was discovered (e.g. newer SunPower designed to avoid it after earlier ones suffered badly.) I'm mostly using older transformer type inverters which let me select + or - grounding.
I favor quality brand panels. PV panels themselves no longer dominate system cost to the extent they once did.
Sharp 165W polycrystaline
SunPower 327W monocrystaline
REC 325W half-cut monocrystaline.
Some of the Sharp were severely degraded after 17 years.
PV panels have various degradation mechanisms. Some due to water intrusion, some cracking. Some early panels were severely degraded when used in a negative grounded array, others when positive grounded (P-type vs. N-type silicon). Newer transformerless inverters with non-grounded array mean half the panels are biased positive, half biased negative, so some inevitably subjected to this "PID" situation, where ions were forced into the doped silicon. Look for PID resistant panels, which were developed after the issue was discovered (e.g. newer SunPower designed to avoid it after earlier ones suffered badly.) I'm mostly using older transformer type inverters which let me select + or - grounding.
I favor quality brand panels. PV panels themselves no longer dominate system cost to the extent they once did.
Would you say REC is a quality brand in your experience?
Hedges
I See Electromagnetic Fields!
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2020
- Messages
- 21,259
I don't have enough personal experience, but I think REC is a premium brand.
The PV Module Scorecard shows REC Group as a top performer for many years. In 2022 report it was a top performer in 6 tests.
diysolarforum.com
Being half-cut, I think they will confuse some MPPT algorithms, which might get stuck at a higher voltage local maxima.
The PV Module Scorecard shows REC Group as a top performer for many years. In 2022 report it was a top performer in 6 tests.
Is there a reliable resource to compare panel makes/models
Well that sounds like a heck of a deal! Glad you placed your order and can't wait to see how it all works. That is a very good price, and I should not be surprised but that confirms they get a great deal when they upgrade. I wonder if they went with Trina on the replacement units? Any idea?
diysolarforum.com
Being half-cut, I think they will confuse some MPPT algorithms, which might get stuck at a higher voltage local maxima.
OffGridForGood
Catch, make or grow everything you can.
I love my Canadian Solar 440 half-cut bifacial panels, they produce close to max output on a regular basis, even over 440W each in January when I need them most!
I reasoned that since my MPP voltage limit was so low (145vDC) and cold weather is a given, I would be limited to 2S, and since these are roof mounted tilting, it would make good sense to use high wattage as possible to ease wiring on the roof, and installation. At the time these were available locally, and good price. All that said, my next array will be 6- 550W JA panels (not bifacial this time) for a West facing roof, but tilting southward 0-70degrees for summer late day collection/winter snow clearing and efficiency reasons.
The most important thing you should do is look at the avaiable options and what fits your situation best. These are going to be in service 20+ years, take some time to choose wisely.
I reasoned that since my MPP voltage limit was so low (145vDC) and cold weather is a given, I would be limited to 2S, and since these are roof mounted tilting, it would make good sense to use high wattage as possible to ease wiring on the roof, and installation. At the time these were available locally, and good price. All that said, my next array will be 6- 550W JA panels (not bifacial this time) for a West facing roof, but tilting southward 0-70degrees for summer late day collection/winter snow clearing and efficiency reasons.
The most important thing you should do is look at the avaiable options and what fits your situation best. These are going to be in service 20+ years, take some time to choose wisely.
My recent array project is using bi-facial Hanwha Q CELLS (South Korean company) . And as some have already seen from another thread I've posted in they are the only company working towards making the entire panel 100% from within North America.
