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Solar Panel Brands

StinkerBean

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Aug 9, 2022
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Looking at purchasing my first solar panels for a solar well pump. I was referred to SanTan Solar for the panels since they sell lots of good used ones. On their website I noticed they have some different brands. Does the brand make any difference in the performance or longevity of these panels? Was looking at some Canadian 250W 60 cell panels and whatever other brands they have. Will only need three of them. Any advice will be much appreciated. Thanks.
 
Looking at purchasing my first solar panels for a solar well pump. I was referred to SanTan Solar for the panels since they sell lots of good used ones. On their website I noticed they have some different brands. Does the brand make any difference in the performance or longevity of these panels? Was looking at some Canadian 250W 60 cell panels and whatever other brands they have. Will only need three of them. Any advice will be much appreciated. Thanks.

Generally speaking, these things are generic. There are differences in efficiency mostly Poly VS Mono, but in the end it is all about return on investment for the most watts. ( never buy thin film! )

Nothing beats used panels if they are in working condition and Santan is the best place I know of. Buying used is like getting panels that have be "tested" in actual installations and will have some minor degradation, but your not paying a premium for new that WILL have reduced output with time.

Santan as some right now that are like 13 cents a watt, can't beat that anywhere.

My array is new white label 395 Mono half-cell I purchased 18 months ago for 20 cents a watt from Santan, best panels I have ever owned in over 20 years and many different systems I have built. I also bought some of the missing vinyl panels ( same as the cracked vinyl they still have ) and got expected performance for their age, it was silly cheap at 30 dollars a panel, was something like $600 delivered for a 3.2kw array. I found on eBay a complete 12 panel Enphase system for $400 and ran that for 8 months ( learned all about enphase with that ), then sold off when I built the current 11kw system.
 
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Thank you so much for the info. I will be getting with SanTan later today to see what they have available.
 
The used one (cheap ones) are often degraded to between 80-90%. If down around 80% you need to plan with that in mind. I have bought used ones that were close to 95% and some close to 80%, not on the same purchase but different models at different times. As stated, they are largely a commodity until you need X watts to fit inside some given area then things are much more specific about power per square meter, etc.

Not sure which pump you use but I helped a friend that had a pump with built in MPPT. It was sold as a 24v DC pump and the DC input max was 40v, so we had to find a 60cell panel. Many are 72cell with a Voc over 40v.
 
Thanks, the kit I plan on running has a controller that will only accept 24-50 vdc. I'm guessing I would need some 60 cell panels.
 
Normally there are three different types of solar panels: monocrystalline, polycrystalline, and thin film. Mono one has a sleek design, but they come at a higher price than others; Poly one is a little cheaper, but they're less efficient, thin-film one is mostly used for a curved platforms like rooftops, yachts, and RV. IMO these are the things you need to consider when buying a used one.

Does the brand make any difference in the performance or longevity of these panels?
Nope, but the different brand does have a difference in customer service, personally I would recommend BougeRV for their decent aftersales service.
They launched the Canada site recently too.
 
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