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SolarTech Universal Solar Panels

Dr Mark

New Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2021
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Has anyone have any experience with these solar panels? They are made in USA, but I have not seen any videos or reviews on them. I am going to buy a 310 watt panel for $200. They have bypass diodes and other nice features.
 
I got my Mission Solar 320 watt panels for $185 from a local dealer. So your panels sound more expensive than mine.
I do not mind paying more for USA product. I did find this local seller not many to choose from. I am somewhat reluctant because the brand is pretty new.
 
I am in the Daytona Beach area. I am going to pay $170 for the SolarTech 310 watt panel. I like support local and small businesses when I can. I am only getting 2 to start with. I may eventually buy 2 more. I only have a 3kWh battery. I am using it for backup.
 
Has anyone have any experience with these solar panels? They are made in USA, but I have not seen any videos or reviews on them. I am going to buy a 310 watt panel for $200. They have bypass diodes and other nice features.

Can you post a link?
 
If you read the rules it’s just that you cannot profit from a link.

This is what I see on ebay under that name:


No solar panels that I can find.
 
I spoke with the guy today and he was a big help. He is starting a company to supply DIY people with solar panels and supplies. I was glad to I could find a local supplier to support. I hope to connect the panels tomorrow and will give an update when I do. I attached specs for the panel.
 

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This is an abstract from an article in Materials on PUBMED:
Higher efficiency and output power of a photovoltaic (PV) module can be achieved by minimizing cell-to-module (CTM) power losses. CTM losses are mainly dependent on electrical and optical losses. In this work, reflection losses from interspacing of cells with respect to different encapsulant materials and backsheets are evaluated. Two novel encapsulant materials thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) and polybutadiene ionomer are used, in addition to conventionally used ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA). Moreover, the effect of using these encapsulant materials separately with Tedlar and Aluminum foil as backsheets is realized. It has been observed that TPO in combination with Tedlar presents minimum reflection losses compared to other encapsulant materials. The reflection losses calculated experimentally with polybutadiene ionomer were 5.4% less than the conventionally used EVA, whereas, the reflection losses calculated experimentally with TPO were 5.9% less than the conventionally used EVA. The experimental results obtained are also validated through simulations. :unsure:
 
As I recall the backsheet issue resolved around longevity of the panel, not the reflection losses.

Below is the article that I read that got me to checking what material the backsheet was made of. Unfortunately, it doesn't mention TPO at all. That would raise a yellow flag for me.

 
I read the article and see your concerns. At the end of the article she mentions hot spots. I did not know there were issues with longevity. I found another article (2019 in India) on that which compares EVA to TPO. I am not familiar with any of these materials (TPO, EVA, PA, PET, PVDF). The article may have been written by a company that wants to sell TPO in solar panels. They claim TPO did well in their "weatherability tests", when a new product is used like TPO, we wont know how well it weathers until it has been in the desert southwest for 10 years. Thanks for making me aware of these issues. I did not know TPO was so new or to consider longevity when buying solar panels.

Article from Solar Energy:
 
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