SunPower X-Series Panels Set New Efficiency Record Of 24.1%

June 30, 2016 2017-04-18T17:44:37 by 5 Comments
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Sunpower X series panels have breached 24% efficiency.

I have previously mentioned SunPower makes excellent solar panels. This definitely includes their uncanny X-Series, which are a high efficiency, high reliability, line of monocrystalline panels. In January they broke the record for most efficient solar panel with a figure of 22.8%. And now, less than six months later, they have increased that by an impressive 1.3 percentage points to 24.1%.

I can only marvel at the improvements in PV efficiency that have occurred so far in 2016. Just six months ago I would have said the chance of any panel exceeding 24% efficiency this year would have been a long shot, but lately improving efficiency has been smashing records like an unstoppable juggernaut. [Read more…]

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Hanwha Q Cells Q.ANTUM Solar Panels Smash Record For Polysilicon Efficiency

June 23, 2016 2017-04-18T18:04:56 by 6 Comments
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Q-Cells clever Q.ANTUM design of solar cell promises better efficiency for cheaper, multi crystalline panels.

Hanwha Q Cells has smashed the record for polysilicon solar panel efficiency like a robot driving a steel fist through a fragile silicon wafer. They have achieved an efficiency of 19.5% with a standard sized panel, 1.67m by 1m in size. The module is 301 watts and Hanwha claims it was produced using standard processes on industrial scale production equipment, which means it should be ready to go into production. [Read more…]

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SunPower Solar Panels: One of the best panels lots of money can buy

June 6, 2016 2025-09-04T13:24:17 by 83 Comments
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SunPower make very good, very expensive panels.

SunPower make some of the best solar panels in existence. Or at least some of the best on this planet. Perhaps Spectrolab regularly shoots better ones into space to mars or somewhere, I don’t know. But if you want to buy something that is meant to go on a roof and not a space probe, then SunPower solar panels are hard to beat.

Now note that I did say some of the best and not some of the cheapest. If you haven’t worked out that the words cheap and best don’t normally go together, then I have a really low quality laptop held together with superglue and wooden rulers that I’d like to sell to you at a really high price. [Read more…]

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Phono Solar Panels Review: Reliability Scores Highly

May 24, 2016 2017-04-18T18:10:09 by 14 Comments
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Phono Solar Gets A Rave Review From Respected testing House DNV-GL

Getting the most out of solar panels depends upon them working as promised when they are installed, and then continuing to work in a similar way for decades to come. To assist people in selecting solar panels that are likely to do this, DNV GL, an international certification organization, performed tests upon a wide range of mostly Tier 1 solar panels including Phono Solar, Kyocera and numerous other manufacturers.  They published the results in their PV Module Reliability Scorecard Report 2016. Or at least they published a very useful review of the results, as they didn’t include everything they found. [Read more…]

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Revealed: Ausgrid’s Devious Strategy To Keep Solar Customers Confused

May 13, 2016 2017-04-18T18:15:09 by 6 Comments
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Want to ask Ausgrid what the rules are for connecting solar? Then be prepared to enter their infinite loop of hell.

In order to help out people who are considering installing rooftop solar in Sydney, I took it upon myself to find out what people need to know if they want to install a system in the Ausgrid Electricity Network area. I did it for the benefit of humanity. Well, specifically for the benefit of people in the eastern half of Sydney, but if it results in more clean solar electricity being generated, then it will benefit all humanity. [Read more…]

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Trina Breaks Black Silicon Efficiency Record

April 28, 2016 2017-04-19T14:00:25 by 10 Comments
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Trina have done it again: a solar cell efficiency of 23.5%.

Trina Solar, one of the largest manufacturers of solar panels in the world, has announced they have achieved a new efficiency record for black silicon solar cells of 23.5% on a large-area, mono-crystalline, square silicon wafer, 156 millimeters across. This beats the previous record of 22.94% Trina achieved in May 2014. The new record was confirmed by the Japan Electrical Safety & Environment Technologies Laboratories. [Read more…]

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Adding Solar Panels To Existing System? Here’s What You Need To Know.

March 24, 2016 2023-11-23T10:37:48 by 128 Comments
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Here are your options and gotchas when adding solar panels to an existing system.

 

Please note: this post was written in 2016

***Please read this 2022 post for the latest information on upgrading your solar panel array.***

So you’ve got solar panels on your roof and you want more so you can get your bills even lower?

[Read more…]

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SolarWorld launches bifacial solar panels in US

March 13, 2016 2017-10-25T09:25:17 by 9 Comments
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A SolarWorld worker in the USA inspects a bifacial solar panel. Pic: SolarWorld

German and US based manufacturer of top quality solar panels, Solar World AG launched their new bifacial solar modules in late 2015 at the industry trade show Solar Power International. However it was this month’s announcement of the first rollout of the new SolarWorld solar panels in the United States that has set tongues wagging. [Read more…]

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The race is on as Panasonic snatches lead as most efficient solar panel

March 9, 2016 2017-10-25T09:25:59 by 8 Comments
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Panasonic snatch the title for most efficient panel from Sunpower.

Well that didn’t take long! No sooner had we published our article on SunPower grabbing the unofficial prize of most efficient solar panel for commercial use, than Japanese manufacturer Panasonic surprises with a late sprint to the line.

The Japanese manufacturer has now jumped into the lead in the solar conversion Premier League with not one but two records. The new record, which was verified by the Japanese government-funded National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, is an eye-catching photovoltaic module conversion efficiency of 23.8 percent. This leaves SunPower’s previous record in the dust by a full percentage point. [Read more…]

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Sunpower grabs lead in bid for most efficient solar panel

March 3, 2016 2025-07-29T10:09:15 by 1 Comment
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Sunpower – the ‘Rolls-Royce’ of solar panels regain the ‘Most Efficient Panel’ Trophy.

It’s on for young and old in the battle for the prestigious title of the most efficient solar panel. For a number of weeks we’ve brought you commentaries on the remarkable breakthroughs achieved by Trina (here and here). Now Sunpower — the French-owned, US-based solar panel manufacturer — has stepped up to the plate with an announcement they have achieved a module efficiency rating of 22.8 percent for its X-Series solar panel. Another world record. [Read more…]

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