Best 'Voltaic' Solar Panels

[PseudoNinja]

Hi, I’m new here so, hi…

I know you Greenies will know something about this, would you care to enlighten me about the best kind of deal you’ve seen.

Post pictures, links, explain. Whatever takes your fancy, I’m just trying to harvest some knowledge here. This discussion could provide a usefull repository of solar cell knowledge.

[PseudoNinja]

Brunton Solaris 26 - 26 watts 15.4 volts

Posative
My actual price range is about £140 which as of 9th/Jan/09 is about $214. I did look at this collapsible, portable model from Brunton the camping equipment seller. The review i read said it cost about 140. What caught my eye is the CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide) is the most efficient thin film solar technology available.

Negative
There is a plug which is included with the solar array, that connects to the outside of the solar array, and ends in a female car socket. This is because the array actually converts solar energy into a DC current. Which means that you will need to convert the current to AC before attaching it to your device.

Stats:
- 12V output for video and digital cameras; laptops and dvd players
- Flexible high performance CIGS solar cells
- Multi-section folding panels for ease of storage and use
- Link up to three units together for more output
- Charge vehicle batteries w/ battery clamp cable
- Works in all types of weather, even in low light conditions
- Built-in blocking diode prevents reverse battery discharge
- Lightweight compact design
- Dimensions: 21.5"x37.5" open, 11"x8.75"x1" folded
- Weight: 28 oz
- Max output: 26 Watts (15.4 volts / 1600 mA)
- Warranty: 1 year

http://www.brunton.com/product.php?id=420 - Linky

[PseudoNinja]

Well that’s just f***ing great,

I check two days later and the price has risen to $620. There’s no way that this is worth it now. Call me conspiratorial but I’ve been waiting for the effect of the oil industry to reach over and make sustainable impossibly expensive and take over the means of production, just so they can stay on top of their pyramid... Well f*** that, I’m getting some subsidised EU panels… if I can.

It reminds me of this quote off FarCry3; "a human being lives to find a means to discharge its power." For me its the opposite, i would rather like to gather some...

[PseudoNinja]

Oh and get this,

I found a review that said the brunton has a 1 year warrantee because that’s how long it lasts, afterwards the effectiveness is reduced by 1/3. I think its a case of built in Obsolescence.

[wingnut]

Hello, i am a distributor for the same solar panels as Brunton, Global Solar, and have been working on larger array solutions based on their 55 watt and 62 watt panels. you can see the work at ecopioneer.com which also serves as an onsite event educational program, as well as a helluva good time.
The CIGS tech is the best, and durability outstanding, however the 1 year warranty is a legitimate concern. this is 365 days of use timeline. these portable panels do not see that kind of action and the new 62 watt is a 3 year warranty so be gentle with them and all will be good.
what typwe of applications for solar are you looking to get info on, mobile or stationary/architectural?

[PseudoNinja]

Anything can be classified as mobile for me, but I’m really looking for high efficiency & compact. The former being the most important consideration. Considering that panels take a while to pay for themselves, i would like the kind of longest life available to a budget of $225. It should work for a laptop so i think the brunton-esq folding ones are what i need.

[wingnut]

High efficeiency and compacyt is the p-3 62 watt panel from global solar. Brunton and global solar are the same panel. globalsolar.com . does your lap top have a 12 volt or 18 volt battery? in the end it really isn't about the solar panel it's about the batteries. 225$ will buy you approx 25 Watts foldable panel. i think you will probly need 100 watts to recharge your laptop in 4-6 hours, could be wrong. 25 watts, @ 225$ will take you 4 days, what would a second battery cost you?

[PseudoNinja]

I’ve done some looking on their site, it doesn’t even say how long they will last. They just keep saying "very long life", compared to what? The may fly? It may look good, but why are they being so quiet about it.

I don't really want anything that won't last longer than 5 years and cannot stand one camping trip. Does the crystalline have a longer life?

[wingnut]

Yes crystaline has longer life but is heavy and not portable. what to do?? these panels stand up to harsh beatings without a doubt. I have tested them in moab heat for a week straight, walked on them tossed them around. I am not a gentle person, and these panels take it. HOWEVER.... they are quiet aren't they. i work with them and I can tell you their 25 watt panel laminate solution is stronger than the 12 watters, and the 62 watt panel better than the 25's life span. Problem comes down to delicate silver wires connecting the panels, they are laminated in between those fabric materials. bending, folding, heating, cooling , all takes a toll on the integrity of that laminate environment. without environmental integrity, connections oxidize and you loose efficiency. keep in mind a year warranty for a panel that isn't being used 365 days a year will be a longer life span than a year. and they will always generate, but not at a high efficiency rate as new. so you will end up with a 6-7% efficient panel in the end, which is industry standard for thin film

[PseudoNinja]

Solar concentrating windows

Explanation - From the link below
"Instead of coating the entire solar panel with solar cells - the expensive semiconductor devices that turn the energy of sunlight into electricity - the new solar panel works on the principle of concentrating the light, and the energy, at the edges of a pane of glass where it can be collected by the solar cells.
Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston said that the “solar concentrator” is made from a film of organic molecules that can be coated on to glass window panes or other surfaces exposed to sunlight. This allows light to pass straight through the window even though it is being used to generate power.
It also means that the expensive solar cells need only be placed around the edges of the collecting area, so that there is little need to track the movements of the Sun for generating maximum power, as well as reducing overall costs.
“Light is gathered over a large area [like a window] and gathered, or concentrated, at the edges. The cost of photovoltaic power can be reduced with organic solar concentrators,” said Professor Marc Baldo, the leader of the research team at MIT."

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/new-windows-double-as-sol... - Review

[PseudoNinja]

Heres another review of the windows.
http://fatknowledge.blogspot.com/2008_07_01_archive.html - link

[wingnut]

Solar concentrators are new and untested for their effect of panels, other then they do increase output, BUT at what cost?? it stands to reason that given the manner in which PV silicon generates electricity concentrators will reduce the life span of the solar panels. so 25 years may become 20 or 15.

[PseudoNinja]

In the UK the government will pay 50% of any major 'public' project, and they already offer window concentrators as an option. That probably means its out there and your blokes from MIT got down to manufacture.