Third generation solar panels

[biggoolies]

I have been holding off getting any new solar panels in the hope that in the next couple of years the panels will be more efficient. I have tried to search the internet a number of times to find out information about the next wave of more efficient solar panels and when the panels will be on the market to no avail. Anybody on this forum have more information what the future for solar holds in terms of panel efficiency and when they will come to market?
thanks.

 

[Mark K]

I think your specific application will make a difference in what learned people can provide for an answer.

I myself use a 10 watt by Coleman to charge and maintain a deep cycle which runs the lights in my rock/trapping shed. So far so good.

I bought another one to take with on my adventures to keep a deep cycle going.

 

[dwh]

I would not hold my breath waiting for more efficiency. There is a hard limit of 33%.

Differences in manufacturing and precision can make a difference in whether you have a PV module (solar panel) with 15%, 18% or 21% efficiency.

If you're NASA and have the budget, you can make the cells from gallium-arsenide instead of silicon. But even with the big bucks, I don't think NASA has gotten over 30% efficiency yet.


Naturally, there's a lot of research and whatnot, but don't expect anything groundbreaking that we'll be able to buy any time soon.

 

[CaliMobber]

yea solar really has not changed efficiency for the last 30 years, but the price to produce them has gone done dramatically.

Get over to solarblvd.com and just buy them, its never been a better time.

 

[Tarr]

http://www.renogy-store.com/solar-panels-s/1829.htm

Another source of panels. They also sell on Amazon. Check that for reviews.

 

[Haf-E]

yea solar really has not changed efficiency for the last 30 years

There has been considerable increase in efficiency during the last 30 years actually - you can buy modules which have efficiency over 20% now - 30 years ago the best commercially made PV modules were around 13% or so...

But the real improvement is in price - its not too hard to find first quality PV modules for under a $1/watt. The life of today's PV module is also much longer - 30+ years is typical.

Few people need higher efficiency - there is typically enough room on a roof for the size of the battery connected to them - and we are not running out of sunshine...

 

[Stumpalump]

Gadget fever may be your problem. I wanted the newest peel and stick for my roof and one of the roll up versions. There is some nice high end stuff available but when I when I went to a local Solar outlet they said I was nuts. For 1/4 the price I got a nice big discounted panel and Morningstar controller. It works nice in Arizona and California where I use it but it's still solar and solar sucks at generating electricity. If you want maximum performance then invest in a way to tilt the panels toward the sun vs flat mount. After using it I found that with topped off batteries to start and the large solar system on the van I can still only camp a few days with the ARB fridge, IPad, phone and a fan running. My real solution was a Honda generator. These things are super quiet and burn ounces of gas. I can run it twenty minutes and get more charge than all day in the sun. My next rig will only have enough solar to top off the batts when parked because that's about all they are good for.

 

[fourstringfletch]

Piss off spammers! Now I know who I won't be doing business with.

 

[dwh]

Piss off spammers! Now I know who I won't be doing business with.

That spambot isn't going to come back and read your reply.

Best to just report the spam and ignore it till the mods blow it off.

 

[johnfisher]

Focusing more on the title -Third generation solar panels i would like to give a suggestion to visit clean energy corporation for more information

 

[DiploStrat]

… My real solution was a Honda generator. These things are super quiet and burn ounces of gas. I can run it twenty minutes and get more charge than all day in the sun. My next rig will only have enough solar to top off the batts when parked because that's about all they are good for.

I am surprised to hear someone from Arizona saying this. A generator may indeed be the best option for you, but remember that (for reasons that dwh can explain in detail), getting past surface charge can take hours and hours and solar is excellent for that. Generators, whether stand alone or engine mounted, are really good for high amperage bulk/boost charging, but you may not drive/run your genset long enough to complete the charge without recourse to solar or shore power.

FWIW, I found that with 500w of solar I often recouped as much as 150Ah by noon in the west. In the east, with rain and clouds, not so much.

Just make sure that you get those beasts fully charged every few days, however you do it.

Safe travels!

 

[CaliMobber]

Yup for the price of a honda gen and high output a/c battery charger you can get enough solar to power a small cabin.

We started with a Honda Generator but later switched to 350w solar setup. that allows us to run arb fridge, all trailer lights, heated blaket and heater on low plus make coffee in the morning( not leaving on to warm pot).

And like Diplowstrat our charger is throttled and slowing the charge by noon

 

[pugslyyy]

I am surprised to hear someone from Arizona saying this. A generator may indeed be the best option for you, but remember that (for reasons that dwh can explain in detail), getting past surface charge can take hours and hours and solar is excellent for that. Generators, whether stand alone or engine mounted, are really good for high amperage bulk/boost charging, but you may not drive/run your genset long enough to complete the charge without recourse to solar or shore power.

FWIW, I found that with 500w of solar I often recouped as much as 150Ah by noon in the west. In the east, with rain and clouds, not so much.

Just make sure that you get those beasts fully charged every few days, however you do it.

Safe travels!

What's worked well for us is to run the genset in the morning for 20-30 minutes, and then let the solar finish it off during the day. The only other time we really run the genset is for air conditioning or the microwave.

If we were to build a rig today it would be without a genset but with a DC air conditioner - and I would invest the $ / weight in batteries not generator/fuel.

 

[Mark K]

I run a solar panel from Cabellas to run 2 12 volt light bulbs in my shed. It works very well and now that I got a good panel I never have to worry.

I have a similar set up I will use in AZ in 2 weeks for my yearly trip. All it will have to power is an electric blanket and the dash cam in the back of the truck most of the time. The rest of the time it will be just sitting in the sun happily collecting sunshine.