Best solar panels. watts/dollar and watts/area.

[deputc26]

I started a similar thread in the wind turbines section. I imagine you pay somewhat of a premium for high efficiency solar cells and that there is somewhat of a continuum where increasing efficiency means higher dollars per watt, anyone got a favorite brand/manufacturer?

[deputc26]

Sanyo 215 Watt Solar Panel HIP-215N HIT Photovoltaic ModuleHIT Power 215 WattModule Efficiency: 17.1%Cell Efficiency: 19.3% $4.60/watt .110watts/in^2

Sanyo 210 Watt Solar Panel HIP-210N HIT Photovoltaic ModuleHIT Power 210 WattModule Efficiency: 16.7%Cell Efficiency: 18.9% $4.56/watt .108watts/in^2

Sanyo 205 Watt Solar Panel HIP-205N HIT Photovoltaic ModuleHIT Power 205 WattModule Efficiency: 16.3%Cell Efficiency: 18.4% $4.54/watt .105watts/in^2

BP 50 Watt Solar Panel $5.90/watt .072watts/in^2

GE 110 Watt Solar Module $4.54/watt .073watts/in^2

GE 165 Watt Solar Module $4.43/watt .074watts/in^2

SunTech 175 Watt Solar Panel STP175S-24/Ab-1 $3.74/watt .088watts/in^2

Sharp 123 Watt Solar Panel The Sharp 123 watt solar panels (Sharp ND-123UJF) $4.31/watt .080watts/in^2

spent 15min looking for sunpower, couldn't find a price.

[deputc26]

Originally Posted by myocardia

SunPower doesn't list their prices. It seems they "hard sell", after you contact them. This page is the closest they come to telling their price, which is $8-10 per watt.

That is a ~100% premium, though if it includes installation costs it's not so bad. There must be another factor is enabling them to stay competitive...

[Therion]

What do you guys think about the Kaneka thin film panels that are available now? Sunelec has them for $72 for a 60-Watt panel. Based on their size, their efficiency must be well below 10% to only get 60 watt from a 38"x39" panel. But damn, are they cheap!

I'm thinking about setting up a large solar farm to take advantage of the high Ontario FIT rate, and these would definitely be cost effective. Any thoughts?

[Therion]

Crazy, I even posted in that thread. Thanks for the heads up.

[Nicolas_Thomas]

Before some time I have tried a brand called “A2SE”.You can also try out this.

[thaginzzo]

Everybody needs to start showing a little Eadofbo and buy a kick ass solar panel.