Greetings from Toronto

Therion · #1 12-30-2009, 01:08 AM

Hi everyone. I've decided to put solar panels on my roof in Toronto and I've got lots of questions. I've been educating myself in this field for the past few weeks, and if things work out, I might even go into the installing business. I noticed that Sunpower panels are not recommended by people here, but Kyocera and Evergreen are. Any particular reasons why?

myocardia · #2 12-30-2009, 02:25 AM

Hi, Therion. Welcome to Nature2Energy. Kyocera & Evergreen aren't anything special, they are just very good for the amount they cost. The reason that both Sun and Suntech aren't recommended is because some of them, although not all of them, are positive ground panels. It can be, depending on the model, somewhat hard to find out which panels are positive-ground beforehand, and which are negative-ground. It isn't rare for someone to find out that the panels they've bought are positive-ground only after receiving them.

Since positive-ground panels can't be mixed with "normal" negative-ground panels, and positive-ground panels also require using positive-ground inverters, it really isn't worth the few percent savings that buying Sun and Suntech panels (although not Solartech, which is a different company altogether) can save. Of course, if you happen to be buying huge amounts of panels, the savings will start to add up, and it may very well end up being worthwhile. For the average buyer, though, it isn't worth the trouble.

Therion · #3 12-31-2009, 01:02 AM

Are there any panels that are specifically good? Or at least better than average? Canadian Solar seems to make some fairly cheap panels, how good are they. They are setting up a panel plant here in Ontario, they would be a good fit for my future business.

myocardia · #4 12-31-2009, 11:12 PM

There aren't any panels that are 'specifically good', although obviously some panels are right for some situations and are very unsuited for others. For instance, most large panels have a Vmp of 25-40 volts, which is great for grid-tied systems, and horrible for off grid, battery-based systems. Off-grid systems are much better suited to panels with a Vmp of ~16-18V. There really isn't a perfect panel for all setups, though.

As far as Canadian Solar goes, I have no idea how well-made their panels happen to be, but I'm guessing that opinions on their panels would be much easier for you to find than for me to find.

Therion · #5 01-01-2010, 02:36 PM

Funnily enough, they have no presence in Canada! The co. was started by a Chinese businessman based in Hong Kong who spent a bit of time in Canada. The panels are made in China. The good news is that because of Ontario's "made in Ontario" requirements on the new, 80 cents/kwh feed-in-tarriff, Canadian Solar is moving their headquarters to Kitchener, Ontario, and building a panel plant here. Hopefully they can maintain their pricing with the locally built stuff.

myocardia · #6 01-02-2010, 04:25 AM

Well, if you happen to know the name of the parent company, a Google search might help you determine the quality of their panels. If not, I don't know what to tell you, besides good luck. Chinese quality (of any product, not just solar panels) can be all over the map, although from what I've seen, Chinese panels are usually about as well-made as their competition that was made elsewhere.