Silicon vs. Thin film

LucMan

Can any one recommend some good sites to compare the pros and cons of silicon vs thin film PV panels. I currently have 26 BP 200W panels and SMA inverter producing 6000 KWH per yr. here in NY. I am on grid with net metering.
I am considering adding another array of equal output. As my only available fuels for heat is oil or LP gas. I would like to go all electric to get away from having to purchase my energy.
Thanks

Solar Guppy

Re: Silicon vs. Thin film

There is no advantage to selecting thinfilm panels and its pretty much a moot point as for residential users there is almost none to be found.

Si panel prices have come down so much this year its looking to crush out of business many of the new Asi manufactures and their promises of lower cost.

You can buy name brand Si panels for under 2.40 watt, non-UL Si panel for 1.78 watt, at these prices Thin film will be nothing more than a foot note in the history of RE technology

http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/thin-film-players-feeling-besieged/

GreenPowerManiac

Re: Silicon vs. Thin film

If you got the space, go for it. The BP 200watt panels, that is. You already know how they respond and this would seem like a good insurance policy.
Dsireusa.org has the following info with rebates PV:

http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=NY10F&re=1&ee=1

Plus Federal tax credit of 30%

Might want to get a licensed business to install it to achieve maximum credits.

stephendv

Re: Silicon vs. Thin film

Amorphous thin film has been used successfully in very hot climates where it's output is slightly better than poli or mono in peak summer. Results of a comparative study in the South of Spain:

- 30 degree inclination
- Poli SOLON 210 Wp = 1471 kWh/kWp
- Amorfo KANEKA TEA108 Wp = 1512 kWh/kWp

- 10 degree inclination
- Poli SOLON 210 Wp = 1378 kWh/kWp
- Amorfo KANEKA TEA108 Wp = 1428 kWh/kWp

Source: http://www.solarweb.net/forosolar/downloads.php?do=file&id=1&act=down

But anyway, sounds like you're looking to use PV to produce heat. That's a very expensive route to take, why not try solar hot water heating?

EDIT: Another article showing that thin film is better in difuse light conditions (fog, cloud) than poli or mono: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2009/05/solar-shootout-in-the-san-joaquin-valley

arkieoscar

Re: Silicon vs. Thin film

Like others have said, there's not much advantage in the thin film at this point but at to your last statement- PV and ground source heat pumps can be a good fit. I have a customer in MO. who heats and cools his home with a closed loop system that runs on his inverters with no problem. With this system, you're not making any heat, just moving it to or from the ground. They get COPs near 5 which means that it equals 5x the output of resistance heating. If you make your home very efficient, you won't need a lot of heat to make it comfortable. 30% rebates on them, too.

LucMan

Re: Silicon vs. Thin film

stephendv wrote: »

But anyway, sounds like you're looking to use PV to produce heat. That's a very expensive route to take, why not try solar hot water heating?

Unfortunately the climate here in NY is not the greatest for solar thermal heating. Not enough sun during the coldest month's when you need the heat the most. System would require about 5,000 gals of water storage.Then there is the problem of what to do with the excess heat during the warm sunny month's, using power to dispose of the excess energy. I really hate to waste energy.

That's why I think banking the KWH during the sunny months would be to my advantage. I would certainly use a heat pump as my average COP would be about 2.5 for the entire heating season. The rebates from the federal & state government would make it more affordable for PV as there are not as many incentives for solar thermal systems.

niel

Re: Silicon vs. Thin film

you wouldn't have enough batteries to store the power needed to use it 6 months later let alone an even shorter storage time period. that is just too much power you are talking about and that isn't addressing the losses involved to store power over time. it just isn't a good thing to use pv on even when not trying to store it for any length of time.

Solar Guppy

Re: Silicon vs. Thin film

I assume the OP is talking gridtie when banking the kWh's ... extra production in the summer creates credits that are then used in the winter months ... Most Gridtie works this way.

arkieoscar

Re: Silicon vs. Thin film

Re: Neil's reply- I think he's talking about banking it with the power co. by selling when the sun is shining. Re: My previous reply- I wasn't talking about thermal solar heating of the house but running a geothermal heat pump on the output of the PV array. With air to air heat pumps resistance heat strips are needed for defrost and when the outside temps are too low for it work. 10 to 15kw loads are hard to justify when buying batteries and inverters.

niel

Re: Silicon vs. Thin film

they also don't usually allow the credits to rollover to the next year do they? using some of it up in december may be fine, but the bulk of winter won't be covered for any that must use it up by the end of the year.

BB.

Re: Silicon vs. Thin film

At least for Northern California (PG&E), the period starts when the solar/net metering service starts... My first month is October, and I can carry both a Positive or Negative Account Balance.

I pay a minimum charge of ~$5.50 per month (meter/billing charge plus some 30 kWhrs a month minimum)--and I can either pay the "negative balance" or let it run to September of the next year and pay the total negative balance, or if positive, it resets to zero (I am always positive at the end of the year).

-Bill

LucMan

Re: Silicon vs. Thin film

niel wrote: »

they also don't usually allow the credits to rollover to the next year do they? using some of it up in december may be fine, but the bulk of winter won't be covered for any that must use it up by the end of the year.

Good point I will have to look into this. Since my current credits are used up by the November billing period. My minimum fee is $10 per month + taxes, the power company calls it a connection fee. I have to pay any KWH used during any billing period. Don't know how long the credits would carry over.

Solar Guppy

Re: Silicon vs. Thin film

It not standardized, My electric company has no time limits ... in my case the hot weather is 2X longer than the cold so I bank fall winter and spring to handle the summer loads