Best hot weather panels???

JJones
JJones Registered Users Posts: 6 ✭
in General Solar Power Topics #1
I live in Apache Junction, AZ and am looking at getting a solar system installed. My primary focus is panels that will be able to function best at higher temperatures. Not looking at thin film for my residential install but so far, these are the choices I've been presented with ranked in order of cost.


SunPower 230W Mono

Sanyo 215W Hybrid


Solarworld 245W Mono

CentroSolar 235W Poly

Sharp 208W Poly

Canadian Solar 230W Poly



Any suggestions? Primarily all I'm looking for is high heat performance and what I've been told is that poly's tend to hold up better in the heat but haven't been able to find data supporting that claim.
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  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: Best hot weather panels???

    you can look up each panel's ratings for the derating per degree c. the sanyo you might not want as some thin film technology is used there.
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  • tallgirl
    tallgirl Solar Expert Posts: 413 ✭✭
    #3
    Re: Best hot weather panels???

    From fuzzy memory, the order of performance (best to worst) in higher temperatures is amorphous (thin film), poly, mono.

    The OP might not have much choice if they want to optimize for temperature.

    That said, the Vtemp correction is usually less (closer to 0) than -0.5% / *K and the usual rules of "if you lose more, just install more" apply here. It's a better strategy, come winter, than designing a system that is so optimized for summer performance that it don't work so good in the winter. What the OP would make up for compensating for temperature losses would provide additional production in the winter when they need it.
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  • Peter_V
    Peter_V Solar Expert Posts: 226 ✭✭✭
    #4
    Re: Best hot weather panels???
    JJones wrote: »
    I live in Apache Junction, AZ and am looking at getting a solar system installed. My primary focus is panels that will be able to function best at higher temperatures. Not looking at thin film for my residential install but so far, these are the choices I've been presented with ranked in order of cost.
    -snip-
    Canadian Solar 230W Poly .

    I live in southern AZ, down near Tombstone.
    I can't speak for the other panels but I have the Canadian Solar C6SP-230P panels, I've been very pleased with them.
    Even during June (hottest month of the year down here) they performed close to the PTC rating.

    I'm not sure if your familiar with PTC ratings, but this is the rating for how well a panel does under "real world" conditions (read HOT), not the ideal laboratory conditions that the STC (normal) rating indicates.

    For a large list of panels and their PTC ratings:
    http://www.gosolarcalifornia.ca.gov/equipment/pv_modules.php

    Note: This website changes their layout frequently, if the above link is broken you might have to start at their homepage and drill down.

    Also Canadian Solar has a bit of a reputation for excelling at PTC ratings
    http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/partner/csi-solar-inc-7547/news/article/2010/02/canadian-solar-modules-continue-to-be-recognized-for-top-ptc-ratings
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  • stephendv
    stephendv Solar Expert Posts: 1,571 ✭✭
    #5
    Re: Best hot weather panels???

    Looks like the hybrid Sanyo's are your best bet:

    Sanyo HIT -0.30 %/ºC
    Sunpower 230 -0.38 %/ºC
    Canadian Solar 230P -0.45 %/ºC

    Online database of lots of panel data: http://www.posharp.com/photovoltaic/database.aspx
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  • wdegrace
    wdegrace Registered Users Posts: 8 ✭
    #6
    Re: Best hot weather panels???

    The sanyo's are also double if not triple the price of the Canadian solar or solarworld.
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  • solarix
    solarix Solar Expert Posts: 713 ✭✭
    #7
    Re: Best hot weather panels???

    I bet that the module with the lowest cost/Wstc will still be the best value even when you take into account the hot performance. In other words, you pay a high price for a little bit better high temp performance. The Sanyo HIT modules do look cool though.
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