Sun Elec's Free Solar Panels

Hey all, I'm building a 12V off-grid system and been recently informed of Sun Elec's free solar panels. They were made by Sun Tech. All you have to pay is the shipping. Has anyone heard about this and is it a good choice?
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https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/lawsuit-news/341910-open-energy-34-watt-solar-tile-class-action-settlement/
http://www.solarpanelsettlement.com/faqs/
First, this is one of the best blogs and it does a wonderful service for people. It's fantastic for the promotion of safe, efficient PV utilization.
Second, if you want the entire story about these modules you can just call me. I have been researching and waiting on getting these 50,000 modules for over a year. It's not a simple or short story. There are many twists and turns.
So how did it come to pass that I'm able to give away 50,000 solar modules?
I found out about them in a meeting at the SolarWorld mfr. plant with the top two executives, Ardes Johnson head of sales and Marvin Talbert plant designer and manager. They are two of the smartest guys in the industry. My chief engineer and I were there to buy modules. As usual we asked about Grade B's, they didn't have any. They suggested I look into the these 50,000 modules. I do not believe they would have recommended us do that if they posed a serious fire risk.
So who is the seller here? I have been in the solar industry, 43 years, since 1973. I worked for U.S. Rep. George E. Brown (D-CA.) Chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee, AZ. Governor Bruce Babbitt's Arizona Solar Energy Commission, Photowatt one of the first PV mfr.'s, Kyocera Solar. Who would throw all this away just to give modules away that were fire hazards.
Here's the background in a nutshell, as I read it:
2 or 3 houses out of approx. 500 homes had problems. On approximately 3 individual sets of modules the installers did not properly "snap" the MC3 modules together. Over the years they began to separate due to wind, rain, snow, hail, and temperature changes. This created a short in those 3 connections. Not correctly tightening the interconnects between the modules caused sparks, smoke and possibly fire. No house was lost, no roof was destroyed and no one was hurt.
Lawyers saw a golden opportunity and initiated a class action law suit and the courts upheld it. Because of that, hundreds of homeowners had their entire systems taken down including all the inverters and other BOS. They were given brand new systems and 50,000 roof tiles were de-installed.
I have spent months consolidating all the documentation I could find and got considerable help from my staff, friends and attorneys.
We sent our NABCEP Certified Solar and Mechanical Engineer Lek Archaria, to inspect and test the roof tiles. A month later we sent our Solar Engineer and Purchasing Manager Louis Prophete to a different warehouse to do the same. We did not find a single burn mark, sign of overheating, such as discoloration or delamination. Every module we tested put out full rated power even though they were over 5 years old. The tested output matched the Suntech UL label on the back of the modules.
There are several solutions for people who don't want to make sure they have properly interconnected the modules (solidly snapped them into their lock positions). You can repair or fix this type of problem easily. Just call us ! we're always here to help.
I am more than willing to share all our research. I have posted lots of the documentation and numerous blogs on this. And, I will continue work on it. You can see photos of the modules and labels on my blog.
Finally, because the modules are used, we are telling everyone they should not be used on high voltage 300 volt grid connect systems but only for low, 12, 24, and 48 volt applications.
Thank you.
We're are NOT selling them we are giving them away. I am putting up links again now to various important documents.
I would appreciate any contacts of non governmental organization NGO's or anyone who has a humanitarian agenda. Particularly in the Caribbean Basin. All suggestions and productive comments anyone might have to make this happen in the safest and quickest possible manner will be greatly appreciated.
John Kimball
[email protected]
-Bill
I called sunelec. They are open from M-F. So I carefully filled out their contact form and sent it with a detailed message. Was told I used the "wrong password" and my detailed message was erased. Arghh
I must say that I have tried to buy from sunelec in the past. So far....nothing but frustration. My message did not need to be erased. Web sites normally give additional opportunities if one makes a mistake on the password. Just my .02.
http://sunelec.com/
1) Drop shipped to a shipping/trucking center in Denver....not sure if they will do that.
2) Shipping to southern Colorado.....about 220 miles from the main hub in Denver. 110 miles from the closest good sized city....Pueblo, Colorado.
Origin is Miami, Florida....a long ways away.
These pallets will not be stackable at all. Without knowing the tile dimensions, I have no idea what the loaded pallet dimensions will be. The approx answers will tell me how many pallets would fit on what trailer.
Thanks in advance!
I forgot I need to call them, I'd love to get these in the schools for hands on science projects.
- Assorted other systems, pieces and to many panels in the closet to not do more projects.
My guess is most of them would be fine. most were pulled from working environments.
I suspect there will also be some legal affidavit to sign stating that you are aware of the past problems and assume all responsibility for any use or disposal. I had to for some panels I purchased that were part of a damaged warehouse lot. Half were fine 3-4 were scarred and 10 were broken. I actually gave them away using this website!
- Assorted other systems, pieces and to many panels in the closet to not do more projects.
- Assorted other systems, pieces and to many panels in the closet to not do more projects.
- Assorted other systems, pieces and to many panels in the closet to not do more projects.
and they end up with a a roof that leaks and does not produce energy.
Any one know if these are the panels that were a major pain to wire? They sure would be in low voltage applications.
Are we sure this is helping?
htps://offgridsolar1.com/
E-mail [email protected]
I suspect John would rather they not go back on roofs. I would think his lawyers would require some sort of 'signing off' understanding the liability and/or past problems.
- Assorted other systems, pieces and to many panels in the closet to not do more projects.
You really think these would be fine in a 24v or 12v like they have down there. What a pain to wire and maintain. I am sure they will fuse all the strings so there is not a fire.....
I just do not see the help this is for them. Looks like getting rid of more junk to people who do not know better.
My humble opinion!
htps://offgridsolar1.com/
E-mail [email protected]
They are not to be used in high voltage grid connects. John has blamed the previous fires on improperly done MC3 connections. Those connections are the reason that I used to replace them with MC4s....which is a bit of a pain. Photowit came up with some MC3 combiners that mostly solved the issue.
Now....how are we supposed to know what to order without knowing what comes on a pallet? All we know is there is a "pallet of roofing tiles."
If you have a small system, perhaps these are a nice solution to you... But shipping small numbers of solar panels has always been difficult to do cost effectively. If you can pick them up directly (if they are set up for that)--Perhaps it is worth it for you.
-Bill
on a roof at high temperatures. Someone eventually will do this correctly but as a pessimist I do seem to have more data than the optimists, at this time.
I draw the line at dumping this stuff down in the Caribbean where I lived for months at a time on many of these islands anchored offshore for years. Maybe Mr Kimball with all of his experience will do the right thing.
htps://offgridsolar1.com/
E-mail [email protected]
I suspect poor people would be happy to find a functional way to use the power. Off grid, and many places in Haiti have no functioning grid. Might setup multiple strings of 3, they have no 'Code' to worry about. Some of us old timers have had multiple strings, particularly at volt voltage, without a combiner box. 400 watts and a junk car battery and MSW inverter. I could price components and have functional AC for small items during the day for under $100. With a real battery it sounds a lot like my early sailboat and van systems.
- Assorted other systems, pieces and to many panels in the closet to not do more projects.
A lot of us went off the grid wanting to get away from persistent technological nightmares.
If this is in reference to an agreement that you must sign and return. Often a library will have what's needed at little or no expense, other than travel. I'm 13 miles through the woods or 22 miles via pavement from my local library. It should be expected...
- Assorted other systems, pieces and to many panels in the closet to not do more projects.
|| Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
|| VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A
solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister ,
He said there were 2 releases that must be signed, one states that the panels will never be sold. His website shows that they are moving to a new warehouse. here is a page from his website. http://sunelec.com/#tab-attribute
Additional research into the factory recall shows that the O-rings in the connectors were probably the problem and replacement of the O-rings made the panels much more reliable.
Using my broker and assuming a 500 lb weight (class 150) delivery from Miami to my business in N. GA is about $200. Assuming 100 of the 120 panels shipped were good then the 34 watt panels after O-ring replacement will cost about $3 ea.
Conext XW6848 with PDP, SCP, 80/600 controller, 60/150 controller and Conext battery monitor
21 SW280 panels on Schletter ground mount
48v Rolls 6CS 27P
- Assorted other systems, pieces and to many panels in the closet to not do more projects.
MC3 clamshells are relatively inexpensive. Good luck with finding cheap shipping on the super lightweight items... Our host does not carry them.
MC4s always use o-rings, MC3s do not.....to the best of my knowledge.
Due to the extreme distance from Miami to here, I am going to pass. It will be interesting to see how others may fare. I don't think loosely stacked, then wrapped, glass tiles will ship at a very economic rate. Unless, perhaps, the conditions are "free stuff...buyer takes risks." It almost has to ship that way I would think.