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Nov 16 2015

The Top Three Solar Manufacturers

By Sam Baker Solar Panel Installation Process No Comments

At Solar.com, we believe in supplying quality equipment for our customers. In the last twenty years, solar technology has grown exponentially, costs have plummeted, and we don’t think there’s any reason for a homeowner to install a solar system that isn’t made by an excellent manufacturer. After speaking with customers, installers, and companies, we’ve found out which panels work, and which fail to live up to their marketing hype. Below are three-panel manufacturers that we’ve found to be reliable, efficient, and leaders in the market.

1. SunPower

SunPower has some of the most expensive solar panels on the market, but they’re also the most efficient. That makes them ideal for homes that only have a limited amount of roof space. The Maxeon solar cells that SunPower manufacturers offer a 24% conversion rate, which is the highest rate available on the market today for a silicon cell solar panel.

Not only are their panels efficient, but they’re also durable. SunPower’s panels incorporate a solid copper backing, thick connectors between the panels (these expand and contract to match daily temperature changes), and they don’t have grid lines on the front of the cells. All of these changes ensure a long life, and the lack of grid lines makes these panels look more attractive sitting on top of your roof.

Another benefit of SunPower panels is that they’ve eliminated 85% of the reasons that conventional cells fail. That ensures their reliability, and it’s why SunPower is confident in backing up their panels with a full 25-year warranty. That’s a 15 year longer warranty than most other solar panel manufacturers are willing to offer.

Finally, SunPower even has an app which allows you to see how much energy your panels are generating in real time. You’ll be able to compare these statistics to historical numbers and see how much energy your system has generated over time.

2. LG

LG is an established brand known for its high-quality products, and its panels are some of the most efficient in the market. Their Neon 2 panels have an 18.6 – 19.5% conversation rate which makes them one of the more efficient panels available to homeowners.

Furthermore, LG produces its own solar cells which means that they have complete control over the production process. That means that they can ensure a high-quality product at all times. Their panels are made with a very slim and durable glass. This ensures that they are lightweight while also being rated to withstand tough environmental conditions.

One of LG’s specialties is its focus on testing. They have a unique series of quality assurance tests which guarantee that every panel they ship is of the high quality, and ready to last well beyond its marketed life. LG also chooses to spend a significant amount of money on research and development. In fact, 25% of their entire workforce is dedicated to discovering new technologies and improving their solar technology.

3. SolarWorld

Founded in 1988, SolarWorld has its headquarters in Bonn, Germany. But don’t let the location fool you. Currently, SolarWorld operates the largest solar cell production facility in the United States. To date, they have purchased more than 1.4 Billion dollars worth of products from all 50 states. Not to mention the hundreds of jobs that they’ve created.

One of SolarWorld’s chief aims is to create an extremely durable panel. They engineer it to withstand blizzards, strong winds, and even hail. Every day they do numerous tests to ensure the superior quality of their panels. Additionally, SolarWorld has an insurance policy that backs up their warranty, in case they go out of business.

SolarWorld also places a heavy emphasis on efficiency, sustainability, and renewability. They currently offer a recycling program on all used modules, which is a great way to complete the green energy process.

Recently, they supplied a 2.6 MW system to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. This large system will help the VA to move towards its goal of getting 20% of all its energy from renewable sources by 2020. If you want to learn more about the project and see how SolarWorld is making a difference, check out this article.

Nov 11 2015

Love0

Wind Power vs. Solar Power

By Sam Baker How Do Solar Panels Lower Your Electric Bill? No Comments

In 2014, 369.6 GW of energy was generated from wind power globally. This number continues to grow every year, and it shows no signs of slowing down. Wind power has now reached 4% of total energy production in the world, and some countries gain a significant part of their electricity requirements from wind sources. Denmark, for example, harvest 40% of all it’s energy from wind turbines.

Wind Power Around the World

The country with the largest wind farm is China. Their Gansu wind farm generates 6,000 MW of energy, which is about four and a half times more energy than is generated by the next largest wind farm. Worldwide, there are more than 200,000 windmills installed on land and at sea.

Offshore wind power is a popular choice because it mitigates some of the problems posed by land based windmills. Currently, 10 European countries are generating enough power from offshore wind farms to power 5 million households every year. The largest and second largest offshore wind farms are both located off of the UK Coast. This is a result of the UK’s prime location and generous financial backing from the government.

Solar Power and its Growing Popularity

Every day the sun gives us significantly more energy than we need to power the entire earth. It’s up to us to harvest it. The problem isn’t our current solar technology, which is actually quite good. The problem is transporting that energy from where it’s generated to where it’s needed. The best place to generate electricity is somewhere like the Sahara Desert or the American South West. However, these locations can often be hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away from where the electricity is needed. Despite the setbacks of building large, commercial scale solar farms, homeowners can enjoy the benefits of having their own personal system without having to worry about power transmission or poor infrastructure.

In 2014, more than 185 million MW of electricity was generated from solar panels. That accounted for 0.79% of earth’s total energy requirements. While solar panels are already popular in countries like America, China, and Germany, many other countries are now embracing technology. Brazil is promising to start investing heavily in solar energy and Japan has pioneered a way to deploy solar panels on water, in order to utilize space that was previously unable to generate renewable energy.

Which Renewable Energy Source is Best?

After considering all the facts, there is an obvious winner: solar energy. There are a couple of large drawbacks associated with wind energy. First, some people don’t like the sight of massive windmills on the horizon. These people feel that the windmills disrupt the scenery and create an eye sore. On the other hand, solar panels can be installed on a person’s roof where they are virtually invisible. Additionally, solar panels installed in a field won’t stand taller than 10 to 15 feet and are significantly less distracting than a large windmill.

Another problem with wind power is just to generate enough power for a single home, a person will need to install an 80-foot windmill. Furthermore, windmills tend to work poorly in residential areas since homes and buildings can disrupt the flow of air. This isn’t the case with solar panels. As long as you have access to the sun every day, you’re good to go. If you live in California, on average your roof will receive 5.5 hours of direct sunlight a day. This is more than enough to justify installing a solar panel system. In fact, if you install a battery backup system, you’ll be able to use solar energy to power your home around the clock.

Federal tax credits and other state renewable energy programs can help to ease the load of installing a new system. With government aid, most people only end up paying half of the total price of installing a solar panel system. Read our article about some of the programs available to residents of California in order to get a better understanding of your options. Finally, if you’re ready to go green, contact Solar.com today! We will help you get the process started and shave thousands of dollars off the price tag in the process.

Sources

http://www.awea.org/Resources/Content.aspx?ItemNumber=900

http://cleantechnica.com/solar-power/

http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/benefits-solar-power-infographic/

http://themindunleashed.org/2015/05/this-area-would-be-enough-to-power-the-whole-world-with-solar-energy.html