Time For New Solar Panels! - Even More Efficient And New Material!

    Yup, I went and did it. Couldn't leave well enough alone. I located some new, more efficient solar panels with a new technology twist that are even smaller than the last set! At $192 each with 6 year warranty from Amazon, how could I resist. Of course actually getting the old ones off and new ones installed wasn't fun at all. The concept of semi-flexible panels adhered to the roof and matching the contours is great! Putting them on isn't really hard at all. Getting them OFF, however...is. I managed...it wasn't easy nor pleasant, but I got the new ones installed. Wow!! 

The old set (my Third!) was advertised as 100W panels. I had six of them giving me 600 watts of power. They were, in truth, a little bit better than 100 Watts...maybe 110 watts each, so I had plenty of power. The install on those required trimming the edges to fit in the small spaces I had available on my roof. The new ones required ZERO trimming as they were about 2 inches smaller in width and length. Have you heard the old joke about the successful electronics manufacturing company? They moved into a smaller space! Well this is a perfect illustration of that.

Aside from the size, the new twist is a material named ETFE (Ethylene-Tetra-Fluoro-Ethylene.) It is much more durable and resistant to UV light than the old panels. Their top layer was made from PET (Polyethylene terephalate.) That's what they make water bottles from. ETFE is harder, stronger and allows for a bit more light transmission. All good, but the real trick was the addition of a surface texture to the panels. It's designed to act as mini-lenses to focus more photons (light) onto the electricity generating portions of the cells.

Sounds good in theory. Since they are not smooth any longer, cleaning debris and dust may be more difficult. A paper towel will just shred itself if used on the surface. However, the instructions do say that you can rinse them with a hose...I'd be wary of too much pressure though. Just paranoid I guess.  I am sure there is a cleaning/dusting device that will work. I have a bunch of micro-dusters I'll try, but I believe I'll need something with a bit of force. Perhaps a lightweight paintbrush with soft bristles. One I can get wet... I'll try a few different ones until it succeeds.

The Major P.I.T.A. Rearmost Panel

The hardest part of this install was removing the old set of panels. The 3M 760 Paralastic adhesive really does work incredibly well! When applied it stays on tenaciously! Since it was applied to the entire area of the back of the panel and held down with weights (sandbags) until dry, the removal required getting underneath and slicing through the adhesive. A thin wire attached to two dowels (used as handles) made quick work of most of the panels, but not all! The one on the rearmost section of the roof was especially stubborn. It required using an oscillating multitool and had to be "rolled" as it was removed, destroying the panel. Well, at least they came off without damage to the roof.

Cleaning up the remaining adhesive took a while, but a combination of the oscillating multitool, some alcohol and a scrubbing pad got rid of the residue. This time around I used a different technique for bonding the panels to the roof. The "thin layer all over the back" works well, but if there is an air gap surrounded by adhesive, the trapped air can become super-heated and expand to the point of cracking the rather delicate silicon wafers used in the panel's construction. This is bad and can ruin a solar panel very quickly. They get HOT. I mean, they are sitting in the sun...that's the whole idea!

This time, I applied 10mm beads across the panel about 4 inches apart leaving a 6 inch gap for air to escape. No matter where the air is, it has a path to exit from under the panel. I have zero fear that the panels won't stay attached, but I also used some strategically placed Eternabond tape to hold down the wires and a tiny bit of the front of the panels. Remember to NOT block any gaps you created for air to escape!! The tape will keep the wires from flopping around in the wind and reduce wear on them (and my nerves!). It will also serve to protect the black wires from additional UV damage along the way.

So, after all was rewired and the fuses put back in, how is the performance? No idea! I am parked in my driveway until tonight. I'll know after my trip. So far, the readings have been favorable. I have no doubt they will perform at least as well as the previous set. All this while being a tad smaller. That's a good thing!

Be Seeing You...Down The Road,

Rich "The Wanderman"
www.thewanderman.com