Flexible Solar Panel Output Test: Sunpower Cells After A Year vs. Traditional Mono Flex Panel

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Every video includes some form of paid promotion or sponsorship. Some links on this youtube channel may be affiliate links. We may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these. My videos are for educational purposes only. Information is subject to change/update at any time. Electricity is DANGEROUS and can kill. Be smart and use common sense :)

DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program,
An affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

[YhAFbwts]

about time for an update. I'm hoping for good results. I'd like to use flexible for lower profile/stealth on my van

[markburrows]

I installed three sunpower panels on our boat, in the sun full time in Feb 2019, so far they still look new. I will keep you posted .
Marks Marine Electric, San Diego

[priusdave]

On my Prius, I save $30 a month in gasoline from not using the car as a generator with 200W of flexible panels taped to the roof. That’s a quick payback !
I could not figure out a good way to mount a glass panel without loss of aerodynamics therefor loss of MPG on a Prius. Thanks for the great review!

[chrysfil]

You are 100% correct, I had flexible one's on my camper and in combination with the flexibility of the vehicle and the weather changes the work for just about 6 months, from 250w they drop to 4w in a good day ( all 5 of them).

[silenttraveler]

William, You are like fine wine.
Getting better and better with age
Xoxo

[larryll]

You look just like a kid at Christmas opening his presents you are so happy :) 😁🤩😎 keep up the great work will :)😍 great review and vid will😁

[mikestone]

Really like your reviews, there's never a question of your honest reviews. And your knowledge is quite high. Thanks.

[alanmcrae]

As always, a solid review by a solar expert you can trust. Searching for viewer comments at many other places on YouTube it appears that it is rare for flexible solar panels to last more than a couple of years - three at best. They just don't appear to be a wise, long-term investment in solar power production.

[danieljohnson]

Sunpower cells are good if you want a burn mark in your roof. The moment you get a crack (and you will after year of it baking in the sun becoming brittle), increased resistance and then hotspot and off you go! Good video by the way.

[StoverJason]

This is a great video. I especially like the hot vs cold test since many people think they have a bad panel when it just gets hot in the sun. In my initial research, it sounds like the ETFE coated panels are far superior to the PET coated panels (older style). Further, if the claims are accurate, ETFE resists heat absorption much better than PET leading to a much smaller reduction in efficiency because the panel doesn't heat up as much. Would love to see a more in depth comparison of PET and ETFE panels and long-term follow up. My understanding is that PET panels have a 5 year life expectancy while manufacturers are claiming 10 years for ETFE.

Additionally, resing the flexible panels on the pallets may lead to increased temps (and effeciency loss) because air cannot pass underneath as well. A traditional hard panel with a rigid frame with spacing behind the panel would allow better heat disipation and cooling underneath while resting on the pallets while a flexible panel will not get as much cooling effect. Per the comment above about ETFE resisting heat absorption, this may be why the new ETFE panel had such a high output even once it started getting warm. The temp on the surface may be high but the solar cells may not have been as hot. It may also be a good idea to check what the temp on the back of the panel is. That may be a more accurate indication of how hot the cells get.

Nice work as always!

[lesliebright]

Hi! So, four years later: has anything changed? Airstream has been changing over to Merlin Solar, using their flexible panels on their new Trade Wind and on the Basecamps. I’d be interested in hearing your perspective on them.

[arlenekufchock]

Hi Will, this is great thanks! Will you please consider giving updates every 6-12 months to track their decreasing output? Thanks!

[SLMain]

TFS and all of your work you put into your testing and reviews

[usaroseinc]

Yip please can you do an update - we appreciate your videos and your candid reviews.

[chrislewistx]

Hello, I enjoyed seeing you in another Dave 2D video. For the record I enjoyed your Vlog videos. I understand they might not make money, but they were fun. We are totally different people, and live completely different lives. However, I still enjoyed them. It was fun watching the mix of informational and everyday life videos. Whatever you do, keep it up, great content. Have a good one.

[Eyezzzonly]

i got in March 2022 - 4 of my flexible Panels (its a firm called solartronics from germany) for my Flat (i have no Balcony, and i hang them out the window with safety straps like you would secure load on a trailer, you know) - so iam recording the data, i have east-west orientation (due to the roof i dont get a lot of sun at high noon) - so i added 20w polys on the windowsill as well (4 of them on each window, so 8 total) - so i get the most of the sun as possible for my situation - and i have not covered all spaces. so there is room for another 2 20W Panels on each window wich i would test next year. but in summertime i get a lot of energy through it, i can run my fridge/pc if i want. and thanks to your diy lifepo4 videos, i will change my batteries from agm to lifepo next year...so thanks a lot! i record data every day, whats going in with what panels. and i can look up next year, if my flexible panels will degrade, i will see it...

[mondomarshall]

Looking for the update on the Rich panel.

[deoara]

Good looking guy. Watch your viewer numbers skyrocket if you take your shirt off!

[floresdavid]

Have you reviewed the Merlin Flexible solar panel?