Yet another solar question
Been RV'ing for a long time & have been reading ALL solar posts with interest. I was reading a recent solar post and one person brought up Solar Blvd. I visited their web site and ran across this d...
Forum Discussion
Almot, I have seen a range of weights per wattage among panels by brand and whether 12v or 24v; don't know if any is the "proper" weight.
My 130w Sharp panel (no longer made) has quite a heavy stiff frame compared with those Sun brand panels I had.
Sharp 130w-- 31 lbs
Sun 120w-- 21 lbs
Sun 230w-- 43 lbs
my Hanwha 230--48 lbs
Hanwha 235--44 lbs
Even at that 48lbs, the panel flexs quite a bit in its frame--the Sharp 130 no flex. Both Sharp and Hanwha have 1.9" deep frames but the much lighter Sun 12s (that flex a lot too) have only 1.5" deep frames.
I have no way to tell if the cells themselves are thicker or heavier or if weight is any measure of quality as such. The Sun panels I had worked just fine.
I make wooden trays to sit my portable panels in so the stress and strain of mounting in a contraption or on the roof is on the tray not the panel. This makes flexing a non-issue for me (but I do like that solidly built Sharp panel)
My 130w Sharp panel (no longer made) has quite a heavy stiff frame compared with those Sun brand panels I had.
Sharp 130w-- 31 lbs
Sun 120w-- 21 lbs
Sun 230w-- 43 lbs
my Hanwha 230--48 lbs
Hanwha 235--44 lbs
Even at that 48lbs, the panel flexs quite a bit in its frame--the Sharp 130 no flex. Both Sharp and Hanwha have 1.9" deep frames but the much lighter Sun 12s (that flex a lot too) have only 1.5" deep frames.
I have no way to tell if the cells themselves are thicker or heavier or if weight is any measure of quality as such. The Sun panels I had worked just fine.
I make wooden trays to sit my portable panels in so the stress and strain of mounting in a contraption or on the roof is on the tray not the panel. This makes flexing a non-issue for me (but I do like that solidly built Sharp panel)
