SolarCity has built the world’s most efficient rooftop solar panel, with a module efficiency exceeding 22 percent. The new SolarCity panel generates more power per square foot and harvests more energy over a year than any other rooftop panel in production, and will be the highest volume solar panel manufactured in the Western Hemisphere.
SolarCity will begin producing the first modules in small quantities this month at its 100 MW pilot facility, but the majority of the new solar panels will ultimately be produced at SolarCity’s 1 GW facility in Buffalo, New York. SolarCity expects to be producing between 9,000 – 10,000 solar panels each day with similar efficiency when the Buffalo facility reaches full capacity.
SolarCity’s panel was measured with 22.04 percent module-level efficiency by Renewable Energy Test Center, a third-party certification testing provider for photovoltaic and renewable energy products. SolarCity’s new panel—created via a proprietary process that significantly reduces the manufacturing cost relative to other high-efficiency technologies—is the same size as standard efficiency solar panels, but produces 30-40 percent more power. SolarCity’s panel also performs better than other modules in high temperatures, which allows it to produce even more energy on an annual basis than other solar panels of comparable size.
SolarCity initially expects to install the new, record-setting solar panel on rooftops and carports for homes, businesses, schools and other organizations, but it will also be excellent for utility-scale solar fields and other large-scale, ground level installations.
True Solar Advocate says
When this product is actually in mass production, and certified at that efficiency by CEC, which by all industry standards is THE “certifying body” (who ever heard of “Renewable Energy Test Center” anyway?), then SolarCity can make this claim. Until then, this is as was described earlier today in Seeking Alpha “vaporware”. This uses bifacial technology, which Sunpreme, Panasonic, and others have used with similar or even greater results. This efficiency is only realized when installed such that the backside of the panel captures reflective energy, on a flat white roof, or over white stones for a ground mount.
For residential asphalt shingle, tile, or metal roofs, this efficiency will be MUCH LOWER!!!
SolarCity has, once again, put out PR akin to lipstick on a pig, just like their nearly criminal lease product (no buyout option, 2.9% escalator on long term financing on a fixed up-front cost asset, and gross overstatements of the market value of the system to game the Investment Tax Credit.)
Who will be the first to put these guys on trial and behind bars?