Solar panel upgrade

[keith]

I bought my first solar panel some years ago. It was Blue with sqares and it has done us fine.
Lst winter in Spain and Portugal we found that we were lasting very well without EHU but still had a need for further power to top up the battery.

On our return I bought another 50W (Photo below) (our original one was 40W) and today wired it into the motorhome. I was amazed to find the output went from 1.5Amp to 4.5Amp, in full sun, so where has the extra amperage come from? Not the extra 10W I'm sure.

The only difference is in the new panel it'self. It is different to the first one in that it's black and the cells are a slightly different shape being cut off at their corners.

So can anyone explain, in simple terms, what the difference is? Is one type more efficient than the other? oh:

 

[pappajohn]

your's is quite possibly the latter of the three and being a few years old will be very old technology.

have a look at this.....


there are basically three different types of electric solar panels available.
The first type of electric solar panel is called a Monocrystalline and is created from one large single crystal. This type is the best since it can generate electricity in lower light conditions and will also produce more power from the same amount of sunlight. This means you need less of these on your roof to generate your power. The downside is that because it is made from a single expensive crystal it is a more costly panel than the other choices.
The next type of electric solar panel is called a Polycrystalline and this is similar to the first, but is constructed out of several smaller crystals. While it is not as efficient as the first type it still does a great job of converting sunlight to electricity. This type of electric solar panel is the most common and is reasonably priced.
The third style of electric solar panel is called Amorphous and it is built by applying silicon directly onto stainless steel plates. It is less efficient than the other choices and will require more of these type of electric solar panels to generate the same amount of power you would get from a few of the other two types.

 

[Geo]

Hi Keith I think for 90watts 4.5 is about right, maybe you disturbed a poor conection in the first panel, and now its doing what it should:thumb:

 

[vwalan]

usually if you have polycrystal it kind of sparkles in a funny patern , the new one does look like a monocrystal. when poly came out we were told it was better now its the other way round. i use 3 80watt panels on the trailer n keep a fridge n deepfreeze working at home most of the summer. unless i go on a trip .then i drive off n break the extention lead yet again . dont no output use a reg from agadir 10quid, tells me nothing.

 

[keith]

Thanks for that pappa I checked and the new was sold to me as a Monocrystalline one so that makes sense that it will perform better.

Hi Keith I think for 90watts 4.5 is about right, maybe you disturbed a poor conection in the first panel, and now its doing what it should:thumb:

Good idea that Geo, so tried the old one on it's own again, no difference. :Sad:

It has to be the new panel that has increased the output, so I wont let it bother me. Maybe I should try to change the old one - but how would you get the b***er off?

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