LG315W Panels

[ErBrown]

Howdy Folks,

We're in the process of ordering solar panels for our new arch and I'm curious if anyone here has experience with the LG315W panels. They're technically rated for more wattage than most panels in a similar size range due to the fact that they're double sided and can take advantage of reflected light on the underside. This is attractive considering they'll be surround by water but my concern is with the affects of shading. Due to being mounted on our arch roughly half of the bottom of the panels would be shaded by the arch and bimini. The other half would receive a good deal of reflected light.

I know that even a small percentage of shading typically has a large impact on power output. Since the 315W ratting depends on reflected light on the back I treating the topside power rating as something around 275-285 since the footprint is very similar to other quality panels in this wattage range. So my real question here is how much power additional power would you expect to see for the added cost ($80 per panel). The absolute max would be an additional 30W per panel, 285W top only vs 315 with reflected (again this is my very rough SWAG). With half the bottom shaded from reflected light anyone want to hazard a guess as to how much of that additional 30W we'd actually see?

This will be full time cruising, so even a few extra amps over the long run start to add up, but I don't want to just flush $ down the toilet if we're not going to see a benefit.

Thanks,
EB

[ErBrown]

For comparison's sake we'd be looking at something like the 285W panels from solarworld as our traditional single sided option.

My purpose here is really not to start a brand discussion but more to get a feel for increased performance (if any) of a bi-facial panel on and arch vs a traditional single sided option.

Thanks

[Jim Cate]

good questions! I'll be watching with interest to see if there is good data available.

Jim

[geoleo]

Originally Posted by ErBrown

For comparison's sake we'd be looking at something like the 285W panels from solarworld as our traditional single sided option.

My purpose here is really not to start a brand discussion but more to get a feel for increased performance (if any) of a bi-facial panel on and arch vs a traditional single sided option.

Thanks

Regular panels work great-- most times on a boat getting fancy does not work long run!

[fabgo]

The way I read this, there is a mirror on the underside of each cell that reflects light back.

[ErikFinn]

I only recall one person mentioning these new panels on this forum, and that was more a generic question. I believe not many members have these panels yet, nor the accumulated experience about using them. But you Sir could well be our guinea pig . Or if not so keen, then Kyoceras have a good reputation.

[ErBrown]

Originally Posted by ErikFinn

But you Sir could well be our guinea pig . Or if not so keen, then Kyoceras have a good reputation.

Consider us the guinea pigs then, we ordered a pair of them. After more digging, the whole double sided cell thing is actually internal to the cells themselves. So it's not the back of the overall panel that leverages the reflected light, the actually take advantage of the light that misses the cells on the front side and bounces off the inside of the glass.

More info here if interested.

So we ordered a pair of the 315W panels, a new Silentwind 12v generator and an Outback FM60 MPPT and a Mate2. Of course we still need our arch before we'll even be able to start wiring it all up.

[leftbrainstuff]

Reflected light solar is a waste of time. Much of the lights energy is lost, polarized or constrained to a narrow spectrum of us3ful wavelengths.

Unless the panels are tuned for this spectrum then I can't you'd get any significant solar energy.

What independent testing have these panels been subjected too.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[M51]

The LG315W cells can absorb light from the back side of the cell (light that makes it through the cell without getting absorbed on the first pass is reflected back into the cell). It's just LG's way of trying to slightly improve cell efficiency.

They do NOT absorb light from the backside of the Panel. There is an opaque backing sheet.

In other words it's functionally just like any normal solar panel, One side is exposed to light, and the backside is opaque and doesn't matter what it's facing.

[ErBrown]

Originally Posted by M51

The LG315W cells can absorb light from the back side of the cell (light that makes it through the cell without getting absorbed on the first pass is reflected back into the cell). It's just LG's way of trying to slightly improve cell efficiency.

They do NOT absorb light from the backside of the Panel. There is an opaque backing sheet.

In other words it's functionally just like any normal solar panel, One side is exposed to light, and the backside is opaque and doesn't matter what it's facing.

Yep, realized that after starting this thread, see link above (post #7). For the size they have a fairly high Wattage rating compared to most of the other panels we looked at. I'm not claiming any type of expertise or that they're the panacea of panels, but the wattage per sqft was compelling enough that we ordered a few. Now we'll see how they deliver. I think it's a pretty cool concept and we're hoping these two panels in combination with the silent wind will cover our needs. If not, the silent wind has a controller that's capable of managing another 180W of solar which would likely be bimini mounted flexible panels, but we'll jump off that bridge if/when it's needed.

Now if we ever actually get the arch finished and everything wired up, that would be super

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, M51.

[carlylelk]

EB,

We plan on buying a pair of solar panels for our arch and I've been considering the LG315 panels. Please do post back what your outcome is with them. It's tough to know how they are doing compared to another panel. I've read that with horizontally installed panels you should expect output, on a sunny day, of the rating x (3 to 4 hours) per day. This assumes no shading of course.