What is Different of Lensun Flexible Solar Panel with Others?
Hongkong Lensun solar energy specializes in outdoor solar chargers, Semi flexible solar panels, and other solar product applications. Our company has powerful technological innovation capabilities, rigorous production control crafts, and a professional service team. We can produce solar products specifically tailored for you.
We have warehouses in the UK, USA, Germany and Australia. Most of the retail orders ship directly from our customer’s local warehouses by express shipping, saving you the import customs taxes.
Why LENSUN Flexible solar panel is much more expensive than other brands on the market?
The following is a comparison of our flexible solar panel to other brands on the market.
1.The differences of the material
A. Other Brand Cheap PET back sheet flexible solar panel
B. Lensun ETFE laminated film and Black fiberglass back sheet
C. Lensun ETFE Laminated film and Aluminum back sheet
2. The first layer of our flexible solar panel is made of ETFE, while other brands are made of cheap PET. Please check the following differences of ETFE and PET.
|
The Performance of ETFE vs. PET |
||
| Material | ETFE(Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene) | PET(Polyethylene terephthalate) |
| Combination | Ultra lightweight and durable. The combination between ETFE and back sheet is much stronger than PET. | Combination of PET and back sheet cracks easily, is not durable, and also not waterproof. |
| Thickness(mm) | Includes a 0.025mm thin, UV resistant, layer of protection. Total thickness less than 0.1mm. | 0.15mm thick. Solar cells break easily due to low hardness. |
| Light transmission | 95% transparency offers excellent efficiency in terms of light to electricity conversion. | 90% to 93% transparent results in lower efficiency in terms of light to electricity conversion. |
| Surface adhesion | ETFE has non-adhesive surface properties. Highly stain-resistant and easily gets cleaned by the rain. | Adhesive surface often gets covered with dust or other debris, significantly affecting the output of solar panel. |
| Lifetime | Lifetime of 10 years. Resists aging, deteriorates slowly. | Lifetime of at most 5 years. Easily forms air pockets and peels off. |
| Corrodibility | Highly resistant to seawater corrosion. | Not acid and alkali resistant, making it totally unsuitable for use in marine environment. |
| Flammability | Highly flame retardant. Suitable for use in temperatures ranging from -65°C to +150°C. Can be installed safely in hot climates. | Not suitable for use in high temperature regions due to short-term heat resistance. |
| Applicative effects | Absorbs sunlight. Does not reflect it. | Reflects a large amount of sunlight, producing glare and creating traffic risks to cars and airplanes. |
The first layer of the solar panel below is made of PET. It has a clear lamination on the surface of the panel. You can find that this PET solar panel’s surface will reflect a large amount of sunlight which produces glare and creates traffic risks to cars and airplanes.
It is not a good choice in the outdoors.
Lensun ETFE integrated Lamination solar panels do not reflect the light. Dimple technology on the surface captures more sunlight and increases the solar absorption rate by 5%.
3. Lensun ETFE integrated lamination solar panels have non-adhesive surface properties. They are highly stain-resistant and easily get cleaned by the rain.
But the PET panels do not have these properties. It is easy for them to collect dust, sand and dirt to cause hot spots on the surface of PET panels. Then shade reduces the efficiency of solar panels and shortens the lifetime of solar modules because of this hot spot.
You can also find there are many scratches on the surface of PET panels from the following picture. The PET film or back sheet is not scar-proof. If you mount this PET panel on RVs, it will receive many scratches from branches when the vehicle drives through the woods.
This damage to the solar cells of the panel will then effect the output negatively and also shorten its lifespan.
4. There is a big quality problem with the PET flexible solar panel 6-18 months after installing it. The front surface of the panels become milky and begin to peel off. Air pockets form on the back of the solar panel after a few months as shown in the pictures below. These problems on the panel are caused by cheap PET material and immature laminating technology. But why does this cause this air pockets? Because PET is thermolabile and easily swells in high temperatures.
Lensun flexible solar panels use aluminum back sheet and Black fiberglass back sheet. These two materials are both stronger than PET back sheet. They will not cause air pockets to form on the back of solar panels. And their lifespan is much longer than PET.
5.The hot spot problem. When the solar panel is damaged or covered by debris, it is comparable to the solar panel being under shade. This prevents any output or currents from being released. This can also casue the panels from overheating, causing damage to them. At present, many flexible solar panels are made of PET film and PET back sheet on the market, but the PET is thermolabile and easily swells in high temperatures. And the over-expansion will cause an explosion on the surface of the solar panels and will no longer be safe to use.
6. Corrosion resistant. ETFE is more waterproof and more corrosion resistant than PET. And the lifespan of PET is shorter than ETFE. If PET flexible solar panels are installed on boats or yachts, it will have twice as short of the lifespan, but ETFE won’t. Since PET is not corrosion resistant, the corners of panels will be damaged by moisture when you use them for a long time. That will severely reduce the output of the panel or, in the worst case scenario, it may cause the panel to fail entirely.
7. Solar cells. Many cheap flexible solar panels use Grade B or Grade C solar cells. It is very difficult to notice whether the quality of solar panels is good or bad simply by viewing or feeling them. Because our solar panels are of high quality and is a high technological product, it is one of our most popular products and reputable amongst our many customers.
The following picture is another brand 80W flexible solar panel. If you only check the solar panel with a naked eye, you will not find anything suspicious; they are just nice looking solar panels. But if you closely inspected it, you will quickly notice that the quality is very poor. There are many invisible solar cells (red areas) and Hidden Crack solar cells (blue areas) found after testing them using a professional device. That is why they are so cheap on the market. The output of these cheap panels may not be affected by the hidden cracks today, but without a doubt this will cause the output to drop sharpely in a short period of time, and the output will continue decreasing. This means the lifespan of this panel will be shortened by more than half.
Lensun solar panels use Grade A solar cells. Lensun tests all solar cells before and after laminating the panels. We confirm that all solar cells are good before the panels leaves our factory. The following is the testing result for 100W solar panels.
8.If you are going to buy a flexible solar panel, please check the following information first.
(1). Where do you want to install the panel?
On land, such as on RVs, trailers, cars, golf carts? Or on marine, such as boats and yachts?
(2). How long do you want it to work?
If you only need them for short time, you can choose cheap PET solar panels. But if you want your product to last a longer period of time with less problems, we suggest using ETFE solar panels since ETFE solar panel are of the highest quality. If you use adhesives to stick PET solar panels on your vehicle or boat, it is very difficult to remove them from your vehicle or boat when the panel breaks and must be removed. And it will also cost money to remove it as well as leave a noticeable mark on your vehicle or boat that will look awful.
The best solar panels for you may be different depending on your needs and your location! But by letting us know your specifications enables us to best help you make the right decision about your solar power system.
Please let us know if you need any more information, You can contact us via email or call us in the from Mondays to Fridays.
Contact information
www.lensunsolar.com
Tel: US +1 720-608-1288
China: +86 15759769602
Whatsapp: +86 15759769602
Skype: lensunsolar
Email: [email protected], [email protected]