Best flexible solar panels on the market?

[michaeld]

We had a single 175W Renogy flexible panel installed for three months or so. It worked well. No issues. Hard to beat the price. We later swapped it out for two 175W Renogy solid panels. Mucho better. I'm now adding a third 175W Renogy solid panel. All are mounted over our Bimini in parallel.

[jtsailjt]

I’ve had 2 of the Solbian 175W flexible panels double side taped to my hardtop for the last 2 years and am happy with them but not sure if they are the best value because I have no experience with the competition. Some of the literature says you can walk on them but they caution about hard soles so I try to stay off them and if I need to step on one it’s either barefoot or in soft soled athletic shoes.

[Mongo_at_sea]

I have had (2) 100w Sunpower cells on an open bimini frame for the last 4 years and they have been great. I created an aluminum frame to connect them to the bimini. Flexible cells do best when they do not heat up too much. I.E. have space below them for ventilation. First panel mounted in photo below

[CaptainRivet]

Very good value for money: https://www.offgridtec.com/marken/of...larmodule.html

Know many RVs and couple boats who have them and all are happy. Compared to many they market them as semiflexible, you can bent them till 18 degrees and they are real walk on. In General for the flexible ones count they last as long as they have warranty…

I am also at a point where I am at the end of surface where I can put fixed bifacial panels and only have more surface where only flexible/walk on panels can be mounted. Well I need and want more solar so I will go with the offgridtech ones, especially the 200W one is a good deal. Offgrid stands by their warranty and replaces the panel, though you have to pay or do the work replacing them.

Regarding Solbian, I would stay away. My boat was on the yard for 7 month for repairs and during that we had 8 boats with solbian where they had to replace most or all of the panels…most warranty claims but you simply pay for them upfront when you look at the price for real watts received. Talked to the owners and all stated they doing max half of rating, nothing special over ones they cost a 1/3rd.

[Mickeyrouse]

Anyone here have any experience with Nature Power?

[michaeld]

Update to my previous post. Three 175W Renogy panels, set up parallel. I spent more money on installation materials than on the actual panels. Good luck with your project.

[CaptainRivet]

Originally Posted by Jagarwal

I have had good success with a six month trial of CIGS flexible solar panels.

These panels are a different chemistry than the renogy panels you mention; as a result they can be constructed to be truly flexible; they are rollable, walkable, you name it. Mine have flogged in 40 knots of wind due to poor installation and yet I’ve seen no degradation of output.

The only catch is the are a bit hard to find and a little more expensive, probably $2 a watt all told; I have just placed an order for 48 such panels (80 watts each) directly from a Chinese supplier. Plan is to make some foldaway deployable solar arrays for sunny days when I need more power.

My hope is that they will put an end to the typical performance degradation of flexible panels

Jack

Hi Jack,
Do you think this CIGS panels could be hanging on the Reling if they are so „flogg resistant“? Should be easy to put some eyelets in the frame sections every 2cm and hang them on the SS cable of your reling with zipties. Have 12m by 50cm twice and that’s a lot solar surface unused. Maybe a solution for you too? if not sure use one panel and try…
Could you post the link to the panels you ordered please.
Regarding walkable maybe yes but how is antislip then, on most walkable panels that turns into a very slippery exercise…

Have this CIGS panels observed for longer, you can even buy them with adhesive backing. My soft Bimini on the cat is rounded both direction and made of UV resistant kind of PVC cloth like the truck cloth but thinner. CIGS panel being so thin And light I could glue them right on saving a fortune to make frames or other mounting solutions. They are not so efficient but if it’s that easy I would go for it.
Thanks
Christian

[CaptainRivet]

Originally Posted by michaeld

Update to my previous post. Three 175W Renogy panels, set up parallel. I spent more money on installation materials than on the actual panels. Good luck with your project.Attachment 273588

You could have used much bigger panels, especially the front one. Additionally use top notch brands like LG, Panasonic or Sunpower, you will get much more out of them compared to the budget renogy, you wanna get max from the surface you have available. The difference especially in low light and angle to start working when installed horizontally is huge. Using bifacial panels is optimum even you are not getting much from back but they work at a much greater angle then conventional ones, I got >30% more output per day with them.
That is saving on the wrong end…as you said installing cost more then panels…

[michaeld]

The next time you are in Pompano Beach, stop by with your recommendations and upgrade my installation. I will provide all of the beer and/or rum you can drink.

[svtickles]

Originally Posted by Ratel

After some more research, it looks like Solbian is a high quality product.

https://solbian.solar/en/

They suffer the same outcome (failure in less than 2 years). The only benefit of paying more is that they will replace for free whilst other companies won't.

[Jimbo2010]

I'm going with solid panels mounted to bimini frame

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by CaptainRivet

Y Additionally use top notch brands like LG, Panasonic

LG made in Taiwan pulled the plug on the solar market and I think Panasonic are now unavailable in Europe, certainly couldn't find any last time I looked. Shame the LGs had a really good bifacial panel range.

Sunpower flexi's can't be walked on nor joined with other panels in series or parallel. https://www.bimblesolar.com/solar/sm...roduct_id=2300

Pete

[Mongo_at_sea]

Re sunpower flexible panels: Sunpower do not recommend connecting in parallel if shading will occur. no problem with series installation, per latest manual. I have had 2 panels in series for 5 years with no problems, connected to a victron mppt controller.

[GordMay]

Flexible solar cells are on the rise
We are one step closer to being able to print rolls of lightweight solar cells, after researchers hit a new efficiency record, for cells printed on a long, continuous roll of plastic.[1]
Flexible solar cells are less efficient and durable than traditional rigid silicon panels, but they are lighter, more flexible, and more portable.
They rely on cheap, abundant photovoltaic materials, called perovskites. “They’re remarkable, because they can be formulated into inks, and used in industrial printers,” says [2] materials scientist, and co-author, Doojin Vak.
[2] More about ➥ https://www.theguardian.com/australi...ed-solar-cells

[1] “The first demonstration of entirely roll-to-roll fabricated perovskite solar cell modules under ambient room conditions” ~ by Hasitha C. Weerasinghe, et al
➥ https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-46016-1

[Peeew]

First flexible and walk on panels are different. I have some Solera walk on panels on my deck that that have been abused for ten years and still look and perform well. I mounted flexible panels to my Bimini with zippers seen to the panels and canvas. To reduce wind flexing I attached plastic corrugated sign material to the back of the solar panels. I have no way of knowing if it helps but they are still doing well after 4 years.