Best new flex panels on the market?

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by OceanPlanet

SunPower is trying to get us to buy hundreds of their new flex panels. We have a sample 100W in our shop for testing, will be running it vs Solbian SP (with SunPower cells), SR (Merlin cells), etc.

The problem for us and our dealers is that if they are sold online and Home Depot, etc. then no one will want to stock them, and no installers will want to deal with them. There are only two sizes so far, so still need the Solbian product range (and Solara). Really on the fence as to what to do...

You're in a difficult position. Their price point undercuts Solbian dramatically and is going to shake up the market no matter what you do. Loyalty to a supplier is noble but if it hobbles your own business with no upside it's an empty gesture.

I hope you'll be at liberty to pass on your testing results here. I'm going to assume that the fabrication of the Solbian panels is superior in some respects. If it's not, their going to have to cut their prices to compete, pure and simple. They're going to have to adapt or live in a smaller niche.

[OceanPlanet]

Originally Posted by Suijin

You're in a difficult position. Their price point undercuts Solbian dramatically and is going to shake up the market no matter what you do. Loyalty to a supplier is noble but if it hobbles your own business with no upside it's an empty gesture.

I hope you'll be at liberty to pass on your testing results here. I'm going to assume that the fabrication of the Solbian panels is superior in some respects. If it's not, their going to have to cut their prices to compete, pure and simple. They're going to have to adapt or live in a smaller niche.

Will pass on test results when we have them, no prob. Yes, a difficult position, but it is what it is.

[Exile]

Originally Posted by OceanPlanet

Will pass on test results when we have them, no prob. Yes, a difficult position, but it is what it is.

I looked at the Sunpower website. As far as I can tell, corporate offices in silicon valley but mfg facilities in various locales incl. the Philippines. But these days place of mfg. doesn't necessarily mean much. One would like to think their apparent market dominance in solar cells & fixed panels would translate over to the flex market. Website also highlights their 25-year warranty. Not sure if this applies to their flex panels, but if so then warranty & price could give them a big edge.

With the big gap in price btwn. the Chinese cheapos and high priced/high quality Solbian/Solara, etc., it's no surprise Sunpower sees a market opportunity. I guess Renogy tried it -- US mfg/reliable warranty/good customer service but Chinese mfg. -- but they couldn't get the needed quality control.

Seems analogous to buying decent tools these days. Lots of different branding but not many choices btwn. the offerings at Harbor Freight, big box & hardware stores vs. high priced/high quality Snap-On.

[OceanPlanet]

All true. Have been trying to get clarification on warranty...not clear yet. Solbian Has been outstanding in covering anything questionable.

[Kenomac]

Having just toured the Solbian factory and showroom, I can tell you this much... the company has some very innovative products that'll be hitting the market soon that will turn the market on it's head.

[OceanPlanet]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Having just toured the Solbian factory and showroom, I can tell you this much... the company has some very innovative products that'll be hitting the market soon that will turn the market on it's head.

Yes, but we can't talk about all of those just yet...;-) Coming soon!

[Exile]

Not having the technical expertise, I've always assumed there are higher costs involved in producing quality flexible panels over fixed. The various backings that are now offered seem promising as they theoretically resolve what seem like the two biggest problems affecting flex panel longevity, namely cell cracking & overheating. But then you lose some of the advantages over fixed. Good to know there is more innovation coming & looking forward to seeing what develops.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by OceanPlanet

Yes, but we can't talk about all of those just yet...;-) Coming soon!

But I can say this... there are leaders and there are followers. The people at Solbian are leaders in the industry.

[zboss]

Originally Posted by OceanPlanet

The one thing we know for sure is that we don't want to throw Solbian under the bus, after all their years if dedication and product development. They and Solara have essentially built up the SunPower brand (despite the competition from knock offs), only to have SunPower jump in the game themselves.

It’s up to Solbian and solara how they handle competitive intrusion and this is not something they should expect their customers to be concerned about. In fact they should be offering you HUGE incentives. Yes, solbian has been a good partner to you and has been excellent with customer service but they are ultimately a downstream supplier of a premium product.

Also, I am assuming you make a high gross profit percent on the service side, even if products sales make up the majority of your revenue.

I always tell my customers to swim upstream and always play in a bigger pond if an opportunity presents. Unless of course sunpower sucks in some way. Maybe they don’t think small fish (assuming that you are not an utility scale provider) are worth their time and solbian does. Friendship is important but it only goes so far in business.

Or... let your customers decide. No reason for you to have to make the choice.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

The SunPower 110 watt Flexpanel Price was in my original post as a PDF file.
They cost $234.
.
.

Better the 100 watt panels for $190. Ten Watts not worth an additional $45 IMO.

[Oceansailor]

Flexibel panels has the same output when new compared to a fixed panel. But, and this is a BIG BUT, they do not last as long. They are not as flexibel as you think. Bend them and listen. You will hear them cracking already around 20-30 % of bending. They suffer from not being UV-resistant. Blisters and clouding are common problems.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Oceansailor

Flexibel panels has the same output when new compared to a fixed panel. But, and this is a BIG BUT, they do not last as long. They are not as flexibel as you think. Bend them and listen. You will hear them cracking already around 20-30 % of bending. They suffer from not being UV-resistant. Blisters and clouding are common problems.

Who is "They and them?" Can you be a little more specific with maybe a personal experience and some photos to back up your claim?

[mikedefieslife]

Here in Europe pretty much all the solar panel sellers are set up to sell to trade and for installation on homes.

None list prices, and flex panels aren't so common.

Listing prices alone doesn't lead to a price war. Anyone with half a brain a cell would ask for quotes before accepting a given price anyway. It does however pee off potential customers who might only want to buy a few a panels rather than a pallet of 20 or so.

[john61ct]

Why would flex panels be of interest in a land-based context? Unless for PR purposes or where you have a curved concrete roof or ?

Solar sellers that ship outside of price-based markets like Big Box retail, Alibaba, eBay and Amazon have **little to no** interest in sub-pallet buyers, more trouble than they're worth.

Hopefully small local retail installers exist, or come one day to a location within driving distance.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by john61ct

Why would flex panels be of interest in a land-based context? Unless for PR purposes or where you have a curved concrete roof or ?

Solar sellers that ship outside of price-based markets like Big Box retail, Alibaba, eBay and Amazon have **little to no** interest in sub-pallet buyers, more trouble than they're worth.

Hopefully small local retail installers exist, or come one day to a location within driving distance.

The last time I checked, motorhomes and caravans were land based.