Flexible Solar Panel mounted directly on Sunbrella

[Maine Sail]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

bg-


Maine-
Those Solbian panels look sweet, but are they warranteed for marine use? And do they have a track record? I ask because a couple of months ago I was reading a piece in one of the leading financial publications about the solar industry, and they claim that there's a dirty little secret involving a very high (15-20%) failure rate, even in some brand name panels that are not made in China. Apparently a lot of suppliers have been cheating the manufacturers as demand was ramping up and prices pressured to go down.

Solbian panels are specifically built for marine use......

Solbian Marine

[tartansail]

Originally Posted by neelie

Tartansail - I don't mean to be critical but the photo makes your bimini canvas look a little loose.. does it flutter in gusty conditions?

The bimini was a little loose when the picture was taken. However, the sag was from the weight of the panels on the canvas. I tightened subsequently, but it doesn't look a lot different and hasn't fluttered in up to 35 knots.

[roetter]

In this forum thread http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post1332522 Dave from NZ shows pictures of his flexible solar installation on his bimini. And he got a pretty good price too.

[boom23]

Here is the link:
120W High efficiency flexible solar panel for yacht-in Solar Panel from Consumer Electronics on Aliexpress.com

[vtsailguy]

Originally Posted by boom23

Here is the link:
120W High efficiency flexible solar panel for yacht-in Solar Panel from Consumer Electronics on Aliexpress.com

Wow, those look just as good, and more importantly, affordable!

[Paul L]

Those are very interesting. Looks like they only charge one shipping price, even as you add more panels. The queston is do I want to be a quality test guinea pig.

[neelie]

Originally Posted by Paul L

Those are very interesting. Looks like they only charge one shipping price, even as you add more panels. The queston is do I want to be a quality test guinea pig.

Yup. Same thought crossed my mind. Or maybe just buy 2 extra for spares?

I notice their specs and their their marketing blurb closely imitates Solbians's.

Are we 100% sure that Solbians's are not also manufactured in China but "finished" in Italy? I ask because the photos of the factory on the Solbian web site look to be very low volume or an R&D lab.

[DainyRays]

I just bought and installed a 100-watt Solbian panel and I didn't see any "made in China" labels which would be required if they were. I will be getting another 100-watt Solbian panel for my Bimini installation at the end of this month.

[Paul L]

I just ordered 2 of the 100watt Chinese made (with German cells) flex panels. They haven't arrived yet, so we'll see what they look like.

[vtsailguy]

Has anyone tried the Shenzhen ones yet?

[vtsailguy]

Originally Posted by Paul L

I just ordered 2 of the 100watt Chinese made (with German cells) flex panels. They haven't arrived yet, so we'll see what they look like.

Paul, were those the AliExpress ones?

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by vtsailguy

Paul, were those the AliExpress ones?

yes, the actual company is shinesolartech

[vtsailguy]

Originally Posted by Paul L

yes, the actual company is shinesolartech

Did you purchase direct from them or had to go through somewhere else?

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by vtsailguy

Did you purchase direct from them or had to go through somewhere else?

I did the contact through the AliExpress site. Had a bunch of messages back and forth to get what I wanted. They were responsive. Then when I went to purchase through AliExpress none of my credit cards would work on their site. Not sure if this was because it is China based or what. So I then used Paypal to pay them directly. I have not received the panels yet. They have a national 7-day holiday now and the panels are expected to ship on Oct 8th.

[Singleprop]

I have one of the 30W Shenzen panels, it works fine, but I cannot compare them to other panels since this is my first PV system....
The build quality looks shabby, there are some metal grommets in the corners which rust. The internal cell connectors seems to be covered with a white plastic strip which is visible through the plastic layer.
I am reluctant to bend it - afraid it will break..