What do you think about this solar set up?

[LostDog88]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

I am having trouble with your claims. While more efficient cells may take up less real estate, 800 watts is 800 watts. Please show us the results of a side by side comparison from a neutral third party or delete your post.

You should check out Will Prowse's website DIY solar.
https://www.mobile-solarpower.com/
He does real comparisons to back up the above claims.

[donradcliffe]

Originally Posted by LostDog88

You should check out Will Prowse's website DIY solar.
https://www.mobile-solarpower.com/
He does real comparisons to back up the above claims.

No, Will Prowse's comparisons show the opposite.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYmOKaw8VAk

This review compares 4 panels, all rated 100 watts under laboratory conditions. Two of them put out 75 watts during the real life test, while two others put out 81 watts. At 8:46 he states that the two putting out higher power are larger in size. Panel efficiency is defined by max power divided by panel area, so the larger panels are rated less efficient under lab conditions, but may be about equivalent in terms of real output. After all this, Will recommends the panels which put out 75 watts for a variety of other reasons.

[LostDog88]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

No, Will Prowse's comparisons show the opposite.

This review compares 4 panels, all rated 100 watts under laboratory conditions. Two of them put out 75 watts during the real life test, while two others put out 81 watts. At 8:46 he states that the two putting out higher power are larger in size. Panel efficiency is defined by max power divided by panel area, so the larger panels are rated less efficient under lab conditions, but may be about equivalent in terms of real output. After all this, Will recommends the panels which put out 75 watts for a variety of other reasons.

My point made precisely. 800 watts is NOT 800 watts as none of those panels in that video that were 100 watts produced 100 watts.

[donradcliffe]

My point is made well by this website

https://www.solarreviews.com/blog/ho...-panel-produce

How much does the efficiency of the solar cells inside the panel affect the power production of the panel?
The meaning and importance of solar panel efficiency are often misunderstood by consumers evaluating solar and it is a misunderstanding that is sometimes exploited by makers of premium panels.

The take-home point to remember is that solar panel efficiency is taken into account when rating the wattage and output of a panel and so, theoretically, if all other solar panel characteristics are the same, a 280-watt panel with a less efficient cell will produce the same amount of power in the same conditions as another 280 watt panel with more efficient panels. Some manufacturers of high-efficiency panels make outlandish claims about their panels producing far more power than standard panels of the same wattage but such claims are usually exaggerated in an attempt to justify very high module prices. Some manufacturers that claim very high efficiencies have clauses in their warranties that say that their panels can be 3% less efficient than what they claim to be before a warrantable event occurs.

[SunPoweredYachts]

The NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) regularly tests solar cells and solar panels and publishes their results. https://www.nrel.gov/

I think there are a lot more factors that come into play when comparing solar panels.
Take LID (Light Induced Degradation) as an example, that will knock off 1-3% (maybe more) as soon as a p-type silicon solar panel is exposed to sunlight for the first time. As the SunPower panels are n-type silicon they do not suffer from this.

Temperature has an effect on power production so while a panel might flash at the rated output under STC (Standard Test Conditions) of 25'C the temperature co-efficient will tell you how it will perform as temperatures increase/decrease in the real world.

Longevity, take a look at the limited power production section of a warranty to see how the panel will stand up over time.

With regards "...some manufacturers that claim very high efficiencies have clauses in their warranties that say that their panels can be 3% less efficient.." the OP posted some stats on a lower efficiency panel that has an output tolerance:±3% so that's the same.

Adding solar aboard is a great thing we're just trying to help share some insights into the subtle differences.