For numerous years, the only kinds of solar panels commercially obtainable have been crystalline solar panels arranged in a rectangular casing and placed on a roof. This is why most people, as soon as they think of solar power for their home, imagine this as their only choice. Below are a few new advancements in solar power and mounting options you may well have never heard of before.
Thin Film Solar Panels – Man Is This Thin!
Envision the solar panel you see in a solar calculator. That is a thin film solar panel. Thin film solar panels are used extensively in satellites. Thin film technology is currently being extended into residential and commercial use and was named one of the greatest inventions of 2008 by TIME magazine.
Thin film solar panels are bendable, unlike polysilicon cells found in conventional crystalline solar panels. These thin film solar panels are being called as next generation solar power technology.
Thin film solar panels are more resilient to frozen rain, rocks, etc. If a portion of a crystalline solar panel is damaged, the whole solar panel will stop working whereas a thin film solar panel will go on functioning.
Thin film panels can also be flexible and tailored to various surfaces. They can be useful in places conventional crystalline solar panels cannot be mounted on top of. I have even seen a thin film panel sewed onto a jacket that powered a MP3 player.
The downside to thin film panels is that they do not take up as much energy because they are so skinny. These panels are not nearly as efficient as traditional photovoltaic panels but they are much cheaper. Thin film solar panels are printed onto the rolled backing, eliminating many of the high energy and chemical intensive processes that are standard in conventional PV manufacturing.
Thin film solar panels are low wattage and require more room than traditional solar panels and they are more prone to degradation. In order to counter a few of these competitive disadvantages they have versus conventional solar panels, manufacturers give better warranties for thin film panels.
The largest thin film solar photovoltaic (PV) project in the United States is the Blythe plant located 200 miles east of Los Angeles, California. The 21-megawatt solar power plant uses thin film solar cells created out of cadmium telluride. At full capacity, the plant will create enough electricity to power an estimated 17,000 houses.
Now let’s examine conventional solar panels and several of the mounting options that are available you may well have never heard of before.
Mounting Choices For Conventional Solar Panels – It’s In the Mount
Solar panel mounts come in three main types: pole mounts, roof-ground mounts, and flush mounts. Using these mounts, you can set up your solar panel onto an RV, on top of or against the side of a pole, on your roof, or even install them as a free-standing unit.
Pole Mounts – No That Is Not What Santa Claus Needs For His Sled
Pole mounts, especially top-of-pole, have been common for awhile now. Top-of-pole mounts are basically a steel or aluminum rack and rail system bolted or welded to a large casing that sets on top of a pole with set-bolts to keep it in place. Side-of-pole mounts are regularly used when you need to mount to the side of a telephone pole or communications tower. Tracking mounts are similar to top-of-pole mounts, but they also have a method of automatically aiming the mount to stay on the sun.
Top of pole mounts (as well as sun trackers) are one of the simplest mounts to install. They basically only need a single steel pole set in the ground (normally in concrete), and the mount slips onto the top of the pole. Most common sizes use a 2-inch to 8-inch pole, usually around 11 to 13 feet in length. They can go higher if you want to get the panel up higher to escape shading from close by vegetation.
Popular Roof-Ground Mounts
Roof-ground systems can be mounted onto a roof or ground without a great deal of deviation in setup. They are usually built from stainless steel in a grid-like system of supports. Roof-mounted panels for smaller systems are the easiest to put in, using little flush-mount brackets which elevate the panels to the most excellent angle for solar collection.
Ground mounts, as the name suggests, are solar panel mounts that are installed on the ground (as opposed to a pole mount or roof mount). They have supporting, modifiable legs that allow you to optimize their vertical orientation for solar exposure. Ground mounting systems typically require lots of steel supports, concrete foundations, and galvanized footings, that can be troubling, when you are attempting to keep your system low cost. Ground mounted systems require structural strength to avert load bearing failure.
Even though module mounting systems are available for ground and roof installation, roof mount installation is the most popular and cost effective system. The roof mounted panels are attached to a mounting system typically consisting of an aluminum or steel support structure that attaches the panels to the roof.
The Low Down On Flush Mounts
Flush Mounts are low-priced and easy to install – these are ideal for single panel installations and smaller solar arrays. Flush mounts are put onto a level exterior such as the top of an RV, a roof, or the top of a boat and are not used for ground installations. These mounts serve to separate the solar panel from the mounting surface and permit airflow to pass beneath and cool the solar panel for smooth operation. Flush Mounts are typically used with small solar arrays on roof tops and RVs, because the structural design of a flush mount cannot support large solar panels.
Lots of options exist in the ever changing world of solar power technology. To learn how to calculate the number of solar panels you need for your home and other solar power secrets they don’t want you to know about, go to