Solar Panel Review

Solar panel review opens up a way to explore this industry in more details. Most of our discussions are based on a practical approach and most importantly unbiased. We don’t provide any Solar Panels or accessories for sale. The intension is to see what people think and how solar companies can respond to people’s expectations.

In reviewing solar panels in this particular article we are probing one of the solar panels made by Siemens SP75, former Shell Solar. It is a 75 watts panel consisting of 36 solar modules sealed completely from environment and secured by aluminum frame. See the picture. The frame is very strong judging it by physical inspection. An average size adult cannot bend it by hand at all. I measured the thickness of the frame to be 0.080” or 2.07 mm.

Since this writing is about solar panel review, I like to point out the issues not found in the specifications. There are 4 mounting holes on each side of the aluminum frame. You can use Z shaped bracket to mount the panel to your RV or your roof. The hole size are 0.26”, so a ¾” thread -long bolt with 7/16” wrench size head will fit. In the picture you see a bolt that has a length of 0.920 inch including the hex head. My point is any size larger than 1” will not fit.

The junction box (specified at IP44 protection) houses two diodes for the purpose of maintaining the performance at lower light levels. The diodes are covered with a plastic plate for protection. It easily comes off in the case you need to replace the diodes. The diodes serve as bypassing device. When part of the panel is shaded, some of the modules in shade can waste the power. The bypassing diode takes care of that concern.

The output cable is mounted on the left side of the junction box (when looking into the solar modules), but it can be re-routed to the right side with a bit of effort.

Are you wondering what IP44 is. It is a standard for defining how safe the material is. IP44 is a common protection type. It means that the junction box is protected against tools and small wires and is also protected against water spray from any direction. Since PV is mounted outdoor, it makes sense to be safeguarded against moisture. Also keep in mind that all these factors come into play when the manufacturer specifies 25 year limited warranty.

Good luck with your research, and I should mention that further Solar Panel Review points can be found in Resource center further down below.

Jay at solar-panelreview

March 23, 2010