The company initially plans on installing the new panels on carports and rooftops before moving on to commercial installations, it’s going to manufacture the new modules at its 100 MW pilot facility in Fremont, California before moving production to the 1 GW facility in Buffalo, New York.
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While other solar technologies have hit higher efficiency levels, these units are not designed for residential rooftop applications. The unit is the same size as standard efficiency models, but produces 30 to 40 percent more power.
SolarCity CEO Lyndon Rive and board chairman Elon Musk will report that the company’s new panels can convert into electricity 22 percent of the energy that falls on them in the form of sunlight. If SolarCity’s current panel tech had a peak efficiency of, say, 16%, a 37% jump to over 22% could account for the difference.
SolarCity is the nation’s largest solar panel installer, but the company purchased Silevo previous year in an effort to expand into panel manufacturing and, eventually, lower its costs.
A SolarCity community solar panel installation.
In solar panel industry competition is very tight and producers struggle to gain even a few tenths of a percent gain in efficiency over their rivals. Rive expects initial production costs, including overhead, of about 55 cents per watt. SolarCity now serves 19 states. Out in the field, companies like SolarCity must balance efficiency with cost.
With the upcoming Paris summit on the perils and effects of climate change scheduled to take place later this year, many have praised the company for its contribution in promoting green alternatives and working tirelessly in proving that renewable energy and environmental conservation can also be good business ideals. Rive said that helps performance hold up better against high outdoor temperatures. Once SolarCity’s 1GW facility opens, they will be able to produce as many 10,000 panels per day.
“However, manufacturers continuously improve their production processes and it is likely that SunPower has been able to incrementally improve the initial reported efficiency”, Ogden said.
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SolarCity is constructing a massive factory in Buffalo, N.Y., where…
