Compare that to SunPower’s close rival X-Series panels at 21.5 percent module-level efficiency.
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SolarCity has built what it is calling the world’s most efficient rooftop solar panel, with a module efficiency exceeding 22%.
The claim that the new panel is the most efficient is backed up by a third party independent testing service from Renewable Energy Test Center, a certification testing organization for solar panel product. The unit is the same size as standard efficiency models, but produces 30 to 40 percent more power. They also claim that the panels perform better than competing products in high temperatures.
The move is aimed at helping SolarCity company keep solar power cost effective even after a federal tax credit expires next year, Rive said.
“It’s all about making sure that our costs can continue to go down”, Rive said.
“Now that we are going to be making the best module in the world, hopefully that addresses anyone’s skepticism”, Lyndon Rive told Reuters. The company will begin installing the new panels on special projects where high-efficiency panels are most necessary, due to the initial limited quantity. In other words, this is far from the efficiency SolarCity, or any of its competitors, want to reach. “Not sure what they would be comparing it to”.
Farrell does agree that heat management is an issue worth tackling.
SolarCity rooftop solar panels on a home. “So I’m not surprised that’s one of the things they work on”, said Farrell. But for solar panels, it’s a leap forward.
SolarCity is now producing its panels at a 100 megawatt pilot facility in Fremont, California, near Tesla’s factory. The efficiency rating refers to the proportion of the sun’s energy a module converts into electricity.
SolarCity’s interested in creating a solar panel that’s as efficient as possible while still scaling to hundreds of thousands of consumers; the company also made a point to mention that the panels will soon be produced-at a rate of up to 10,000 per day-at its under-construction factory in Buffalo that should be finished and open by 2017.
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Andrew Freedman contributed reporting for this story.
