Mitsubishi Solar PV Panel Review
When it comes to company reviews it is very hard to beat longevity and in the case of Japanese giants Mitsubishi you are looking at one of the premier manufacturers of all time right across the field of electronics and its counterparts during the past 80 years.
This applies to solar panels too, for Mitsubishi are world-leaders with over 30 years experience in the development and creation of photovoltaic modules and systems. Its track record speaks for itself since 1974 when the company first began to research and develop solar PV and it continues to shine to this day in its production of modules, rack mounting systems, and inverters.
In 2005 it reached an annual production of 135MW; began sales of residential inverters with a 95.5% efficiency rate, the highest in the industry, in 2006; a year later developed solar cells with the world’s highest efficiency rating of 18%, and then broke its’ own record in 2009 by hitting 18.9%.
Mitsubishi Electric photovoltaic systems are used throughout the world to bring clean, reliable energy to residences, business, power-generation plants, schools, factories and areas without access to electricity, as well as other applications such highway and stadium lighting.
There are 6 main Mitsubishi models available for all types of installation needs:
UE5 115W-130W; UD5 170W-185W; UD6 190W; UJ6 210W-225W; MJU 240W; MLU 250W-255W.
All modules have a 25-year power output warranty, are manufactured in an ISO 14001 certified factory, use only 100% lead-free solder and can be installed next to saltwater. The panels come with a 10 year 90% output guarantee, and 25-year output guarantee of 80%.
Mitsubishi panels also come with a 3% “negativity tolerance” rating. Again this is important as anything higher than 3% can seriously affect the performance of your panels if used in a series of panels for whole-home power generation.
The good news for British home owners is that Mitsubishi solar panels are now MCS accredited which means they are eligible under the government’s Feed-In-Tariff scheme (the money-earning incentive to get homeowners installing solar PV).
To illustrate the effectiveness of Mitsubishi solar PV one need only take a look at the Limoneira Company, Ventura County, California. Producers of lemons, oranges, pistachios, cherries and avocados since 1893, Limoneira decided to go solar and installed a 5.5 acre “solar orchard” using 6,400 Mitsubishi electric 185W modules.
It is anticipated that the system will produce 2,000,000 kW of electricity annually for the firm, about one third of its entire energy needs per year. The air pollution saved will be the equivalent of driving over 3 million miles which will prevent 1,060 tons of C02 from entering the environment.
Take a bow Mitsubishi!