SunPower PV Solar Panels
American PV solar panel manufacturer SunPower has been instrumental in developing solar technology for a quarter of a century. In that time the company has been responsible for producing the solar cells for the world’s first solar-powered aircraft which, rising to almost 97,000 feet, broke all previous altitude records.
On a more practical basis, in 2010 SunPower began work on delivering the world’s largest photovoltaic power plant, in conjunction with the Pacific Gas and Electricity Company. SunPower has also recently joined forces with Ford to produce an emission-free all electric car, incorporating what SunPower describes as “the most powerful solar panels on the planet”.
Record breaking innovations such as these have kept SunPower at the forefront of PV solar technology development for both the commercial and domestic consumer sectors.
Now a global player in the PV solar market, SunPower has a presence throughout America, Europe, Asia and in Australia. For PV solar panel installations within the UK, SunPower maintains a body of trained and authorised installation partners.
SunPower PV Solar Panel Quality and Performance
SunPower claim that their PV solar panel testing regime is more rigorous than that of any of their competitors in the PV solar panel manufacturing industry. Testing over and above the regulatory standards for quality and safety, SunPower PV solar panels have been proven effective against the harshest weather conditions including hurricane-force winds, hailstorms and high temperatures. Consequently, SunPower provide an above-average product guarantee of ten years with their PV solar panels.
Thanks to SunPower’s proprietary Maxeon technology, their PV solar panels are able to achieve industry-leading sunlight-to-electricity conversion efficiencies. Maxeon technology integrates electrical contacts into the rear of the PV solar panel instead of the face and mounts the individual cells on a black background and protects them with tempered glass. Housed within a corrosion resistant frame, the resulting panel is both aesthetically pleasing and offers exceptional efficiency by allowing in more light than comparable PV solar panels over a range of differing light conditions.
SunPower PV Solar Panel Ranges
SunPower can justifiably claim that their PV solar panels for domestic and commercial use produce the greatest amount of energy when compared to any other PV solar panel currently available on the UK market.
SunPower currently produces three ranges of PV solar panels for the European installation market, each of which benefits from SunPower’s ‘Signature’ black design and Maxeon technology.
The current SunPower PV solar panel range comprises:
The E18 series
PV solar panels in the E18 series are available in 225, 230 and 300watt rated power outputs.
The 225 and 230watt rated panels feature 72 SunPower Maxeon PV solar cells, whilst the slightly larger and heavier 300watt rated version consists of 96 SunPower Maxeon PV solar cells.
As the name of this range suggests, panels in the E18 series achieve a minimum sunlight-to-power conversion efficiency of 18%, with the panels attaining 18.1%, 18.5% and 18.4% respectively.
Tested in temperature conditions from -40o C to +85o C and to withstand snow loads, hail and storm force winds these panels come with a ten-year product warranty and a twenty-five year power output warranty.
The E19 series
PV solar panels in the E19 series are available in 240, 245 and 320watt rated power outputs.
Featuring the same technology as used in the E18 series panels, those in the E19 series benefit additionally from SunPower’s patented anti-reflection coating which allows more of the available light to be absorbed by the PV solar cells and converted to energy instead of being reflected.
This technological advance means that PV solar panels in SunPower’s E19 series achieve a remarkable minimum efficiency of 19%.
The New E20 series
SunPower’s new E20 series of PV solar panels leads the industry, achieving unprecedented and record breaking efficiencies of at least 20%.
Rated at 327watts they are the most powerful domestic PV solar energy panels currently available.
Like the E19 series before it, the E20 Series integrates SunPower Maxeon solar cell technology, but with larger high-efficiency solar cells as well as the patented anti-reflective coating to increase sunlight absorption.
Using materials of the highest specification ensures that PV solar panels in SunPower’s E20 series absorb and convert the absolute maximum available light. This means that roof space can be maximised as fewer solar panels are required to generate power.
Indicative SunPower PV Solar Installation Costs
The price of installing a SunPower PV solar system will vary depending upon your requirements and the size and suitability of your roof but for a standard 2.5kWh domestic installation carried out by an MCS certified installer and requiring up to twelve SunPower PV solar panels an estimated cost would be around £11,000.