SolarCity claims to have built world’s most-efficient rooftop solar panel

SolarCity sent out a press release claiming to have built the world’s most efficient rooftop solar panel, with a module efficiency exceeding 22 percent. SolarCity says the panel generates more power per square foot and harvests more energy over a year than any other rooftop panel in production, with its eye on being the highest volume solar panel manufactured in the Western Hemisphere.

SolarCity will begin producing the first modules in small quantities this month at its 100-MW pilot facility, but the majority of the new solar panels will ultimately be produced at SolarCity’s 1-GW facility in Buffalo, N.Y. SolarCity expects to be producing between 9,000 – 10,000 solar panels each day with similar efficiency when the Buffalo facility reaches full capacity.

SolarCity’s panel was measured with 22.04 percent module-level efficiency by Renewable Energy Test Center, a third-party certification testing provider for photovoltaic and renewable energy products. SolarCity’s new panel—created via a proprietary process that significantly reduces the manufacturing cost relative to other high-efficiency technologies—is the same size as standard efficiency solar panels, but produces 30-40 percent more power. SolarCity’s panel also performs better than other modules in high temperatures, which allows it to produce even more energy on an annual basis than other solar panels of comparable size.

SolarCity initially expects to install the new solar panel on rooftops and carports for homes, businesses, schools and other organizations, but it will also be excellent for utility-scale solar fields and other large-scale, ground-level installations.

Here’s a ton more headlines from SolarCity

— Solar Builder magazine

[source: http://solarbuildermag.com/news/solarcity-claims-to-have-built-worlds-most-efficient-rooftop-solar-panel/]