So having had a bit of time to play with a loaned laptop running PV Sol I decided to analyse some 4 kWp systems using differrent panels all using an SMA SB 4000TL inverter. Here's a summary table.
The columns qty, panel, watts and kWp are self explanatory.
The next column (PV Sol) is the suggested annual output from PV Sol in kWh for my potential installation location and azimuth and roof angles.
The next column is the physical size of each panel in mm (HxW).
The next column is the size in square metres.
The next column is the theoretical efficiency - simply the rated output divided by the panel's area. This is often what's quoted as a panel's efficiency.
The next column is little bit of apples and oranges; I've divided PV Sol's annual output by the number of panels and then by area of one panel to get an annual efficiency figure. I.e. how many kWh does PV Sol think 1 sq metre of that panel will generate over the course of a year.
And the last column is my annual efficiency column divided by the theoretical efficiency expressed as a percentage. Sort of a measure of how well a panel really does as opposed to what the manufacturer claims.
So what does this say?
Sanyo panels are the most space efficient but that's fairly common knowledge.
Sanyo panels also appear to perform slightly better than stated. The previously unknown to me Winaico panels also appear to do well but I can't find out much about them other than someone else asked about them today.
Suntech, Upsolar and Solar World panels are in a cluster of similarly performing panels.
Trina, Yingli and Sharp are in the bottom cluster.
And the proverbial $64 question - are Sanyo panels worth paying extra for as compared to those in the lowest cluster? They would appear to generate 10% more over the course of a year so will generate the same in 9 years as the lower cluster panels do in 10. Given the rising fit rates the answer would seem to be yes.
The 2nd question - are Sanyo panels worth paying more for when compared to the middle cluster? Probably not unless you're space constrained (a 4 kWp Sanyo system will use 4 sq metres less roof space than, for example, a Suntech system).
The health warnings:
This data is only as accurate as the PV Sol model - does anyone know where the model gets its performance predictions for different panels from?
Different panels from the same brand may not perform identically so don't necessarily jump to conclusions about one brand versus another.
This is obviously only a small subset of the panels available on the market.
| qty | panel | watt | kWp | PV Sol | size | area | theoretical | PV Sol | % |
| efficiency | efficiency | ||||||||
| 16 | Sanyo HIT-H250E01 | 250 | 4000 | 4050 | 1610*861 | 1.38621 | 180.3 | 182.6 | 101.3% |
| 16 | Trina TSM-DC05 230 | 230 | 3680 | 3407 | 1650*992 | 1.6368 | 140.5 | 130.1 | 92.6% |
| 16 | Sharp NU-E245J5 | 245 | 3920 | 3629 | 1652*994 | 1.642088 | 149.2 | 138.1 | 92.6% |
| 16 | Yingli YL-250Wp | 250 | 4000 | 3722 | 1650*990 | 1.6335 | 153.0 | 142.4 | 93.1% |
| 16 | Suntech STP250S-20 Wd Plus | 250 | 4000 | 3953 | 1655*991 | 1.640105 | 152.4 | 150.6 | 98.8% |
| 16 | WINAICO WSP-240 Wp M6 | 240 | 3840 | 3884 | 1650*999 | 1.64835 | 145.6 | 147.3 | 101.1% |
| 16 | Upsolar UP-M230P | 230 | 3680 | 3605 | 1640*992 | 1.62688 | 141.4 | 138.5 | 98.0% |
| 16 | Solarworld 240 | 240 | 3840 | 3833 | 1675*1001 | 1.676675 | 143.1 | 142.9 | 99.8% |
| 16 | znshine ZX250(48)MS | 250 | 4000 | 3840 | 1575*1082 | 1.70415 | 146.7 | 140.8 | 96.0% |
The columns qty, panel, watts and kWp are self explanatory.
The next column (PV Sol) is the suggested annual output from PV Sol in kWh for my potential installation location and azimuth and roof angles.
The next column is the physical size of each panel in mm (HxW).
The next column is the size in square metres.
The next column is the theoretical efficiency - simply the rated output divided by the panel's area. This is often what's quoted as a panel's efficiency.
The next column is little bit of apples and oranges; I've divided PV Sol's annual output by the number of panels and then by area of one panel to get an annual efficiency figure. I.e. how many kWh does PV Sol think 1 sq metre of that panel will generate over the course of a year.
And the last column is my annual efficiency column divided by the theoretical efficiency expressed as a percentage. Sort of a measure of how well a panel really does as opposed to what the manufacturer claims.
So what does this say?
Sanyo panels are the most space efficient but that's fairly common knowledge.
Sanyo panels also appear to perform slightly better than stated. The previously unknown to me Winaico panels also appear to do well but I can't find out much about them other than someone else asked about them today.
Suntech, Upsolar and Solar World panels are in a cluster of similarly performing panels.
Trina, Yingli and Sharp are in the bottom cluster.
And the proverbial $64 question - are Sanyo panels worth paying extra for as compared to those in the lowest cluster? They would appear to generate 10% more over the course of a year so will generate the same in 9 years as the lower cluster panels do in 10. Given the rising fit rates the answer would seem to be yes.
The 2nd question - are Sanyo panels worth paying more for when compared to the middle cluster? Probably not unless you're space constrained (a 4 kWp Sanyo system will use 4 sq metres less roof space than, for example, a Suntech system).
The health warnings:
This data is only as accurate as the PV Sol model - does anyone know where the model gets its performance predictions for different panels from?
Different panels from the same brand may not perform identically so don't necessarily jump to conclusions about one brand versus another.
This is obviously only a small subset of the panels available on the market.
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