Topcon is a bifacial pannel, If it was a white painted surface at the back, I also saw a brochure which said use glass at the back for best results. The green grass background would have absorbed a large spectrum of sunlight which would have had affected results
They are pretty amazing. Hopefully the price on them will come down soon. I've had them on my RV roof for over a year and I recently measured them making 100% of their wattage value. Thanks for watching!
I think the reason the CIGS did worse in some tests is likely due to the voltage thresholds of the charge controllers. I'd like to see the test repeated with two of each panel wired in series, using the same charge controllers. I think the CIGS would come out on top in every test, but I'm not certain which is why I'd like to see it.
Thanks so much for making this, we need more people like you! 😂One thing I wish you talked about more is the power to size ratio, specifically since you mentioned RV applications. The same 200W CIGS panel is ~47% larger than the 200W TOPcon, and that's also not including the additional space that running wires takes (since they can run underneath an elevated rigid panel). That was definitely not something we considered when doing a flexible panel install on our RV roof, but I wish we had. Of course this doesn't matter if space isn't a concern - weight can definitely be a pretty big factor as well. But I still love seeing the data, thanks again! 🙌
I 2nd this. W/m2 and $/W are perhaps the biggest factors for the majority of installations. Maybe just add a note in the comments with these metrics (of course $/W is dropping generally, tariffs aside).
@@solarguy We have the BougeRV Arch panels, but actually would not recommend because we've hot spots/low output in 3 of our 10 panels in only a couple months of use. They have specific instructions on how to flat mount them, and market them as more heat-resistant/durable than other flexible panels but unfortunately that hasn't been the case. I'm pretty convinced now that the only realistic flexible option is CIGS 🙃
Micro fractures in crystalline panels, which will set your RV on fire, should be the biggest factor to consider. Thin films, whether CIGS or Amorphous, won't do that. With crystalline it's just a matter of time.
I enjoyed seeing all three of these panel types tested, sweet video and excellent testing. I was pretty surprised how closely they performed in wattage. It looks like the normal 200w Monocrystalline panel is the best value, as long as you keep the shade off as much as possible. With the larger 400w panel prices being so good right now, these panels aren't super attractive unless you have a specific need for a small array.
Great video, thanks! Subbed. I was hoping you were going to test an amorphous panel, and see how it does in the shade. Do they still make those? Thanks
Great video. I have 4 BougeRV Cigs 200 watt self adhesive on my truck camper. They pump the power. They are pricey but the weight ratio to power is awesome.
@@robertbryant173 As soon as I got my NorthStar 850sc in October 2022. They have been covered when not in use until this past July and will find out in October their condition. They are a power house and used as a solar tax write off as well. So far so good
CIGs are gallium-based? That is cool. I heard of this only is solar panels meant for operation in space because the gallium will survive wild extreme temperature variations and last for a far long time than other kinds of solar cells. The specialty gallium cells for spacecraft are custom and crazy expensive, though. Gallium isn't cheap. It's also used for state-of-the-art LED lights. As for the partial shade experiments, my guess is that the results were most strongly impacted by the wiring, not the cells themselves.
Do you happen to know what the voltage was for the perc panel while it was in the shade? I’m putting panels on my rv roof and often camp in shady spots, so I would really appreciate if you could let me know. Thanks
That would definitely help the gain from the backside. I have some I was going to use for another solar project but maybe I can make a video on bi-facial gain with reflectors since I also have a bunch of mirrors too.
A lot of people have been testing those cigs panels, the technology seems cool but they don't last long and for over $500 each i won't be buying them. I do like those topcon panels
HE Says. That the cigs panels are very Durable ok and you claim they don’t last and hpold up very Long. . Which is it ? Just curious did you research on Consumer reports or what was your source ?/
@@ca-dz9vbthere are a lot of reviews on UA-cam and please don't believe me and do more research on those flexible panels, do what you want but for me I'm going for the topcon panels for my bus
The main difference would be because the angle of the sun since it's moving throughout the time. The data that really matters is comparing the panels when they are at the same angle, temperature, load, solar irradience, etc. If the factors were all the same the whole time, then yes, a 4 hour test should show roughly double a 2 hour test. Thanks for watching!
It's obvious the CIGS is longer and thinner. That's not what I was testing. They are all rated for 200W so that is the consistent part. I was testing the technology side by side in the same circumstances.
@@solarguy I do know cigs are some of the bendables. I appreciate your testing. I'm bias against bendable panels, I know this. But..... Fitment is one of the three primary principles of engineering, impossible to overlook.
@solarguy Thank You for all your time and effort to try to help us understand the potential performance of these different panels, I know it is a lot of work.
@@strayangel3210 How are you gonna mount a rigid panel to a curved surface without completely ruining the aerodynamics? What about it being 1/2 - 1/3 the weight of rigid panels? Not even considering the fact that it's more durable than glass panels in a lot of applications, I don't know how you can't see why there may be a use case for different types of solar panels. Even though CIGS(17%)/Flexible(23%) panels are less efficient (that is why the panel is bigger...), they provide many pros and may also even be the best/only solution. Stay in school kids.
The rest of the world cares, also the US military and scientist in the US also care lol, in other words, almost everyone cares apart from the US population, and even then, many of them care.
I agree, I avoid using occult measurements. It would be nice if the people touting the metric system would learn about it's beginning and how it isn't as accurate as they like to believe.
1st Amps are more important Ohm's law 101 it will show you the actual power going into grid or battery & When they talk about solar efficiency is just the footprint the size of the panel for the output
@@solarguy ohm's law shows us if you multiply volts buy amps give us watts If you test at the meter are the main at any solar installation you'll see you only putting in about 15 percent to the grid Same with charging batteries as the battery gets full amps go down what Watts stay the same And then you can do that 4th grade math to figure out actual what's going into grid or battery
@@solarguy there are some other fun science fair projects you can do Like line voltage minus PV voltage what should be 274 here in the US then divide the result by line voltage multiplied by 100 which will show you the percentage going into grid or battery which will coincide exactly with the first test
Just came across this. Thank you. This is great. Love the way you tested. Lots of great data.
Thank you! I tried my best to keep the conditions consistent across all 3 for the tests.
Topcon is a bifacial pannel, If it was a white painted surface at the back, I also saw a brochure which said use glass at the back for best results.
The green grass background would have absorbed a large spectrum of sunlight which would have had affected results
It is bi-facial but I didn't want to give it an advantage over the others.
Interesting! The CIGS is very cool, that flexibility would come in handy in some applications.
Thanks for keeping us up to date!
They are pretty amazing. Hopefully the price on them will come down soon. I've had them on my RV roof for over a year and I recently measured them making 100% of their wattage value. Thanks for watching!
They’re garbage long term. Don’t buy them
I think the reason the CIGS did worse in some tests is likely due to the voltage thresholds of the charge controllers. I'd like to see the test repeated with two of each panel wired in series, using the same charge controllers. I think the CIGS would come out on top in every test, but I'm not certain which is why I'd like to see it.
Thanks so much for making this, we need more people like you! 😂One thing I wish you talked about more is the power to size ratio, specifically since you mentioned RV applications. The same 200W CIGS panel is ~47% larger than the 200W TOPcon, and that's also not including the additional space that running wires takes (since they can run underneath an elevated rigid panel). That was definitely not something we considered when doing a flexible panel install on our RV roof, but I wish we had. Of course this doesn't matter if space isn't a concern - weight can definitely be a pretty big factor as well. But I still love seeing the data, thanks again! 🙌
Thanks! That’s a good suggestion. What panels did you put on your RV roof?
I 2nd this. W/m2 and $/W are perhaps the biggest factors for the majority of installations. Maybe just add a note in the comments with these metrics (of course $/W is dropping generally, tariffs aside).
@@solarguy We have the BougeRV Arch panels, but actually would not recommend because we've hot spots/low output in 3 of our 10 panels in only a couple months of use. They have specific instructions on how to flat mount them, and market them as more heat-resistant/durable than other flexible panels but unfortunately that hasn't been the case. I'm pretty convinced now that the only realistic flexible option is CIGS 🙃
Thanks for letting me know. Sorry to hear about the disappointing results!
Micro fractures in crystalline panels, which will set your RV on fire, should be the biggest factor to consider. Thin films, whether CIGS or Amorphous, won't do that. With crystalline it's just a matter of time.
Thank you for watching! Please consider subscribing and liking this video (it helps!). Post any questions or suggestions as new comments.
I enjoyed seeing all three of these panel types tested, sweet video and excellent testing. I was pretty surprised how closely they performed in wattage. It looks like the normal 200w Monocrystalline panel is the best value, as long as you keep the shade off as much as possible. With the larger 400w panel prices being so good right now, these panels aren't super attractive unless you have a specific need for a small array.
Thanks for watching! Those are great thoughts!
Great video, thanks! Subbed.
I was hoping you were going to test an amorphous panel, and see how it does in the shade. Do they still make those? Thanks
Thanks! I'm not sure.
Great video. I have 4 BougeRV Cigs 200 watt self adhesive on my truck camper. They pump the power. They are pricey but the weight ratio to power is awesome.
Thanks for watching! Glad you like them.
How long have you had them up? How are they holding up?
@@robertbryant173 As soon as I got my NorthStar 850sc in October 2022. They have been covered when not in use until this past July and will find out in October their condition. They are a power house and used as a solar tax write off as well.
So far so good
Thank you for the detailed testing , however I think the ambient temperature is important to know while testing. Do you have this information? Thx.
Thanks for watching. The temperatures varied for every test. It was usually in the 80’s and low 90’s on some days.
This info is very exciting to learn. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
@@solarguy No problem, it is my pleasure. Keep the good info coming please 😉
CIGs are gallium-based? That is cool. I heard of this only is solar panels meant for operation in space because the gallium will survive wild extreme temperature variations and last for a far long time than other kinds of solar cells. The specialty gallium cells for spacecraft are custom and crazy expensive, though. Gallium isn't cheap. It's also used for state-of-the-art LED lights. As for the partial shade experiments, my guess is that the results were most strongly impacted by the wiring, not the cells themselves.
I would LOVE to see a $ / kw breakdown. If the 2nd and 3rd place (fixed frames) were wildly different in price, that would be a tipping factor for me.
Do you happen to know what the voltage was for the perc panel while it was in the shade? I’m putting panels on my rv roof and often camp in shady spots, so I would really appreciate if you could let me know. Thanks
I went back and looked at my footage and the perc in full shade looked like 16v
good stuff good tests
Thank you for watching!
For the bifacial panel why not use a emergency Mylar blanket as a reflector so that the sun shines on both sides at the same time?
That would definitely help the gain from the backside. I have some I was going to use for another solar project but maybe I can make a video on bi-facial gain with reflectors since I also have a bunch of mirrors too.
A lot of people have been testing those cigs panels, the technology seems cool but they don't last long and for over $500 each i won't be buying them. I do like those topcon panels
HE Says. That the cigs panels are very Durable ok and you claim they don’t last and hpold up very Long. . Which is it ? Just curious did you research on Consumer reports or what was your source ?/
@@ca-dz9vbthere are a lot of reviews on UA-cam and please don't believe me and do more research on those flexible panels, do what you want but for me I'm going for the topcon panels for my bus
I wish they would make cigs under glass panels!!! So much more protection...
Proof? These are the MOST durable panels EVER, I have a lot of proof to the contrary.
Hobotech shot some CIGS and they still worked. Look at his little torture test and tell me they are not durable?!?!?
After reading your collected data, I wonder why a 4 hous test isn't exactly twice what the two hour test recorded. Why is that?
The main difference would be because the angle of the sun since it's moving throughout the time. The data that really matters is comparing the panels when they are at the same angle, temperature, load, solar irradience, etc. If the factors were all the same the whole time, then yes, a 4 hour test should show roughly double a 2 hour test. Thanks for watching!
Now run the test again but on an elevated rack with white/reflective surface behind.
Wooooh id enjoy this~
It would be setting up the test to ensure that the bi-facial panel gains more than the other two. Are you hoping to see how much better it would do?
@@solarguyand temps beneath the panels
Costs??
Click the links
Let's address the elephant in the room, that thing is twice the size. For the space it's not really an accurate measurement.
It's obvious the CIGS is longer and thinner. That's not what I was testing. They are all rated for 200W so that is the consistent part. I was testing the technology side by side in the same circumstances.
@@solarguy I do know cigs are some of the bendables. I appreciate your testing. I'm bias against bendable panels, I know this. But..... Fitment is one of the three primary principles of engineering, impossible to overlook.
@solarguy Thank You for all your time and effort to try to help us understand the potential performance of these different panels, I know it is a lot of work.
@@strayangel3210Cigs has nothing to do with traditional bending panels. It’s way more reliable
@@strayangel3210 How are you gonna mount a rigid panel to a curved surface without completely ruining the aerodynamics? What about it being 1/2 - 1/3 the weight of rigid panels? Not even considering the fact that it's more durable than glass panels in a lot of applications, I don't know how you can't see why there may be a use case for different types of solar panels. Even though CIGS(17%)/Flexible(23%) panels are less efficient (that is why the panel is bigger...), they provide many pros and may also even be the best/only solution. Stay in school kids.
Who cares about Celsius? Just keep things in Fahrenheit
The rest of the world understands the metric system. Why you falling behind?
The rest of the world cares, also the US military and scientist in the US also care lol, in other words, almost everyone cares apart from the US population, and even then, many of them care.
I'm an American Electrician, and all I have ever had to say about Imperial measurements is, "Eff that shi*."
Agreed, Celsius is so annoying. It’s a meaningless measure.
I agree, I avoid using occult measurements. It would be nice if the people touting the metric system would learn about it's beginning and how it isn't as accurate as they like to believe.
1st
Amps are more important
Ohm's law 101 it will show you the actual power going into grid or battery
&
When they talk about solar efficiency is just the footprint the size of the panel for the output
Ohms law has 3 variables. How are amps more important?
@@solarguy ohm's law shows us if you multiply volts buy amps give us watts
If you test at the meter are the main at any solar installation you'll see you only putting in about 15 percent to the grid
Same with charging batteries as the battery gets full amps go down what Watts stay the same
And then you can do that 4th grade math to figure out actual what's going into grid or battery
@@solarguy there are some other fun science fair projects you can do
Like line voltage minus PV voltage what should be 274 here in the US then divide the result by line voltage multiplied by 100 which will show you the percentage going into grid or battery which will coincide exactly with the first test
@@solarguy They aren't, unless you want more power loss from heat.
Dennis is demonstrating how "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing."