Tweet
Q Cell 265w poly panels....I do not have the exact model yet.....but I thought I would throw it out there and see what you guys thought about them in general.....and revise the post when I know more.
Thanks
Thanks
-
-
Q Cell Panels
Q cell panels should be fine they just merged with Hanwha. Nothing remarkably good or bad about them. They are on the lower side of the cost spectrum. What type of inverters are you considering?Comment
-
They also seem to be on the lower side of the S.T.C. efficiency spectrum. Between the lower efficiency and lower price, I'm wondering about the efficacy of the cooling fins on some of their designs which I'd think might tend to increase S.T.C. efficiency and add a bit to the cost. Apparently, the fins do neither.Comment
-
J.P.M.'s post demonstrates a better understanding of what to look for in the panels than many people might grasp. Based on the "score" at a site I've linked before, which takes into account the PTC ratings, they are below what I would consider buying. There are other low cost panels that perform better than this one. As far as Q-cells goes, the Q.Pro series looks a lot more respectable.CS6P-260P/SE3000 - http://tiny.cc/ed5ozxComment
-
Thanks for responding to my post....
Yes... I noticed that too about the Q Cell panel rating....the thought that came to mind though was that there wasn't a designation of G3 (3rd generation) as in my exact panel in my quote. So I'm wondering if they are the same or is that panel listed on PSI only the first generation?... I emailed the PSI people and I am still waiting to hear back.
Your link has been very useful ( Thank You) but I am having a hard time matching panels on there to price points...You mentioned that you know of other panels? I would greatly appreciate any recommendation you might have on panels in the low to mid range costs that perform best in your opinion or maybe some that are even on that site rated for me to see..... So far the two installers (that I have narrowed it down to) have mentioned these Q-Cells , a Renesola panel Model JC260M-24/BX, and Canadian Solar panel(they did not give a model recommendation yet)...with one of them mentioning that they will install whatever panel I would like...how that will effect my cost, I guess will be determined. The Q-Cell installer hasn't mention any other panel option yet.... maybe because I haven't delved into the conversation with him since I am still researching his Q-cell recommendation.
I have some shading issues caused by my neighbor's tree and also issues from my different facing roof lines and one of my chimneys...so I have been given quotes on two different types of designs ...one with Enphase micro inverters and the other with Solaredge w/ Dc optimizers.... both being around a 17Kw systems (large house, large pool w/spa, in very hot AZ).... anyways it's been hard to determined which way to go because as I am sure you know the whole debate between the two... but as of right now, I am leaning towards the Solaredge optimizers.....(even though there seems to be no definitive answer....mostly, just a bunch of advertising or at the very least some educated guesses without the support of long term data).....but it's because of the (so-called) reliability in the extreme heat under the panel compared to the micro inverters....apparently I need one of these options though. No getting around that.
Anyways, any panel recommendation would be awesome... Thanks again for your help.... By the way your comments on a lot of people's posts have been very helpful. Very appreciated!Comment
-
I think you are right, based on the power ranges listed in the PSI site, it looks like the ratings there are for a previous generation, and not the G3. I had also misread J.P.M.'s post and thought he was talking about PTC or CEC ratings when I think now he was really just commenting on the lower STC rating, which is I guess the fact that they are closer to 250 W panels than 300 W. PTC ratings can be found here, which is another standardized way to measure the power output that is intended to be somewhat more like real world conditions than STC is. In those ratings, the PTC rating is a bit lower than some, but they also look like they are referring to the previous generation.
None of these ratings is really definitive, for me, they are just places to get ideas for what to research. The G3 degradation warranty is a tick better than what LG offers on their panels (0.6% degradation annually vs 0.7% degradation). I haven't been able to find information about those Renesola panels on their own web page, which is annoying to me and would be a reason to stay away from them. The Q-cell panel has an anti-reflective coating which could be a good thing too, and may also add a couple 0.x% to the annual output.
Short version... I'd go with the Q-cells over the Renesola panel or even the Canadian Solar one if I was you. I've specified Canadian Solar panels for my installation, finding them to be the best of the low cost panels I was offered by my installer. If appearance matters, some people find that black framed panels are less of an eyesore than clear anodized frames, and Q-cells offers the Q.Peak-G3 in both, so that is another question you could ask.
The way I tried to get a handle on price points was to look at the online distributors and sort the panels by $ / W. An example of that is here, where you can see Canadian Solar is the cheapest offered. No distributor has access to every panel, so you could look at several sites to get a feel for it.
One more time... this is all just speculation. Panels seem to be pretty reliable in general, and the differences between them small. I really have no idea what the "best" panel for your installation might be.
Edit: With regard to shade management, I would also choose SolarEdge over microinverters, for the same reason you mentioned. Also, I find SolarEdge's approach to panel level monitoring to be a bit more user friendly.CS6P-260P/SE3000 - http://tiny.cc/ed5ozxComment
-
Q Cells G3
Q Cell G3 seems to be listed on your recommended site under Hanwha Q cells and the rating there is pretty good. It's an average panel. Nothing especially great or poor.
Depending on the install aesthetics maybe equally important to you as performance.Comment
-
I believe that is the Q. Pro G3 your noticing not the Q. Peak G3 which is the one in question....the only Q Peak I see has no G3 attached to the listed name( as discussed above) which seems to suggest that it is the first generation.... since some of the other panels, like the one you mentioned, has it in it's name...but thank you though for at least trying to help. Much appreciated...Comment
-
Thank you...I will try to use your advice to help get a sense on the price points of all the various panels or at least the most popular ones.
Also after reading your response, I think you are correct that I should choose the Q.Peak G3 over the others (unless I stubble across another choice) and as you have already mentioned the differences between panels is somewhat small and being that the reliability is pretty sound ...I guess you really can't go wrong with most choices.
Which now brings another issue to ponder.. I'd rather have the Solaredge w/optimizers design over the Enphase micro inverters design but the Enphase installer is the one who has suggested the Q. Peak panels.... and the other panels were suggested by the Solaredge installer. Why couldn't this Solar thing be easier! : )
My first thought though, is that I would probably rather have an installer who is very familiar with the inverter in the design, more so than the panel of choice....with that thought, I should ask the Enphase installer what their experience is with Solaredge and ask the Solaredge installer what other panels do they have to choose from or ask at what price would they give me for a design with Q peak panels.
In the end though and based on the fact that panel differences are small... it would probably be a smart idea to just go with Solaredge installer and get the best panel in my price range that he can provide and is comfortable installing.
Anyways, thanks again for all your help...much appreciated!Comment
Comment