idealPV solar panels are a low cost, high reliability alternative to conventional crystalline modules.
Streamlined manufacturing over conventional PV manufacturing, idealPV modules offer the benefits of reliability, cost, safety, efficiency, simplified design and installation.
For new installations, idealPV modules have the same form factor as conventional sixty-cell modules. idealPVs have electrical characteristics that are compatible with conventional sixty-cell modules and will drive any standard inverter.
No change to system design or balance of system components are required to use idealPVs.
A quick read of the specifications shows that systems made with idealPVs will outperform conventional panels.
A deeper read reveals that systems designed to exploit idealPV specifications allow unprecedented levels of cost efficiency, performance and safety.
With Voc, Vmp and Isc all specified as absolute maximums over temperature and solar input, system requirements like maximum string voltage, minimum start up voltages and maximum ampacity are easy to meet.
Voc as an absolute maximum means that maximum system voltage is (number of modules) times (Voc period). Have a system max of 600V and an idealPV Voc of 40V? That is 15 modules per string no matter how cold it gets.
String voltages that stay high when it gets hot with string currents that fall reduce copper losses in the wiring and your inverter. This puts real world performance ratio points back in your pocket.
idealPVs replace old restrictive maximum power points with wide Maximum Power Ranges. Strings can have different numbers of panels and still all operate at peak efficiency. Now the system design can fit the real estate available at the job site. All of it. Every spot in a car port, the missing spots around vent pipes even the corners of odd shaped lots.
The old conventional module 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 landscape sub strings are replaced with idealPVs 80/20 portrait sub strings.
Have a part time shadow of a vent pipe? With idealPV, it's ok to put a module there. Output is typically only reduced by 10% for bottom shadows, and with idealPV FOZHS technology, the cells under the shadow cool.
Need to pack in rows tightly? Fine. Seasonal Row to Row morning and afternoon shadows on the bottom 20% of an idealPV have little effect on daily power and no effect on start up or shut down times.
Got a spot that is hard to clean? Use it. We call that small 20% sub string on the bottom "the mud room" for a reason! Since almost everything that gets on the top of a panel ends up on the bottom the panel, dirt, splash back, snow, bird nests and just about anything you can think of end up stealing little power from an idealPV.
Off Grid
Order up an idealPV your way.
With idealPV, Voc, Vmp and Isc are all available spec to order.
For battery charging applications: specify Vmp as the nominal battery voltage, Voc as the float voltage and Isc as the maximum charge current. The idealPVs will do the rest without a charge controller!
For fans, compressors and pumps: Specify Voc as the maximum voltage for your motor controller, Vmp as the nominal voltage and Isc as the stall current limit. Many standard VFD motor drives will hook right up and drive a standard AC induction motor!
Existing installations
Wait... What? The idealPV is the first interoperable solar panel. idealPVs can be used to replace or add to solar panels in existing installations.
Retrofit/Replace: idealPV modules may be used as replacements for other solar modules of similar size with a broad tolerance for the specifications of the original module. Replacing a failed or at-risk module with an idealPV allows better than new performance from the string of solar modules associated with the failed module.
System upgrade / expansion: idealPVs may be added to existing strings of solar modules to raise the overall system voltage, thereby improving Balance of System and Inverter efficiency. Higher, nearly flat BOS efficiency with increasing temperature: falling Pmp, constant Vmp, falling Imp and increasing copper resistance compensate I2R loss. For a typical 2Ω BOS loss (4%) an entire string of idealPVs reduces the loss to 2.2% flat over temperature while raising the voltage and lowering the current input to the system inverter.
idealPVs can interoperate with existing modules. To the extent a portion of a string is replaced with idealPVs, power output and efficiency of the plant is improved. This upgrade is possible because a higher power idealPV maintains its rated power even while adapting its current to match the balance of lower power modules in the string. The idealPV added to an existing string has temperature independent absolute maximum ratings for Voc,Vmp, Isc which raise the operating voltage of the string and make it less dependent upon temperature.
