What You Should Know About
Unisolar Solar Panels

Unisolar solar panels are a little different than the other solar panel kids.

In fact, they aren't so much solar panels as thin-film solar laminates.

What are the benefits of this thin-film technology?

Unisolar is a world leader in thin-film technology and has developed a technology to reduce the materials cost in a solar cell.

Unisolar has also achieved world records in thin-film efficiency.

They have accomplished this through a "multi-junction" approach that lays different levels of amorphous cells on top of one another.

Are you wondering about the difference between "thin-film" technology and a standard solar panel?

Well, here are the basics: Thin-film is cheaper but it is less efficient so you'll need to use more space to achieve the same output as traditional solar panels.

So, you say, if thin-film is less efficient why does Uni-solar tout their "real-world" efficiency? This is because thin-film technology performs better than a solar panel in cloudy or hot conditions. Depending on your climate, this could be a big advantage.

Thin-film technology is an exciting growth area in the solar world and Uni-Solar solar panels will be at the forefront of the movement.

Here are the specs on Uni-Solar products:

Note: If you want to know more about what these stats mean check out solar panel info (it will open in a new window so you can go back and forth).

Now, onto the stats...

• Rated Power at STC (Standard Test Conditions)
  This will be the "advertised" wattage of the panel you're looking at (e.g. 180 watt or 205 watt).

• Rated Power Tolerance (%)
  +/-5%

• Rated Power Per Sq. Ft. (Watts)
  PVL-68 - 5.6
  PVL-124 - 5.8
  PVL-136 - 5.8

• Module Efficiency (%)
  PVL-68 - 6.1
  PVL-124 - 6.3
  PVL-136 - 6.3

• Materials Warranty (Years)
  None

• Power Warranty (Years)
  20

• Cell Type
  Amorphous Silicon (a-Si)

• Maximum Power Temperature Coefficient (% per °C)
  -0.21