Lowenergie (or Low Energie) solar panels

[Aeolus]

Has anyone used these solar panels? They're a bit cheaper than most other suppliers - are they as good?

I'm thinking of two rigid 50w monocrystalline panels to replace my current 2 x 20w. The refrigerator uses a lot more power in these warm days!

 

[MikeBz]

I bought 2 x 50W flexible Lowenergie solar panels last year. Their performance is poor - the best I see from the pair of them in parallel in full sun is about 40W, usually rather less. They were cheap! In general my experience is that rigid panels perform a lot better than flexible ones, maybe I should be buying more expensive flexible panels.

 

[Steve_N]

I didn't have a very good experience with them. The panels (100w mono rigid) that arrived were 2x busbars/cell instead of the 3x busbar shown in their product illustration at that time. Also they had a distinct blueish tinge and the shapes of the silicon crystals were clearly visible, very different from the uniform jet black of the wafers in my other panels. I sent them a picture (attached) and asked them to check that they were in fact mono as I though that both of the features I mention were more attributable to poly panels. They confirmed they were mono so I left it at that and just decided not to buy from them again.

 

[ProDave]

Advertising your panels as "low energie" seems a bit of inverted logic and not exactly likely to attract many buyers. No wonder they are cheaper?

 

[Aeolus]

Many thanks for your responses. I'm glad I asked!

 

[LONG_KEELER]

I bought 2 x 50W flexible Lowenergie solar panels last year. Their performance is poor - the best I see from the pair of them in parallel in full sun is about 40W, usually rather less. They were cheap! In general my experience is that rigid panels perform a lot better than flexible ones, maybe I should be buying more expensive flexible panels.

That has been my experience with flexible panels.
I have now switched to one 25w rigid panel which comfortably covers all of my needs. I don't have a coolbox/fridge.

 

[peteK]

I bought a 30watt semiflexible of them and the panel I received was marked and scratched and badly packed and very little output from it when tested suspected someone else had went it back faulty,received a refund but not postage despite them saying they would refund.

 

[William_H]

If OP can fit on a single large panel then the type sold for domestic PV systems are cheapest and best. This because of the huge number made and sold. They tend to be around 180 by100cms so possibly too big for you. The power tends to be around 300w in latest versions. Voltage is 40 v o/c so need a MPPT controller for charging 12v battery. Around here there is a good source of second hand domestic PV panels. Something like 40% of homes have PV panels and apparently you are not allowed to refit second hand panels in a domestic (mains power system) so with houses being demolished lots of s/h panels out there. ol'will