1.Advantages and disadvantages of flexible solar panels

First of all, flexible solar panel refers to a kind of solar panel that can be easily bent and folded, and even the whole solar panel can be rolled together.

This feature is due to the flexible solar panels borrowed from the thin film solar panel technology, that is, compared with the traditional solar panels have a layer of flexible substrate (the material can be plastic and metal, etc.), the flexible substrate surface attached to a thin layer of amorphous silicon or cadmium telluride material, special materials and construction makes the flexible solar panels have this feature. The following are the advantages and disadvantages of flexible solar panels:

1.1 Advantages of flexible solar panels

1.1.1 Convenience

The bendable nature of flexible solar panels allows them to be installed in places where traditional solar panels cannot. For example, for example, if you want to install solar panels on the top of a curved house, traditional solar panels can only be fixed horizontally on the top of the house using a solar bracket, while flexible solar panels can be kept in a curved state and installed on the roof to work, which not only makes the installation process is very convenient, but also increases the area of light and solar energy generated.

At the same time, flexible solar panels are easier to make into shapes and sizes that meet your requirements than traditional solar panels, which also greatly facilitates your later use.

1.1.2 Weather Resistance

Some of the flexible solar panels have strong weather resistance, take the flexible substrate surface of cadmium telluride material flexible solar panels as an example, the solar panel can work in the temperature range of minus 40 ℃ to minus 80 ℃, and because of cadmium telluride material chemistry, the flexible solar panels can greatly reduce the damage of ultraviolet rays, resulting in a long time under the sun. work in sunlight for long periods of time. All in all, these reflect that flexible solar panels have strong weather resistance.

1.2 Disadvantages of flexible solar panels

1.2.1 Low energy conversion efficiency

Flexible solar panels carry less conductive material than traditional solar panels, which leads to the same specifications of the energy conversion efficiency of flexible solar panels is lower than that of traditional solar panels. For example, a 1,000 watt conventional solar panel has an energy conversion efficiency of about 30%, while a 1,000 watt flexible solar panel has an energy conversion efficiency of about 15%.

Therefore, if you want flexible solar panels to provide you with the same amount of power as conventional solar panels, you need more flexible solar panels.

1.2.2 Short lifespan

The plastic and other substrate materials used inside flexible solar panels are not as durable as traditional solar panels, and bending flexible solar panels for a long time will also lead to a decline in their service life.

According to relevant data, the service life of traditional solar panels is about 25 years, while the service life of flexible solar panels is lower, such as amorphous silicon flexible solar panels have a service life of about 6 years, and cadmium telluride flexible solar panels have a service life of about 13 years.

1.2.3 Recycling is more complicated

Flexible solar panel recycling complexity is mainly reflected in two aspects. First of all, flexible solar panels will use plastics, metals, semiconductors, adhesives and other materials, these materials are mixed together, such as adhesives such as materials are difficult to remove from other materials, which greatly increases the complexity of recycling, and such as cadmium telluride such as heavy metal materials recycling more need to be extra careful.

Secondly, the individual material layers of flexible solar panels are exceptionally thin and require extra concentration when you separate them, which also makes the recycling of flexible solar panels difficult.

1.2.4 High cost

Flexible solar panels is currently a relatively new technology, due to flexible solar panels using flexible materials (including metal and special plastics) cost is higher than the traditional solar panels using glass and aluminum alloy materials, and flexible solar panels require the use of special production equipment and technology to ensure that it can be bent, these equipment is currently on the market is less compared to the production of traditional solar panels, requires more money. These reasons will inevitably lead to the price of flexible solar panels is higher than traditional solar panels.

According to the current market price, the price of flexible solar panels is about 0.3 $ / W or so, much higher than the traditional solar panel 0.1 $ / W.

2. Buyer’s Guide for Flexible Solar Panels

If you have decided to buy a flexible solar panel, you may need to consider the following things in order to have a good experience with the product.

First of all, you need to pay attention to the basic parameters of the flexible solar panels, including the voltage of the solar panels, the rated current and the energy conversion efficiency. For example, if you need to use flexible solar panels to build a 2kw solar system, the required voltage is 12V, then you can use five 400-watt flexible solar panels with 12V operating voltage, they can be connected in parallel or series to form a 2kw solar system.

Secondly, you need to pay attention to the service life and after-sales service of the solar panels you buy. You need to know that the service life is affected by many factors, and choosing flexible solar panels with a longer service life can reduce the time and energy you need to spend in the later stage.

After-sales service mainly refers to the product warranty service, you need to understand the conditions of the product warranty, for example, such as you buy an amorphous silicon flexible solar panels, the product’s warranty period of 5 years, then you only have problems with the product within 5 years can be put forward to the manufacturer’s warranty, and then you need to understand the process of repair of products generated by the labor costs and transportation costs borne by whom. All in all, a good warranty can save you a lot of trouble and this is something you must consider.

Finally, you can recommend several good flexible solar panel manufacturers for your reference and choice. For example, Canada-based Atlas, U.S.-based Enphase, Germany-based SMA and South Korea-based QCELLS are world-renowned photovoltaic manufacturers with mature technology and first-class service, so their flexible solar panels will be a good choice.

3. Summary

Flexible solar panels are better than traditional solar panels in some aspects and can make up for the shortcomings of traditional solar panels, I believe that your in-depth understanding will allow you to make the right choice, of course, PV manufacturers will be happy to answer your questions about flexible solar panels, choose a flexible solar panel now, it can provide you with a helping hand.