Goldmine solar panels

erco

12W, on sale for $30 each, buy 2 and save $5 (any order over $50) so final cost is $27.50 each for two.

http://www.goldmine-elec-products.com/prodinfo.asp?number=g18216

http://www.goldmine-elec.com/?utm_source=Goldmine+-+Alana&utm_campaign=7a8fea45e4-July21&utm_medium=email

Deal or no deal? Or would you prefer whatever's behind Curtain #2?

piguy101

That is a great deal, but I would like someone to get the panel and verify its quality.

erco

Therein lies the rub.

Beau Schwabe

Usually I would consider anything below $3 per Watt a good deal, but also I would want to consider the internal resistance of the particular cells and how they behave under a load. Because of that I'm going to lean with piguy101 in that I would need to physically have one in hand to see what it can do.

...Also depending on the circumstances I would use the solar panel ... If I wanted longer operation under less than optimal lighting I might consider Amorphous cells even though the internal resistance is terrible (yes, they would be bigger to compensate for the required wattage).

On the other hand if I knew that the lighting would be reasonably adequate, I would lean towards the crystalline panels... with much lower internal resistance.

That said, the geometry with any cell makes a difference also... the best aspect ratio per cell is a square, but the voltage and/or current may not be what you want... a rectangle can either offer more current at a lower voltage (lower internal resistance), or more voltage at a lower current (higher internal resistance) depending on the aspect ratio and the wiring orientation of the cells. The sweet spot seems to be close to a square with the most available power and internal resistance/voltage compromise.

erco

You Missouri boys crack me up.

How about the fact that these are "high efficiency thin-film Copper indium Gallium DiSelenide (CIGS) solar cells" ?

erco

Good info and 2 positive reviews at http://www.altestore.com/store/Solar-Panels/1-to-50-Watt-Solar-Panels/Global-Solar-Energy-Global-Solar-12W-12V-Framed-Solar-Panel/p4436/

Hey, they're self-repairing! What's not to love?

PS: Currently on Ebay for $74 (or more) shipped: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=390333029662&clk_rvr_id=250167923379

@Beau: Interesting $/watt chart at http://www.altestore.com/store/Solar-Panels/c541/ ranges from $2 to $26 per watt