sanyo HIT output (oh yea baby)

[mattl]

i just went out back to check my inverter earlier today, nice sunny spring day, about 70f, my 760w DC array was outputting 699w _AC_ from the inverter! i think it wasnt quite solar noon. so as i recall the inverter was about 93% efficient so im guessing the array was higher watts in DC. (not sure if i can see that on the inverter , havent played with it much). wow, my sharps dont get that kind of efficiency!

[bilofsky]

These are hot panels. I have 18 Sanyo HIP-190BA's, in a system rated 3,420 nameplate DC watts, and 3040 watts AC output according to the California Energy Commission test ratings.

Today it was putting out over 3100 watts AC for almost an hour, with a peak at 3180. This is with three strings, two facing 160 and one facing 250, paralleled on the same inverter, so they are not all running at optimum. The peak was 93% of nameplate watts, compared to the 92% you were getting - but I have a monitor so was able to measure the peak within 10 minutes. So I think we are pretty comparable here.

They are the most space efficient panels I know of, and they are high voltage so the strings are shorter, giving more layout flexibility.

That said, they are hybrid technology so some people will question whether their output will last. Sanyo had some graphs that showed them just about constant over three years, but time will tell.

[niel]

the amorphous does start out strong and taper off over the years, but as you said these are hybrids so it should be interesting as to how long they'll go for.

[mattl]

isnt the warranty something like a minimum power output or something as i recall? it was a little different from others.

of course we're on our sixth day of rain here its pretty ridiculous.

[bilofsky]

The warranty is two years for failure, ten years guaranteed 90% of rated output, and 20 years guaranteed 80%.

But the remedy is repair, replacement, making up the power by giving you another panel, or paying you the original cost of the panel prorated for the number of years it worked OK.

So if it fails after 15 years they can pay you 1/4 of the original cost, which by then is worth maybe half that.

Nice thing about coastal California - it hardly ever rains during the peak summer power season, and rarely clouds up. And the panels stay cool for the most part.

[niel]

they are giving amorphous guarantees so i imagine they suspect them to degrade as amorphous.
matt,
i hear ya on the rains as we've been dumped on here with this wonderfull weather too. it seems some areas around you are really getting hammered though. i think it's all the same weather system they call a closed low and while it is pulling atlantic moisture over you it continues on and mixes with moisture it's picking up from the great lakes and placing it on my head. i'm sure brock is still in the tail end of this system, but this is supposed to move on today(i guess toward you), but they say another one is going to take its place so be prepared. i guess in addition to the regular seasons we get we now have an added one, monsoon season. hope all is well with you where you are.

[Brock]

Ya it finally stopped raining here today, yaaa, 9 days of rain in a row, it looked like a hurricane on the radar for a while. Wind gusts over 80 mph, power outages, our weather station clocked a max wind of 56 averaging 36 at one point.

[mattl]

and the cold nights, we have been using heat the last 2 wks at night. its abnormal. yes its like monsoon season. tomorow supposed to be brief patches of sun.

[mattl]

but my batts have stayed about 12.2 this much time amazingly, they're just due for a good full charge

[Brock]

Yup, we had snow last thursday and it ws in the 20's overnight, brrr.* And yesterday it was in teh 70's and sunny, hopefully it's on it's way over to you guys