PV Panel price

Ubbquittious

Are panel prices expected to dip much further in the near future? Are we near the point where you'll be able to pick up a 250W panel for €50 quid in the local co-op?

Capt'n Midnight

Yes.

Lots of lab developments still to be commercialised.
today's panels 16-20% are nearly twice as efficient as earlier 10% ones, so that saves 50% of materials.



No. But that's more because of inflation and non-solar costs that can't be reduced, like overhead, the box, fixtures and fittings for a panel that size.

Of course when flexible panels get cheaper you might pickup a roll.

Ubbquittious

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Yes.

Lots of lab developments still to be commercialised.
today's panels 16-20% are nearly twice as efficient as earlier 10% ones, so that saves 50% of materials.



No. But that's more because of inflation and non-solar costs that can't be reduced, like overhead, the box, fixtures and fittings for a panel that size.

Of course when flexible panels get cheaper you might pickup a roll.

I have a small 10w flex one that I got just to test but I reckon it would have to be well glued or screwed down onto a pallet or a sheet of marine ply to stop it catching wind so I'd prefer to stick to the aluminium frame ones.

The frames aren't massively complicated so there might possibly be a few bob to be saved by buying cells & soldering