More Effective Solar Panels for More Energy per Area
Want to travel self-sufficiently? As of now, you’ll find a valuable addition to our range: with tigerexped solar, our own solar panels in various designs, we raise the effectiveness of solar systems for travel vehicles to a new level.
At launch we already cover the entire range of applications and thus the needs from vanlife campers to hardcore expedition trucks, from rigid framed panels and super flat specialty laminates to foldable bags.
Why a Solar Range of Our Own
We want to offer our customers the best material for camper build-outs that is available on the market. Unfortunately, even the best available product sometimes doesn’t reflect the latest state of the art, and there could simply be “more” in it.
For solar, that means: you could get more power from less area and would have less power loss over time and temperature. Conventional panels do what they are supposed to – they produce electricity – but most are ultimately a compromise in favor of margin and cost. Of course you don’t need a $5000 space-shuttle solar panel from a research lab for your camper, but there is plenty of room for improvement.
For this reason we had solar panels and bags made to our own specifications. The concept is based on the highest possible energy yield, which drops as little as possible even under unfavorable conditions such as
- in great heat
- at dusk
- with the sun at a low angle
- with dust and dirt and
- with microcracks from mechanical stress on vehicles,
falls.
Monocrystalline Sunpower Maxeon Gen. III Cells
For all of our solar panels and solar bags we use exclusively high-quality, monocrystalline cells of the highest grade, which enable cell efficiencies of up to 24.2%. The Sunpower Maxeon Gen. III cells thus reach the highest values technically possible at present outside of labs and research.
There are different kinds of these cells, because in production they are sorted by purity, so to speak, and sold in different grades. You can tell the grades apart by cell efficiency and, of course, by price. So keep your eyes open when buying cells – Sunpower is not the same as Sunpower!
24.2% is supposed to be a lot?
Learn more about the cell efficiency of solar panels here:
Improved Temperature Coefficient – Up to 25% More Yield Than Usual!
The conversion of sunlight into usable energy that takes place in solar cells works better in the cold than in the heat, meaning that as the temperature of the panel rises, its performance drops.
For the sake of comparability, the power rating therefore always refers to a reference temperature, which is usually 25° Celsius.
That is not very much, and on the roof of a motorhome 25 degrees are quickly exceeded. Solar panels reach temperatures of up to 70 degrees, a difference of a full 45 degrees from the nominal temperature – and with every degree, the output falls. For this reason we have optimized our solar panels for a better temperature coefficient (power loss per degree Celsius). At warm temperatures they achieve up to 25% higher energy yield than most conventional panels!
Larger Usable Light Spectrum
The spectrum of the different light waves sent from the sun to the earth is wide. It ranges from short waves with a frequency of less than one millionth of a millimeter up to so-called radio waves with a wavelength of 10 cm.
Just as we can see only a small part of this spectrum as light, only a small part of it can be used to generate electrical energy in solar cells.
The Sunpower Maxeon Gen. III cells we use manage to use a wider wavelength range than usual for energy production, and so, for example, to make even better use of twilight for generating electricity.
Microlenses for Less Reflection
The position of the sun, i.e. the angle at which the light waves hit the panel, is also decisive for the energy yield of a solar panel. If the sun is in an unfavorable position (flat angle), a large part of the otherwise usable light spectrum is reflected by the surface of the panel and cannot be used to generate electrical energy.
For this reason the surface of our “black tiger sf” solar panels and “tiny tiger” solar bags is equipped with microlenses, whose curvature lets them capture light arriving at an angle better. Instead of being reflected, it is focused and directed onto the solar cell.
Less Prone to Dirt Thanks to ETFE
It’s dark under dirt. Of course, light waves cannot get through dirt onto a solar cell, which is why panels have to be cleaned every now and then to deliver power.
To improve our panels, we chose a special plastic for their surface: ETFE. It has properties similar to a Teflon coating in the frying pan at home, so less dirt sticks to the surface and the power yield stays high for longer. Overall, the panel needs cleaning less often this way – after all, who enjoys constantly cleaning the roof.
If cleaning can’t be avoided any longer, the non-stick surface makes sure the unloved chore goes easily and without scrubbing, so the surface doesn’t get scratched needlessly.
Incidentally, ETFE is also more transparent to light than other plastics and extremely heat resistant.
Greater Resilience
Solar cells are normally not very flexible; they break or crack easily. This can become a problem especially when mounting on vehicles, because the panels are heavily stressed by constant movement and vibration, and severe temperature swings make the problem worse.
To prevent mechanical damage, our cells are therefore kept especially thin, which makes them more flexible and robust to a certain degree.
In addition, the power is collected (the so-called contacting) through a full-surface copper layer on the back. On the one hand this means less covered area on the front, but on the other hand also greater failure safety should microcracks actually occur. With conventional contacting, damage to a single cell or cell area often affects the whole panel, which can lead to a complete loss of power.
Thanks to the improved power collection, our overall panel stays functional when individual cells are damaged.
Our black tiger solar panels come in practical complete kits that contain everything you need for a working solar system, or as individual components so you can put together your own system individually.
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