SunPower Corp. (NASDAQ:SPWR) has designed a new solar panel, the SunPower Performance Series, that claims to be 17% more energy efficient than conventional consumer solar panels.
The SunPower Performance Series, or P-Series, panels use traditional, commodity solar cells, however, due to how they are put together, the panels are more efficient and more durable.
A representative from SunPower explained how: “SunPower Performance Series panels differ from Conventional Panels in a variety of ways. First, we laser cut each SunPower P-Series cell into six strips and layer them in a shingled configuration to create a ‘hypercell’. This shingled hypercell allows us to fit more active cell area into each panel, boosting power and efficiency. Second, the P-Series cells are connected with a conductive adhesive borrowed from the aerospace industry to offer multiple and redundant paths for electricity flow.”
This design, according to the company, allows the panel to produce 17% more energy over its first 25 years of operation than a conventional solar panel. Because of that, the P-Series panels will be marketed as a premium product.
In order to maximize production of these new solar panels, SunPower has developed the Oasis Power Plant. Oasis will have the capacity to design, rack, and monitor the panels. In addition to Oasis, SunPower has made the Helix solution for all commercial installations. That’s rooftop, carport, and ground mounting, all capable of being set up in the same way and using P-Series panels to do so. Together, Oasis and Helix allow SunPower to increase its market for the P-Series panels and up the scale of them.
Scale has been an issue for the company in the past. While other solar companies were able to produce about 4 GW or more of solar panels annually, SunPower capped at 1.4 GW in 2017. With the production of the P-Series panels, however, SunPower should be able to increase their production to 5 GW annually in the next five years.
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