uni-solar [RE-wrenches]

[Carl Emerson]

Hullo there...

The Unisolar 'Econoflat' roofing panels have been used on solar power
stations in Australia and on the Sydney Olympic Stadium. They carry a 20
Year warranty and are claimed to have a 50-80 year life. Clearly Canon who
own 51% of Unisolar feel that there name is safe with the product in high
profile sites.

I have done several installations with this product with great success. I am
currently under contract to do the Canon building in Auckland which will
have about 700 panels.

The stick on laminate system has had limited success over here yet I heard
an Australian firm has bought a megawatt of the stuff. There has been
reports of peeling in Australian conditions, the installers had been through
the official course in the US to bond the product to galvalume. I am more
confident in the factory made solar roofing steel.

The reason I use econoflat panels is ease of installation and the strength
to be the roof membrane without extra support. this allows for ventilation
under the extrusion we slide the panels into.

The 30% initial degradation in the first 1000 hours of sun is partially
reversed during high operating temperatures. Researchers in Australia are
trying to find a way of locking the initial higher performance in place by
heating the panels and playing with the chemistry. When the panels have
settled down they produce about 10% more than their rating. This coupled
with the better response global irradiance results in a 64 watt panel
producing about the same power as a conventional 80 watt panel.

I may be sounding like a Canon/Unisolar salesman but I have had several
years of installing, experimenting and have arrived at my conclusions from
first hand experience and careful research of the available data from
several sites in different climatic conditions. I am a genuine 'Wrench'
having started out doing small remote systems before changing from
designer/installer to consultant on larger projects because I couldn't earn
a living in NZ doing rural systems.
--
Regards,


Carl Emerson
Manager
FREEPOWER LTD.  "Harnessing Natural Energy"  Auckland, NEW ZEALAND.



Smitty wrote:

> Well, I'll admit I have never played with Uni-Solar's shingles, as I
> have seen them at trade shows and they scared the hell out of me. My big
> problem with them that I can't get over is the longevity of the "space
> age plastic type materials" incorporated in them. The sun, UV and summer
> temps at our elevations here in NM are brutal. Over the last 2 decades I
> have seen many a "plastic" solar thermal component or panel (not to
> mention the finish on your car) meet an early demise due to mostly UV.
>
> Imagine the feeling of hearing the disconnect notice while calling Here
> Today Solar to report a roof leak, and then realizing your only other
> option is to call a roofer with a bucket of tar. What do you do next,
> put some Uni-Rac on your Uni-Solar?
>
> I would like some feedback on real life experiences you may have had
> with this stuff.
>
> Clutching my 10' pole, Smitty.
>

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