<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div>It is confusing that they refer to this as a "light soaking" effect. When we worked on this thin film article in SolarPro magazine a couple years ago, a researcher at NREL referred to this specific phenomenon as a "dark soaking" effect (see discussion under "Performance Transients"):</div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://solarprofessional.com/article/?file=SP4_1_pg34_Holz">http://solarprofessional.com/article/?file=SP4_1_pg34_Holz</a></div><div><br></div><div>It is certainly possible for the Solar Frontier modules to have a better specific yield as compared to c-Si PV under certain environmental regimes. However, to suggest that this is always the case seems like overzealous marketing spin, which shouldn't really surprise anyone. There is a kernel of truth, but it is extrapolated ad absurdum.</div><div><br></div><div>Bill Brooks likes to tell this joke/cautionary tale: "You know how to tell when someone in marketing is lying? Their lips are moving." </div><br><div><div>On Feb 18, 2013, at 6:25 PM, Kirpal Khalsa wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite">I don't understand the text as stated.....I am not sure if they are simply referring to a common effect in most thin film panels where for the first few months they can output more than ratings, and then they settle down to what they are rated for, or if they are saying that after a few months the output will increase, once they are "light soaked"? <div>
-- <br>Sunny Regards,<br>Kirpal Khalsa<br>NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installer<br>Renewable Energy Systems<br><a href="http://www.oregonsolarworks.com/">www.oregonsolarworks.com</a><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Feb 18, 2013 at 4:13 PM, Marco Mangelsdorf <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:marco@pvthawaii.com" target="_blank">marco@pvthawaii.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div>Yes, I saw that. Sounds like smoke and mirrors to me.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>marco<br><br></div>
<div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Feb 18, 2013 at 1:38 PM, Carl Emerson <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:Carl@solarking.net.nz" target="_blank">Carl@solarking.net.nz</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote style="BORDER-LEFT:#ccc 1px solid;MARGIN:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;PADDING-LEFT:1ex" class="gmail_quote">
<div lang="EN-GB" link="blue" vlink="purple">
<div><p class="MsoNormal"><strong><b><font color="#333333" size="4" face="Tahoma"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma;BACKGROUND:white;COLOR:#333333;FONT-SIZE:13.5pt">Marco.<u></u><u></u></span></font></b></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal"><strong><b><font color="#333333" size="4" face="Tahoma"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma;BACKGROUND:white;COLOR:#333333;FONT-SIZE:13.5pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></b></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal"><strong><b><font color="#333333" size="4" face="Tahoma"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma;BACKGROUND:white;COLOR:#333333;FONT-SIZE:13.5pt">Did you notice the claim in the text as follows…<u></u><u></u></span></font></b></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal"><strong><b><font color="#333333" size="4" face="Tahoma"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma;BACKGROUND:white;COLOR:#333333;FONT-SIZE:13.5pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></b></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal"><strong><b><font color="#333333" size="4" face="Tahoma"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma;BACKGROUND:white;COLOR:#333333;FONT-SIZE:13.5pt">The "Light Soaking" Effect</span></font></b></strong><font color="#333333" size="4" face="Tahoma"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma;BACKGROUND:white;COLOR:#333333;FONT-SIZE:13.5pt"><br>
Following an initial period of exposure to sunlight, the CIS light soaking effect will result in higher output than</span></font><span><font color="#333333" size="1" face="Tahoma"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma;BACKGROUND:white;COLOR:#333333;FONT-SIZE:9pt"><span style="FLOAT:none;WORD-SPACING:0px"> </span></span></font></span><font color="#333333" size="4" face="Tahoma"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma;BACKGROUND:white;COLOR:#333333;FONT-SIZE:13.5pt"><span style="WORD-SPACING:0px">factory spec. This has been proven by field data from around the world</span><u></u><u></u></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font color="#333333" size="4" face="Tahoma"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma;BACKGROUND:white;COLOR:#333333;FONT-SIZE:13.5pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font color="blue" size="4" face="Arial"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:Arial;COLOR:blue;FONT-SIZE:14pt">If correct this answers your question…<u></u><u></u></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font color="blue" size="4" face="Arial"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:Arial;COLOR:blue;FONT-SIZE:14pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font color="blue" size="4" face="Arial"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:Arial;COLOR:blue;FONT-SIZE:14pt">Time will tell I guess.<u></u><u></u></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font color="blue" size="4" face="Arial"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:Arial;COLOR:blue;FONT-SIZE:14pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font color="black" face="Arial"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:Arial;FONT-SIZE:11pt">Regards<br>Carl Emerson</span></font><font face="Arial"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:Arial"><u></u><u></u></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font color="blue" size="4" face="Arial"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:Arial;COLOR:blue;FONT-SIZE:14pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font color="blue" size="4" face="Arial"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:Arial;COLOR:blue;FONT-SIZE:14pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font color="blue" size="4" face="Arial"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:Arial;COLOR:blue;FONT-SIZE:14pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font color="blue" size="4" face="Arial"><span style="FONT-FAMILY:Arial;COLOR:blue;FONT-SIZE:14pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri"><span style="FONT-SIZE:11pt" lang="EN-US">Aloha,<u></u><u></u></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri"><span style="FONT-SIZE:11pt" lang="EN-US"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri"><span style="FONT-SIZE:11pt" lang="EN-US">Solar Frontier in Japan, the maker of copper-indium-selenium (CIS) mods, claims that their product produces more kWhs per kW installed than crystalline silicon.<u></u><u></u></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri"><span style="FONT-SIZE:11pt" lang="EN-US"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri"><span style="FONT-SIZE:11pt" lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.solar-frontier.com/eng/cis/index.html" target="_blank">http://www.solar-frontier.com/eng/cis/index.html</a> If you go to the Softbank Field Results on the right tabs area you can download a 4-page PDF report.<u></u><u></u></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri"><span style="FONT-SIZE:11pt" lang="EN-US"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri"><span style="FONT-SIZE:11pt" lang="EN-US">I’m wondering if this is a hot-out-of-the-box phenomenon similar to some other non-cSi products and that after X months in the field the output stabilizes at a lower level.<u></u><u></u></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri"><span style="FONT-SIZE:11pt" lang="EN-US"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri"><span style="FONT-SIZE:11pt" lang="EN-US">Anyone have any idea or experience with this?<u></u><u></u></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri"><span style="FONT-SIZE:11pt" lang="EN-US"><u></u> <u></u></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri"><span style="FONT-SIZE:11pt" lang="EN-US">Thanks,<u></u><u></u></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Calibri"><span style="FONT-SIZE:11pt" lang="EN-US">marco<u></u><u></u></span></font></p></div></div><br>_______________________________________________<br>List sponsored by Home Power magazine<br>
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