Sustainable Manufacturers in the Solar Market
- jpgiovannettone
- 7 hours ago
- 3 min read
The diagram below illustrates the main components of a very simple solar system setup connected to your home, including the solar modules (i.e., panels), inverter, and battery. The solar module collects energy from the Sun's rays. The Sun's energy comes in the form of direct current or DC, which can be stored and used by such devices as phones, computers, and other electronic storage devices, while the things that are powered by sustainable solar module and inverter manufacturerselectricity in your home typically require alternating current or AC. I will not go into the difference between direct and alternating current here but suffice to say that we need AC but are only supplied with DC. Therefore, an inverter is required between the modules and our home (gray box in the diagram) to make this conversion. Some solar systems use a single inverter to convert the energy from all of the solar modules, while other systems dedicate an inverter to each solar module. The inverter(s) can also send some of the energy received from the Sun into storage in a battery while sending the rest to the house to be used. When more energy is needed, the inverter(s) can also extract energy from the battery, convert it to AC, and send it on to the house.
The first step when installing a solar system at your home is to select a suitable manufacturer of both the solar modules and the inverter(s), after which you will also need to find an installer. The manufacturer should share your values on how the raw materials for making a solar module are sourced both in terms of the environmental impacts and potential social justice and labor issues (discussed in another article). Other considerations include the efficiency of the modules and how they degrade over time in addition to their ability to withstand damage from various hazards (e.g., snow, wind, fire, and hail). Each of these factors is described below:
The efficiency of a solar module typically ranges between 15% - 22%, which represents the percentage of energy received from the sun that can be used or stored.
For every 1 degree increase in temperature, the effectiveness of the solar module will decrease by a certain percentage. (The technical term for this is the "temperature coefficient.")
The efficiency of a module will decrease over the 1st year of its life; no less than 97% - 98% efficiency (a loss of 2% - 3%) is usually guaranteed.
The efficiency of a module will decrease by a smaller amount each year over the course of a "warranty" period. The length of the period is typically about 25 years with a guarantee that the solar modules will retain 80% - 90% of their efficiency at the end of that period.
Maximum pressures tested against snow and wind are reported for each module.
Modules are rated in terms of the extent to which they can resist damage to fire.
Hail is tested and reported in terms of the maximum size of a projectile and the maximum projectile speed that the module is able to withstand.
With all of this in mind, a "Top 10" list of those manufacturers who were identified as sharing similar values on labor and human rights issues in addition to producing a solar module with high efficiency and resistance to damage are listed below.
Though I am not endorsing one company over another, I will note that Silfab Solar was very responsive and sent multiple documents and signed letters by suppliers regarding their commitment to human rights. Also, First Solar and Mission Solar are American companies, while Heliene and Canadian Solar are North American companies. It should be noted that even though manufacturing occurs locally, almost all companies source their materials from outside of North America, typically China and other parts of Southeast Asia. Finally, SunPower also does installation, which would save some time in finding an installer.
In terms of inverters, there are a few big players: Enphase, SolarEdge, Fronius, and SMA, among others. The main concern regarding inverters is how efficient they are at converting DC to AC, which for all manufacturers typically ranges from 96% to 99%. Again, not to endorse specific companies, Enphase and SolarEdge do have strong statements concerning human rights and fair labor practices to be found on their respective websites.
Helpful Hint
There is a lot of information to go through in this article. Please take the time to learn as much as possible about the various solar module and inverter manufacturers prior to making a final decision for your project.
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