Solar System Comparisons - A Start

I spent some time reviewing information on solar power generation systems, last week. I have found it confusing to compare all the different types, so I generated a quick metric which shows the energy generated per size of panel. The additional metric which I would love to add is the cost per watt of the panel. More to follow on this. I know that there are a lot of components to system cost, but these simple metrics allow a quick view into the overall cost estimate.

My blog does not support attachments, so I have added the comma delimited information from the excel file below. Simply cut and paste into notepad, then save. Open with Excel.


,,,,English,,,Metric,,,,,,,,,
Type,PN,Technology,Peak Power (W),H (in.),W (in.),Area (in2),H (cm),W (cm),Area (cm2),Weight per panel,Power,Claimed Efficiency,Power per in2,,Commercial,$4.6 per kW
Sharp Solar 216 W,ND-216U1F,Poly-Crystalline Silicon,216,64.6,39.1,2525.9,,,,,,13.30%,0.085515428,,,
BP Solar,SX 3200 B,,200,,,2179.6,168.0,83.7,14061.6,,,,0.091761962,,,
SunPower,SPR-215-WHT,Monocrystalline Silicon,215,61.39,31.42,1928.9,,,,,,17.30%,0.111464006,,,
Evergreen Solar,Spruce 195,,195,61.8,37.5,2317.5,,,,,,,0.084142395,,,
Kyocera,KD205GX-LP,,205,59.1,39,2304.9,,,,,,16%,0.088940952,,,
GE,,Poly-Crystalline Silicon,200,58.5,38.6,2258.1,,,,,,,0.088570037,,,
NanoSolar,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Uni-Solar,ES-62,,64,49.5,31.25,1546.9,,,,,,,0.041373737,,,