Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!snorkelwacker!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!rutgers!bellcore-2!envy!karn
From: karn@envy.bellcore.com (Phil R. Karn)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Looking for electro-solar panels
Message-ID: <1990Jul31.214044.25131@bellcore-2.bellcore.com>
Date: 31 Jul 90 21:40:44 GMT
References: <170@decvax.decvax.dec.com.UUCP>
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In article <170@decvax.decvax.dec.com.UUCP>, evans@decvax.dec.com (Marc
Evans) writes:
|> I am looking for somebody which sells electro-solar panels.

The major manufacturers of conventional (mono- and poly-crystalline silicon)
solar arrays are Arco/Siemens, Kyocera and Solarex. The most common panel
puts out about 48 watts and costs $325-$375 in unit quantities, depending
on manufacturer.

Sovonics manufactures a third type of array using amorphous silicon.
These are tan or chocolate brown in color. The main advantage of these
arrays over the older types is that they can be manufactured in thin
flexible sheets that are lighter and much more rugged than the mono
and polycrystalline arrays. Unfortunately they are less efficient and
more expensive per watt.

I know of two companies that sell solar arrays primarily to the home
alternative energy market. One is Real Goods in Ukiah CA, and the other is
Backwoods Solar in Sandpoint Idaho. They also carry lots of related
hardware such as batteries, charge controllers, inverters, 12V lights,
etc.

Phil