Thin film technology in lower light

[speltzer]

Hi
We are getting some quotes this week for solar panels on our north eastern facing roof.
We live in Albany WA, which has a mild climate (compared with the rest of WA) and often a lot of cloud. We were told by a friend who has thin film Cd Te panels, that they are the best choice for lower light situations. Is this correct, or does the efficiency ranking of the different technologies stay the same in different locations?

I have read some of the other panel discussions and have looked at the graphical results (but they are all in Alice Springs which has a very different climate to Albany).

Thank-you
Sally

[Ga Rick Lee]

Hi Sally,

Thanks for your question.

Due their characteristics, thin film technology should perform more efficiently in low light compared to silicon crystalline technology. This is something you can confirm by analysing the Historical Data (http://dkasolarcentre.com.au/go/historical-data/login) and comparing how different technologies perform at different levels of Diffuse Insolation and Global Insolation (this could be done with pivot tables for example).

In general though, most of the energy generated by solar power systems will come from periods of high insolation/light.

Others may have additional thoughts on this topic.

Best regards,