Innovative Products: Sunflare PowerFit 20

PowerFit 20 solar panels are a novel solar energy option for homes with metal standing seam roofs, which have seen a significant bump in popularity over the past several years. The product’s manufacturer, Sunflare, promises improved efficiency and ease of installation over traditional panels.  

The system is designed for efficiency in every regard. The 60-watt panels are light, flat, and flexible. They don’t use glass and fit snugly between the seams in a metal roof using  a peel-off adhesive on their back—no aluminum wracking nor roof penetrations required. 

The manufacturer claims ... the cells produce more energy than traditional cells in low-light settings

“Staging at the installation site takes less than a quarter of the time that staging with traditional panels would take,” Sunflare said in a press release. One person can do it. 

Power production on the panels is also efficient. The manufacturer claims that due to the panel’s unique chemistry (i.e., copper, indium, gallium, selenide), the cells produce more energy than traditional cells in low-light settings—so at dusk and dawn. The panels also work better in partial shade, as demonstrated in a live test Sunflare posted to YouTube entitled, “Shade? No problem.” Because each of the panel’s cells have a bypass diode—where traditional panels have only one per string of cells—if a single cell is covered in shade but the rest of the panel is still in light, all but the shaded cell will continue to generate power. On a traditional panel, the entire string of cells would be rendered inactive. Power is output via straightforward Mc4 connectors at the tops of the panels. 

Scheduled for a launch this July, each purchase comes with a 10-year 90% energy efficiency, 25-year 80% energy efficiency guarantee.