Good Golly Miss Molly! A dollar a watt?

Xringer · 12-24-09, 11:54 AM

Kaneka GSA-60 60 Watt Thin Film Panel - $58.80

This looks too good to be true!

I'm game! Here's my Paypal..

4 x Kaneka GSA-60 (Kaneka GSA-60) = $235.20
------------------------------------------------------
Sub-Total: $235.20
Freight Rate : $101.74
Sales Tax: $0.00
Total: $336.94

Don't cha just love the color??

Ryland · 12-24-09, 01:14 PM

what is the warranty on them? there used to be some warranties out there for 35+ years, but not all countries apparently allow that long of warranty, or so I was told so 25 year is the current standard, so I wonder if these meet that, seeing as how the output is one of the things under warranty most of the time.
Also, are the UL listed?

Xringer · 12-24-09, 01:20 PM

IIRC, it's 25 years and they have UL & CSA listings. They have been used for a few
years now, but their output voltage is so high, not many of them sell..(so it seems).

I think this dealer has well over a thousand in stock and maybe just wants to move them out.?.

I checked them on the BBB and they have a B+ rating..

Daox · 12-25-09, 09:38 AM

Wow... definitely going to have to look into this more! Nice find!

Xringer · 12-25-09, 11:14 AM

Humm.. 67v / 75 ohms = 0.893 amps.. About 60 watts..

I wonder if I could use a 75 ohm resistor for my hot water heating plate.?.

Digi-Key - WFH230L75RJ-ND (Manufacturer - WFH230L75RJ)

It would be nice to keep the part count down..

I've been reading up on PVHW testing and it looks pretty promising.
BFRL: Solar Photovoltaic Hot Water System

Xringer · 12-26-09, 10:50 PM

I was just looking at a Unirac mounting kit for 4 of these panels..
168" UniRac SolarMount Rail Kit

And at $240.99, they cost more than the four PV panels!!

So, now I'm thinking about building a PVC pipe frame to mount the panels on..
A PVC pipe frame with steel angle irons across the middle, bolted to the center section of the old Dish.

Just have to get rid of the mesh and curved arms.

Currently, the dish is setup for elevation only.

Xringer · 12-29-09, 03:24 PM

Well, it was too good to be true.. Canceled my paypal payment and emailed me to
call them to place my order..

Bait-n-switch.. http://ecorenovator.org/forum/solar-....html#post5362

Daox · 12-30-09, 07:26 AM

That really stinks. We'll get there someday though.

rogueeve · 01-04-10, 05:44 PM

I was thinking of ordering some of these from the same company. Can you tell us what they said exactly? Did they try to raise the price on you or do they just not accept PayPal payments for some reason on those panels?

From what I have heard, it sounds like the Kaneka panels themselves are fairly good, but there are varying reviews of the seller. Am trying to make the best purchase decision for my rural home that will be offgrid-only.

Xringer · 01-04-10, 08:08 PM

Have you been waiting for PV panels prices to drop? - Page 6 - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com

I used paypal and everything looked okay until 5 days later,
I got an email notice from Paypal saying they order wasn't going to be filled
and before long, the money was returned to my account.
The vendor emailed me a number to call, 'to place my order'.
That's when I was told the shipping was more than doubled.
The shipping per-panel was more than the panels cost..

The panels are still a pretty good buy, IF you can use them.
They do put out a higher voltage than most panels and might
be harder to configure to a standard inverter.
I've pretty much decided not to deal with that particular vendor..

12-24-09, 11:54 AM	#1
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 115 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	Good Golly Miss Molly! A dollar a watt? Kaneka GSA-60 60 Watt Thin Film Panel - $58.80 This looks too good to be true! I'm game! Here's my Paypal.. 4 x Kaneka GSA-60 (Kaneka GSA-60) = $235.20 ------------------------------------------------------ Sub-Total: $235.20 Freight Rate : $101.74 Sales Tax: $0.00 Total: $336.94 Don't cha just love the color?? Last edited by Xringer; 12-24-09 at 12:26 PM.. Reason: Dropped the hammer

12-25-09, 09:38 AM	#4
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	Wow... definitely going to have to look into this more! Nice find! __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

12-25-09, 11:14 AM	#5
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 115 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	Humm.. 67v / 75 ohms = 0.893 amps.. About 60 watts.. I wonder if I could use a 75 ohm resistor for my hot water heating plate.?. Digi-Key - WFH230L75RJ-ND (Manufacturer - WFH230L75RJ) It would be nice to keep the part count down.. I've been reading up on PVHW testing and it looks pretty promising. BFRL: Solar Photovoltaic Hot Water System Last edited by Xringer; 12-27-09 at 10:36 AM.. Reason: adding URL

12-30-09, 07:26 AM	#8
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	That really stinks. We'll get there someday though. __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

01-04-10, 05:44 PM	#9
rogueeve Lurking Renovator Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 1 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I was hoping to... I was thinking of ordering some of these from the same company. Can you tell us what they said exactly? Did they try to raise the price on you or do they just not accept PayPal payments for some reason on those panels? From what I have heard, it sounds like the Kaneka panels themselves are fairly good, but there are varying reviews of the seller. Am trying to make the best purchase decision for my rural home that will be offgrid-only.

12-24-09, 01:14 PM	#2
Ryland Master EcoRenovator Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Western Wisconsin. Posts: 913 Thanks: 127 Thanked 82 Times in 71 Posts	what is the warranty on them? there used to be some warranties out there for 35+ years, but not all countries apparently allow that long of warranty, or so I was told so 25 year is the current standard, so I wonder if these meet that, seeing as how the output is one of the things under warranty most of the time. Also, are the UL listed?

12-24-09, 01:20 PM	#3
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 115 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	IIRC, it's 25 years and they have UL & CSA listings. They have been used for a few years now, but their output voltage is so high, not many of them sell..(so it seems). I think this dealer has well over a thousand in stock and maybe just wants to move them out.?. I checked them on the BBB and they have a B+ rating..

12-26-09, 10:50 PM	#6
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 115 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	I was just looking at a Unirac mounting kit for 4 of these panels.. 168" UniRac SolarMount Rail Kit And at $240.99, they cost more than the four PV panels!! So, now I'm thinking about building a PVC pipe frame to mount the panels on.. A PVC pipe frame with steel angle irons across the middle, bolted to the center section of the old Dish. Just have to get rid of the mesh and curved arms. Currently, the dish is setup for elevation only.

12-29-09, 03:24 PM	#7
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 115 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	Well, it was too good to be true.. Canceled my paypal payment and emailed me to call them to place my order.. Bait-n-switch.. http://ecorenovator.org/forum/solar-....html#post5362

01-04-10, 08:08 PM	#10
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 115 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	Here's more posts.. Have you been waiting for PV panels prices to drop? - Page 6 - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com I used paypal and everything looked okay until 5 days later, I got an email notice from Paypal saying they order wasn't going to be filled and before long, the money was returned to my account. The vendor emailed me a number to call, 'to place my order'. That's when I was told the shipping was more than doubled. The shipping per-panel was more than the panels cost.. The panels are still a pretty good buy, IF you can use them. They do put out a higher voltage than most panels and might be harder to configure to a standard inverter. I've pretty much decided not to deal with that particular vendor..

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