Arizona-based startup New Use Energy Solutions has unveiled SunTarp, a new line of portable frameless solar PV panels for off-grid and residential applications.
“We found that adhering multiple modules to a custom vinyl tarp allows the user to reconfigure the modules strings to accommodate 12, 24 & 48V off-grid systems all the way up to residential type all-in-one inverters that require over 120 Vdc to charge batteries. ,” the company's COO, Lee Feliciano, told pv magazine. “Our module provider is US-based Merlin Solar.”
The system is built with flexible modules provided by Merlin Solar with a power output of 70 and 80 W, respectively.
New Use Energy Solutions' PV array is available in three versions; the TriFold SunTarp array, which combines three solar modules, weighs 6.8 kg and has a power output of 210 W; the 320 W FourFold SunTarp model that integrates four panels and weighs in at 10.8 kg; and the six-module HexFold SunTarp which has a power output of 410 W and has a weight of 20.4 kg.
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“They store easily even in the trunk of compact cars, and we can scale them into larger arrays,” the company's CEO, Paul Shmotolokha, stated. “Our modules are 30% lighter than traditional monocrystalline solar panels and easy to fold, carry and stow.”
According to the company's website, the TriFold SunTarp array is sold at $906.53, while the FourFold SunTarp and HexFold SunTarp have a price of $1,318.45 and $1,806.13, respectively. “They provide way more power than the rather small tiny panel kits that small portable power stations provide,” Feliciano stated.
*The article was updated on July 25 to reflect that Merlin Solar's modules are not based on solar cells provided by Sunpower.
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I would like to see a portable solar panel that can be placed anywhere in a sunny area of a garden that could then be plugged into the house to contribute to the power consumption of the property and reduce reliance on the grid