California Firm Produces Lightweight Solar Panels

LiteMount by Sunflare. Image courtesy of Sunflare

Sunflare provides lightweight, flexible solar power solutions that are easy for commercial property owners to install. The company’s Sun2 solar panels require no aluminum framing, glass or hardware mounting. Consisting of high-quality stainless steel layered with semiconductor materials a few micrometers thick, the panels can flex with the shape of any roof and are more durable than rigid solar cells.

Sunflare panels are 75 percent lighter and 95 percent thinner than traditional crystalline silicon panels. They are also more efficient in low-light conditions, such as early morning, late afternoon and cloudy days, because each cell functions independently with its own bypass diodes. Additionally, the panels are more efficient in hotter temperatures since they do not require air circulation under the panels.

The California-based company has recently introduced LiteMount, which includes the ultra-light solar module along with a rail-less mounting assembly developed in partnership with S-5!. The system, which weighs less than 1 pound per square foot installed, can be applied to any metal roof type in the world.