Where can I find updated info about solar panels for home?
Check out this article. Thin film panels are the latest and greatest.
I am a solar consultant within the state of South Carolina. I can answer questions and provide you with links that may help in decision making. Let me know.
It depends on what type of solar panels you are looking for. PV panels for electricity or heating panels for hot water. For more info about hot water heating panels, check out my source.
Of the practical technologies, crystalline silicon is still king. There have been improvements in manufacturing efficiency and price, but the fundamental technology is unchanged. For the past couple decades, there have been startups claiming that they will have a breakthrough available in 2 years, but so far, nothing has beat crystalline silicon for general applications. The appeal of thin-film was its cost, at the penalty of efficiency, but when the prices of crystalline plummeted, the cost argument went away. That wasn't the only problem Solyndra had, but it contributed to the company's demise. Organic solar cells show promise, and might ultimately be very cheap to manufacture, as they don't involve the high-temperature processing that semiconductors do. The main problem today is that they're not stable at the temperature of a hot roof. But then again, a few years ago, organic LEDs were the same way, and now they're commonplace in big TV's. Only time will tell. From a homeowner's standpoint, the install is routine, but still best done by professionals. It's like putting a new roof on a house, or wiring in central air conditioning. For most, it's better to call a pro.
