With a New World Record, SunPower Launches Its Most Powerful Solar Panel Available to Homeowners

A new solar power system is installed in the United States every 1.6 minutes, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). With the number of residential solar installations expected to increase this year by 35 percent according to GTM Research, more consumers will have an opportunity to choose the best solar solution for their home, saving on electricity bills while generating clean energy. Offering a record-setting proven solar power solution, SunPower reminds homeowners that better solar technology exists and is accessible today.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a federal laboratory that rigorously evaluates renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies, recently tested and verified that a SunPower^® X-Series solar panel reached 22.8 percent efficiency– a new world record. SunPower’s newest X-Series solar panel, the X22, offers efficiencies of more than 22 percent. The high efficiency solar panels generate more energy in the same amount of space as conventional solar panels, which can reduce the number of panels needed to meet consumers’ energy needs. Compared to conventional solar panels with efficiencies that range from 15 to 18 percent, a SunPower X-Series solar panel produces over 70 percent more energy in the same space over the first 25 years.

Built from the Same Innovative Solar Technology Trusted by Homeowners and Record-breaking Solar Pioneers

With more than three decades of experience, SunPower solar has been the choice of 500,000 homeowners worldwide to help save on electricity costs and meet energy needs. The high efficiency solar panels providing electricity to these homes feature the same SunPower solar cells that have enabled solar pioneers to push the boundaries of solar energy. With SunPower’s record-setting technology these visionaries are setting records of their own, innovating to take solar higher, farther, and faster.

For example, Tûranor PlanetSolar is the world’s largest solar boat and is powered exclusively by SunPower solar cells. During a circumnavigation of the globe completed in 2012, it made the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by a solar boat and completed the longest distance ever covered by a solar electric vehicle. Solar Impulse 2, an experimental airplane with 17,000 SunPower solar cells covering its wings, made the longest piloted and solar-only flight traveling 5,000 miles from Japan to Hawaii just last year. It will take off again from Hawaiithis spring to resume its around-the-world tour.

“At SunPower, we innovate relentlessly to deliver the most powerful and durable solar energy solutions chosen by residential, commercial and power plant customers demanding the best when investing in their clean energy futures,” Wenger continued. “SunPower’s greatest minds have raised the bar for the industry, and will continue to push the boundaries of quality solar for our customers.”

In just over five years, SunPower has led the industry by setting four panel efficiency world records:

• 19.5 percent efficiency in May 2010 with E19 solar panel
• 20 percent efficiency in July 2011 with E20 solar panel
• 21 percent efficiency in April 2013 with X21 solar panel
• 22 percent efficiency in November 2015 with X22 solar panel

SunPower’s high efficiency E-Series and X-Series solar panels are currently available to consumers in the U.S. The E-Series and X21 solar panels are also available to consumers inEurope, Japan and Australia.