Semi-flexible solar panels: applications and advantages

A semi-flexible module is a solar panel built without an aluminium frame and without a sheet of glass. The cells are laminated between polymer layers onto a thin backing, which makes the module light, low-profile and able to follow a gentle curve. It is not a compromise version of a normal panel — it is the answer to a specific set of problems that a framed glass module cannot solve at all.

The four problems it solves

1. The surface is curved

Caravan and camper roofs, boat cabin tops, architectural curved roofs. A rigid framed module has to be mounted on a frame built above the curve, which adds height, wind loading, cost and usually an ugly result. A semi-flexible panel bonds to the curve itself.

2. The structure will not take the weight

Glass is most of the mass of a conventional module. On a weight-restricted rooftop, an old structure, or a vehicle where every kilogram costs range, removing the glass and the frame is what makes the array possible at all.

3. Penetrations are not allowed

Profiled metal-sheet roofs often cannot be drilled — warranty, waterproofing or the sheet simply will not carry the point loads of a clamped array. A bonded semi-flexible module avoids the fixings entirely.

4. Nothing off the shelf is the right size

Portable and folding kits, odd-shaped decks, awkward roof sections. When the panel has to fit the case or the space rather than the other way round, a made-to-order module is the only clean solution.

The trade-offs to be honest about

Explain these before quoting, not after:

• “Semi-flexible” means a gentle curve, not a roll. Every panel has a permitted bend radius, and exceeding it damages cells. It is stated on the specification.
• Heat. Bonded flat to a roof, a module has less airflow behind it than one on a raised frame, and solar cells lose output when they get hot. Where a small air gap is possible, take it.
• Surface durability. A polymer front sheet is not glass. It handles impact differently and it needs different cleaning care.
• Warranty. This is the big one. A made-to-order semi-flexible module does not carry the same warranty as a standard framed module.

How Innovative builds them

InnovaFlex is manufactured to order in the wattage and dimensions the customer needs. You send a dimensioned drawing and a target wattage; we come back with an achievable specification for that area, the minimum order quantity and a price.

Two things to carry into your customer conversation:

• InnovaFlex is manufactured to order and minimum quantities apply. It is not a stock item.
• InnovaFlex carries a limited warranty as per the applicable product specification and warranty terms — not the 10-year product and 25-year performance warranty that applies to our InnovaEDGE and InnovaMAX framed modules. Ask for the terms for your specification before you quote.

For dealers, the value of a made-to-order line is simple: it converts the enquiries you would otherwise turn away. The caravan owner, the boat yard, the factory with a sheet roof that cannot be drilled — those jobs have no answer in a stock catalogue.

Send a drawing through the custom modules page and we will tell you what is achievable in that area.