Middle of its segment, weak in heat
The Rarlon PV Tech Monocrystalline Black series consists of panels designed for installations where both aesthetics and stable energy production are important. They are characterized by a sleek, uniform design that complements modern roofs and facades - without contrasting frames or a "gridded" appearance on the panels.
The monocrystalline cells provide high efficiency in daily operation, and the half-cut design helps minimize losses and improves the module's performance under partial shading, for example, from a chimney, skylight, or balustrade. This is a real advantage for single-family homes in dense residential areas, and for small businesses where it is not always possible to perfectly plan the exposure.
Furthermore, thanks to solutions such as multi-busbar connection (MBB), the series is designed for better current collection and greater resistance to micro-cracks during operation. This is a good choice for investors who want an aesthetically pleasing PV installation without compromising on durability and predictability of energy yields.
Ranking
Signals from the data
Residential, commercial and shaded-installations.
Hot climates.
Bottom 1% of the 205-405 W band, against a median of -0.350. Ranked 13,879th in the whole database.
Efficiency of 18.44-19.05% exceeds the Selfa SV120M.3.2 (17%) by over 1.4-2 pp and is on par with or above Canadian Solar's BiKu (18.4%) and KuBlack CS3K-MS (18.7%) - a solid position among comparable mono modules in this power class.
Half-cut cell design combined with multi-busbar (MBB) contacting reduces resistive losses and hot-spot effect, improving module behavior under partial shading and increasing resistance to micro-cracks over the panel's service life.
Full black finish (frame, backsheet, cells) eliminates the contrasting 'checkerboard' look typical of older modules - a meaningful advantage on visible residential roof surfaces and facades.
The series has been on the market uninterrupted since 2017 (not discontinued), giving it roughly a 9-year track record and continued after-sales support availability, unlike models already phased out.
The 300-310 Wp range corresponds to an older cell format (72-cell half-cut), while current Tier-1 series (including Canadian Solar) already offer 400-450+ Wp in a comparable module footprint - meaning more panels and larger mounting area per kWp installed.
Unlike Canadian Solar (an established Tier-1 manufacturer), Rarlon PV Tech is not confirmed on the BNEF Tier-1 list, which can matter when assessing project bankability and financing eligibility with institutions that require Tier-1-classified modules.
- At 18.8% efficiency, this panel is 3.1pp below the database median of 21.8%
- 187.5 W/m² power density is 30.6 W/m² below database median (218.1 W/m²) - requires larger installation area
- -0.47%/°C temperature coefficient - 0.17pp worse than database median (-0.30%/°C), expect higher hot weather losses
- At 17.0 kg, this panel is 9.5 kg lighter than database median (26.5 kg) - easier handling during installation
- #13047 for efficiency, #13879 for temperature performance out of 14005 panels
Specifications
Simulations
Degradation from this panel's own datasheet figures. No inverter, soiling or shading losses.
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