I've been scrambling to get ahead at work before my vacation, and get everything set up around here to run without me for a bit. I've also been trying to get together the items needed for the trip to FIJI.
Here are a few links to stories relating to this expedition written by BTHumble:
http://www.fieldlines.com/story/2006/8/24/15012/5357
http://www.fieldlines.com/story/2006/12/4/23211/2891
http://www.fieldlines.com/story/2007/2/19/215856/078
http://www.fieldlines.com/story/2007/2/28/225457/047
It seems to me like a worthy cause, so I signed up to go. As a part of that effort, I had ordered 3 new Sunwize OEM-20 Solar panels from Affordable Solar. The panels were to be used for 12V lighting systems installed there. The panels arrived and were received from DHL by a tenant in my building. I picked them up from him this evening. I noticed that the box was a bit battered, but that is not uncommon. Upon opening the box this is what I found:
Two of the panels were fine, but one of the panels was shattered. Based upon the marks on the Tedlar backing, it appears that the box got abused enough to push the junction box on the back of one of the panels hard enough into the Tedlar backing to shatter the tempered glass on the front. You can actually see the outline of the corner of a junction box with the circle for the screw hole where it is secured on the tedlar, although a photo of that came out all white with my camera.
This is a bit depressing as although I have contacted the Affordable Solar, it is doubtful that this will be resolved before the FIJI trip.
Now I have about 27 solar panels on the roof of my building and growing, I also have 4 more at another building. All of these have been shipped to me. This is the first one that has been broken during shipment. I have seen quite a few methods of packing them since many of the panels that I have came from different places. Some are very good, and some are very bad. Fortunately, panels are generally a little bit tougher than they appear, the tempered glass does not break that easily.
These three panels were boxed with loose sheets of bubble wrap around them, and there was enough room left in the box for them to jostle around a bit. I figure it likely got tossed hard enough, or had something heavy enough on top of it to shatter the panel where it was pushed by the junction box of an adjacent panel.
My conclusions, from what I have observed, is that one of the better ways to pack them is to secure them between sheets of styrofoam like are used in building insulation with aditional strips of rigid foam insulation around the edges. For panels where the junction box sticks out further than the frame, an aditional sheet of styrofoam should be used with a cutout for the junction box. Once assembled the styrofoam frame should be secured in place. Packing tape works fine for this.
This SM-55 panel was packed in a similar manner and arrived safe and sound.
Next, the panel or panels should be secured in the shipping box by wedging enough old newspaper, bubble wrap, or whatever, so that the styrofoam wrapped panels will not shift inside the box no matter how it is tossed about by the shipper. (The image of an old luggage commercial where they had a bunch of apes or gorillas tossing the luggage about comes to mind) Use enough tape or strapping to ensure that the box will not beak open as it is tossed about.
One must assume that the box will be tossed about and abused in various ways. The panels are expensive and will last a long, long time. It is justified to use more care, effort, and materials in packing them for shipping.
At least I have two of the 20 Watt panels left, hopefully they can survive the three airplane rides to their destination. Rich Hagen
