Concord, North Carolina-based SBM Solar, inventor and manufacturer of a revolutionary new, patent-pending solar panel that uses non-EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate), non-thermoplastic material developed by The Dow Chemical Company, recently had its panels certified by UL Laboratories, the world-leading electrical product compliance specialist.

Thermoplastics are man-made polymers that become flexible or semi-liquid when heated and rigid when cooled, which would not be a very effective surface for a solar panel. In addition, according to SBM founder Dr. Osbert Cheung, the material allows for manufacturing at three times the speed of conventional solar panels, which use glass as the surface layer, while still retaining “highly consistent quality”.

The UL Laboratory certification represents the only instance of the agency certifying a solar panel anywhere in the world. For SBM, whose panels underwent four years of stringent, UL1703 (flat-plate photovoltaic safety) testing, the certification – combined with IEC61215 certification (by the International Electrotechnical Commission, which determines standards for climactic exposure of solar panels) – means that SBM solar panels have been examined by the best, and withstand the test.

SBM C-Si (crystalline silicon) panels, which are 40 percent lighter than conventional panels – due the lesser weight of plastic as compared to glass, and capable of withstanding hail, high wind and lightning – are ideal for use on roofs that won’t support the weight of traditional solar panels. In addition, the flexible nature of the surface, and the fact that solar modules are customizable regarding shape, size and coloration, provides for BIPV (building integrated photovoltaic) installation, on roofs and as part of the building’s cladding, or as a replacement for some windows. The panels would also, because of their lightweight portability, work well in disaster relief situations, or remote oil and gas-pumping stations, or remote lighting.

SBM solar panels also offer features like non-glare surfaces, essential in marine applications, built-in, non-invasive roof-mounting systems that reduce cost and prevent roof deterioration, and 14 watts per square foot efficiency, so that even smaller installations deliver optimum power. Lastly, as Cheung points out, SBM solar panels are made in the U.S., complying with the Buy American Act and offering a small but significant step forward from the industrial infrastructure selloff of the past three decades which has led to Chinese supremacy and a devalued American dollar.