Our SunPower Maxeon Series solar panels are made with SunPower Maxeon's latest generation of solar cells which have the highest energy yield (power output) of any solar cell commercially available.  SunPower Maxeon cell technology uses a back contact design which maximizes the sunlight energy available to each solar cell and enables a sunlight to electric conversion efficiency of up to 25.4%.  These walk on panels are available is several styles.  Standard walk-on panels that are 1/4 inch thick with an aluminum backing, light walk-on panels that are 3/16 inch thick and ideal for hot climates and shade tolerant light walk-on panels ideal for hot climates and mounted where there is shading.  Our team will help you determine which style is best for your application.

Shade Tolerant Walk-on Solar Panels-  Solar panel shading is a major issue on many boats.  Shading can reduce a standard panel performance by over 60%.  Custom Marine Products has developed a series of semi-flexible and semi-rigid shade tolerant solar panels that have superior performance when partially shaded by boat equipment or nearby objects. These shade tolerant panels are ideal for bimini and dodger mounting where there is boom, mast and instrument pole shading.  Patent pending​

Carbon Fiber Walk-on Solar Panels- Soon we will have available Carbon Fiber backed semi-rigid walk-on solar panels.  These panels are 7 mm thick similar to our standard aluminum backed walk-on panels.  They are lighter and slightly stiffer than our aluminum backed panels. Our Carbon Fiber panels have the same high quality materials and comparable output to our other panels.  Ideal applications include flat or nearly flat decks. van racks, portable moveable requirements.  Heat distribution and heat dissipation is excellent.

PERC (Passivated Emitter and Rear Contact) cells are about 1.5% less efficient than Sunpower cells and cost about 25% less. These modified conventional cells produce 6 to 12 percent more energy than conventional monocrystalline solar cells. Premium PERC solar cells have an extra layer within the back side of the cell. This allows some of the sun’s rays to reflect back into the solar cell, increasing the amount of energy produced resulting in a conversion efficiency of up to 22.5%.  (Our new HJT cells currently in production are up to 24% efficient) This enables us to provide the same high quality at a lower price per watt.

With a strong aluminum backing and extra thick ETFE laminate non-skid surface, these panels can be walked on without fear of damaging the solar cells. These panels are ideal for mounting on a rigid boat surface, van roof, RV roof, or dock. We use premium SunPower's latest Maxeon Generation,  A+ grade solar cells with an efficiency rating of up to 25.4%, the highest efficiency available anywhere. (or the same panels with PERC or HJT cells (up to 24% efficient), see second chart below) There is no glass and no aluminum frame so these panels are considerably lighter than our rigid panels but heavier and stiffer than our flexible panel series. They can be bent slightly to match up with the underlying surface, about 5%. The expected life of these panels is 10+ years in the harsh marine environment. The panels are available with a white or black backing.

Note we have recently released a new "semi-rigidlight" panel that is about 1 mm thinner (4mm vs 5mm) and with a thinner aluminum backing plate. It is not as robust, walk on but not dance or drive on. The upside is it dissipates heat better and thus performs better in hot climates.

The junction box can be customized to be on the bottom of the panels for flush mounting on boat roofs or docks. These are also popular solar panels for camper vans and RVs on roofs and roof racks. Shop our complete line of solar panels here.

There are at least three ways to mount the semi-rigid solar panels on a rigid surface.

• They can be screwed down directly to the deck surface at each corner.  We recommend a stainless screw with an oversized washer.
• They can be taped down directly to the deck with double sided Very High Bond (VHB) tape.  Because the back side of the panel has a pebbled surface like the front side for air circulation, the tape must have a foam core of at least 1/8 inch to secure the panel.
• The third method is our preferred method.  We have assembled a mounting kit consisting of two 'J' shaped aluminum extrusions. Buy the 1" VHB tape from Amazon on your own. The extrusions are mounted on each side of the long sides of the panel and adhered to the deck surface with the tape.  If the deck surface is not conducive to adhering the tape, the 'J' extrusions can be screwed to the deck and the panel slid into position.  This mounting method allows for the panel to be slid out of the extrusion for removal and cleaning of the deck surface. See pictures below.

Products ship day after payment domestically. Free shipping on orders over $250 applies to Lower 48 US states only. International takes longer. We do not add tariff charges. Call for pricing.