Shade Tolerant Solar Panels

Discover Custom Marine Products' innovative semi-flexible shade-tolerant solar panels, perfect for boats facing shading challenges. Standard panels can lose over 60% efficiency when shaded, but our advanced panels, featuring high-performance SunPower Maxeon cells, excel under partial shade. The unique design includes a central or edge-mounted junction box, dividing the panel into four isolated quadrants. This allows unshaded sections to maintain full output, delivering up to three times the power of traditional panels. Ideal for mounting on biminis and dodgers, these panels are engineered to overcome shading from booms, masts, and instrument poles. Patent pending. If you only want the best, look no further! Highest output A+ grade solar cells (24.4-25.4% Efficient)! Want to see how shade tolerant marine solar panels work - Watch our Video!

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Marine Solar Panel Grid - Sunpower A+ Grade Efficient Cells

Marine Solar Panel Grid - HJT and PERC Cells

Our New 4 Quadrant Design

The diagram along side illustrates how these amazing panels work. Instead of the normal 2 quadrant design we use a new split cell design allowing the panel to have four quadrants of solar cells linked in series and isolated with inner panel blocking diodes. If one or two quadrants are shaded, the other quadrants perform at normal output. This can increase shaded panel output by 3 times that of a standard shaded panel.

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High Performance CMP Semi-Flexible Marine Solar Panel Specifications​ Summary

SunPower Maxeon Series

Our SunPower Maxeon Series solar panels are made with SunPower Maxeon Gen III 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%. Excellent for bimini and dodger canvas mounting.

SunPower Maxeon Shade Tolerant Series

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 shade tolerant solar panels that have superior performance when partially shaded by boat equipment or nearby objects.  These solar panels have high performance SunPower Maxeon cells.  The diagram to the left illustrates how these amazing panels work.The junction box is mounted in the center or the edge of the panel enabling the panel to have four quadrants of solar cells linked in series and isolated with diodes.  If one or two quadrants are shaded, the other quadrants perform at normal output.  The result is a panel that will provide up to three times the output of a standard panel when shaded.  These shade tolerant panels are ideal for bimini and dodger mounting where there is boom, mast and instrument pole shading.  Patent pending

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What Makes Our Panels Superior

  • Our Semi Flexible Shade Tolerant Panels use only SunPower Maxeon A+ Cells.
  • The SunPower cells we use in these panels are 24.4% efficient.
  • We use an ETFE laminate coating that won't delaminate or go milky for 10 years.
  • The ETFE laminate is applied with a prismatic finish to direct sun energy into the cells.
  • Panels use internal blocking diodes to isolate the quadrants unaffected by shading.
  • We build 6 grommets into the panels edges for easy installation with our mounting kits.
  • All panels come with 3 foot pigtails and MC4 connectors.
  • Our junction boxes are filled with Non Gassing Silicon RTV for maximum electrical waterproof insulation and corrosion resistance.

Premium Marine Solar Panels/Systems and Lithium Iron Batteries

Improve your cruising experience with the highest efficiency solar panels available. 

  • Shipping

    Products ship day after payment domestically. Free shipping on orders over $1000 applies to Lower 48 US states only. International takes longer. We do not add tariff charges. Call for pricing.

  • Custom Designs

    Our engineers will work with you to design a solar system specific to your needs including Lithium Batteries if you like. (Batteries are 10% off w/ solar system purchase).

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What Our Customers Have To Say

  • Doug Heath - Santa Fe, NM

    Customer Service and Product

    Very pleased with the performance of the rigid solar panels purchased in 2022. Customer service also has been consistently excellent both before the sale regarding product selection and after the sale regarding installation and maintenance concerns.

  • William Roth - Kodiak, AK

    Heavy Duty Panels For The Win

    Installed 1200watts of panels on my 56' commercial fishing boat in Kodiak Alaska, with salt spray and harsh winters I hardly run my genset. Installation was a breeze with using silicone to mount them. Most the boats in my family fleet have them now and we are all saving big on the fuel bill! Couldn't be happier with the purchace.

  • Hartwell C - Bellingham, WA

    Easy Install - Great Performance

    I worked with Tom last year to design a system for my sailboat; the dialog and information was very detailed and helpful in helping determine my system needs and completing the installation. Once ordering, the kit arrived in a timely manner and very complete. The install was very straightforward and Tom provided additional information as needed. After the install I took off on a 7 month cruise of British Columbia. The system worked perfectly during my trip. I’m very happy with the equipment and support from CMP and Tom. I highly recommend !
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Shade Tolerant Flexible Solar Panels Explained