Here's a question we get almost every week:
"Why are your lightweight panels more expensive than conventional ones?"
Fair question.
So we ran a side-by-side comparison for a 200 kWp commercial rooftop project to see what the numbers really look like.
Here's what we found:
The chart above shows the headline result: up to €73,000 savings on a 200 kWp project. But where does the money actually come from? Let’s break it down item by item.
The counter–intuitive takeaway?
The more expensive panel delivered the lower total project cost.
Why? Because conventional panels are heavy.
They put stress on the roof. They demand expensive steel reinforcements, heavier ballast, bigger cranes, and longer installation time.
Lightweight panels skip all that.
And that's just the CAPEX side.
Regarding Operational Factors （OPEX）, the gap gets even wider. Don’t forget to include the yield side in your comparison:
• Degradation: Peakup Power’s lightweight panels degrade much less than conventional panels with Topcon cells.
• Subsidy (SDE++): The SDE subsidy is paid per kWh generated. Because Peakup Power panels have a higher efficiency, the annual cash flow from our panels will be higher.
So when does each make sense?
Choose Conventional if: roof reserve capacity > 20 kg/m²
Choose Lightweight if: roof reserve capacity < 10 kg/m² — OR if the cost of reinforcing the roof is higher than the premium of going lightweight
The cheapest panel isn't always the cheapest solution.
Not every roof is the same. And neither should your solar strategy be.
