San Jose, CA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 06/16/2017 --Solar panels are becoming increasingly popular for both residential and commercial applications, as they help users to save money on energy costs as well as reducing our dependence on dirty fossil fuels. Standard solar panels harness the energy of the sun and convert it into electricity.

While this is all well and good, solar panels are not nearly as efficient as they could be, particularly during especially hot weather. In fact, under hot conditions standard solar panels lose as much as 50% percent of the solar energy that they normally convert into usable electricity. The rest is lost as waste heat.

The Solar Sandwich is an innovative new product from Roadrunner Solar Corp. that aims to solve this problem and improve the efficiency of rooftop solar panels. It does this by cycling water from the home or business's water supply underneath the photovoltaic (PV) cells in the solar panels. Instead of wasting the excess heat, it is used to heat up the water flowing underneath as the water, in turn, cools the PV cells. This saves energy costs on heating water while enabling the solar panels to increase their power output by up to 60 percent, saving even more money on energy costs.

This technology is ideal for commercial applications as well as homeowners and mobile platforms. Businesses that need to use a lot of water and electricity in their operations will benefit the most from the Solar Sandwich. This includes businesses like laundromats, hotels, gyms and more.

The Solar Sandwich will come in a variety of sizes and configurations to accommodate applications ranging from small RVs or trailers to large commercial installations. The company aims to complete the first round of production by May 2018.

Roadrunner Solar Corp. has already developed a working prototype of the Solar Sandwich and is moving towards creating a production model to bring the product to market. To assist in this effort, the organization is launching a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to raise the funds needed to move forward with manufacturing the production model.