Sofisintown
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I will let you know when it comes....Camper said:
340Watt - $117
- Thread starter Sofisintown
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Received my 340 watt panel yesterday.
It's a 100 watt poorly made semi-flex panel. The cell surface is covered with a thin clear plastic sheet, a bit thicker than kitchen cling wrap and it's full of bubbles. No paperwork or labels anywhere.
I'm emailing walmart for return instructions now. Not really surprised at all.
It's a 100 watt poorly made semi-flex panel. The cell surface is covered with a thin clear plastic sheet, a bit thicker than kitchen cling wrap and it's full of bubbles. No paperwork or labels anywhere.
I'm emailing walmart for return instructions now. Not really surprised at all.
^^i think your supposed to peel that clear plastic sheet off before you use it?
i didn't jump on this deal as i'm several years away from actually needing it and
who knows how quickly things change in that time. i was going to make a suitcase
solar system but we never camp anywhere but beneath a thick canopy of trees
i didn't jump on this deal as i'm several years away from actually needing it and
who knows how quickly things change in that time. i was going to make a suitcase
solar system but we never camp anywhere but beneath a thick canopy of trees
That size is about a 100watt panel, I feel like the advertising is deceptive. Add 3 together for 340watts ?
The other week someone told me marine batteries were $30 cheaper at Walmart, the batteries said "-600 Cranking Amps-" they were $20 bucks cheaper But... after investigating the little tiny print the "600 Cranking Amps" was only marine cranking amps and no mention of the Cold Cranking Amps which are lower.
The batteries were the same price if you look up the Cold Cranking amps. I feel like it is deceptive advertising.
The other week someone told me marine batteries were $30 cheaper at Walmart, the batteries said "-600 Cranking Amps-" they were $20 bucks cheaper But... after investigating the little tiny print the "600 Cranking Amps" was only marine cranking amps and no mention of the Cold Cranking Amps which are lower.
The batteries were the same price if you look up the Cold Cranking amps. I feel like it is deceptive advertising.
i know next to nothing about solar. i just saw a video where the first thing they didMatlock said:
was remove the "protective covering"...also, we just had our own issue when wifey
got some face masks in from Amazon and we couldn't believe how fuzzy they were-
until we removed the film covering
Sofisintown
Well-known member
I just received the panel and I threw it on top of the van.
To my surprise, it delivers!
I left the thin plastic cover on (wrinkles-srinkles) for extra protection.
The size is 26x48 inches. That just a tad bigger than the 100W glass panels I have.
The controller shows 21 Volt - 0.3 KW, which IS 300 Watts.
So I'm happy.
To my surprise, it delivers!
I left the thin plastic cover on (wrinkles-srinkles) for extra protection.
The size is 26x48 inches. That just a tad bigger than the 100W glass panels I have.
The controller shows 21 Volt - 0.3 KW, which IS 300 Watts.
So I'm happy.
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That's absolutely bananas! That very well may be the best deal ever.
As a matter of fact JUST this afternoon I had measured the top of my van so I could try and squeeze as many panels up there as possible and my dodge caravan is 100" x ~52"
If these suckers are 48x26 I could fit 4 of them crosswise on my roof with 4 inches of overhang.
If they are in fact 300w that's 1.2kw of solar for under 500 bucks. Crazy! Originally I had hoped to fit 3 250 watt panels from Santan solar or someone more local to me but their size would make them look utterly ridiculous.
I'll surely keep an eye on them when I get paid again.
As a matter of fact JUST this afternoon I had measured the top of my van so I could try and squeeze as many panels up there as possible and my dodge caravan is 100" x ~52"
If these suckers are 48x26 I could fit 4 of them crosswise on my roof with 4 inches of overhang.
If they are in fact 300w that's 1.2kw of solar for under 500 bucks. Crazy! Originally I had hoped to fit 3 250 watt panels from Santan solar or someone more local to me but their size would make them look utterly ridiculous.
I'll surely keep an eye on them when I get paid again.
XERTYX said:
I just bought a used 285w panel for $80 from Santan Solar. It's about 5 feet long and a little over 3 feet wide. Haven't tested it yet, but the Santan folks say it should be putting out close to that.
i know its flexible but do you guys think it would make a suitcase solar?
Sofisintown
Well-known member
That would be a VERY big suitcase. But you can keep it under your mattress as is.
thanks Sofi
jimindenver
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Abnorm asked me to look at this panel. At the size listed it would be the most efficient 300+ watt panel made. SunPower is generally accepted as one of the highest efficient panels and its 327-360 watt size is 41x61 in. So not only is it amazing in its efficiency, it's a great deal too. Super high efficiency panels are usually very expensive.
Can whoever has the panel do a simple short circuit test on it? Simply point it at the sun and measure the amps across the leads. Be careful when you do this because at 340 watts and being a 12 volt panel, you should see over 16 amps which will pop the fuse in a 10 amp multimeter. I would suggest a 20 amp meter or a DC clamp meter.
Another thing. The picture on the last page showing the load at 0.3 kwh is not the production of the solar panel nor the current going into the battery, which is usually listed in amps. That is a 300 watt draw on the load terminals. What we need to see is the amps going to the battery when its voltage is low and the panel is tracking the sun. A 300 watt panel should easily be able to produce 20 amps or more to a hungry battery. My 250 watt polys can produce 18.5 amps tracking and my 435 watt SunPower panel can produce 34 amps to the bank as a example.
Can whoever has the panel do a simple short circuit test on it? Simply point it at the sun and measure the amps across the leads. Be careful when you do this because at 340 watts and being a 12 volt panel, you should see over 16 amps which will pop the fuse in a 10 amp multimeter. I would suggest a 20 amp meter or a DC clamp meter.
Another thing. The picture on the last page showing the load at 0.3 kwh is not the production of the solar panel nor the current going into the battery, which is usually listed in amps. That is a 300 watt draw on the load terminals. What we need to see is the amps going to the battery when its voltage is low and the panel is tracking the sun. A 300 watt panel should easily be able to produce 20 amps or more to a hungry battery. My 250 watt polys can produce 18.5 amps tracking and my 435 watt SunPower panel can produce 34 amps to the bank as a example.
My 305 watt glass panel was recommended to have a 30 amp controller by Arizona Wind and Solar. In my experience of the past electrical components have a pretty wide set of manufacturing tolerances. Running them at their limits is no bueno in many cases. As one of my favorite movie quotes say “ You feeling lucky?”
user 37446
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Need to follow this thread to see if in fact it isn't "too good to be true"...
jimindenver
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We use to use the 20% rule or oversize everything by 20%. Then Morningstar came out and said it was okay to overpanel their controllers. It helps early/late in the day and during the winter when the sun is low and you would not see peak output of the panel anyways. Some controllers have hard limits like my old Eco-worthy 20 amp. They started saying 300 watts but backed it down to 270 because running it at peak power all the time was causing overheating issues..
To be clear. Over paneling is okay IF the manufacturer of your controller says so. Going over the Voc limit is another story. Many controllers will simply die if you over volt them. At best some controllers will shut down until the voltage of the panels return to a acceptable level but that may mean that you will get a little charge early until the sun is high enough and then a little more late in the day as the sun goes down taking the voltage with it. During the peak of the day you would get nothing.
All in all it is best to properly match your components. A 30 amp controller is not vastly more expensive that a 20 amp is. It will insure that you get everything out of the panel and stay cool while it does it.
To be clear. Over paneling is okay IF the manufacturer of your controller says so. Going over the Voc limit is another story. Many controllers will simply die if you over volt them. At best some controllers will shut down until the voltage of the panels return to a acceptable level but that may mean that you will get a little charge early until the sun is high enough and then a little more late in the day as the sun goes down taking the voltage with it. During the peak of the day you would get nothing.
All in all it is best to properly match your components. A 30 amp controller is not vastly more expensive that a 20 amp is. It will insure that you get everything out of the panel and stay cool while it does it.
