coultergeist
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2012
- Messages
- 399
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Hello all,
Just wanted to share my experience. My van had two 150 watt panels on it and an inexpensive charge controller. The controller was working but I didn't feel I was getting the charge I should be. Some of it is where the van was parked, but some of it was the charge controller short changing me. We had just finished working a fair amount of overtime so I had enough extra funds to pay for more stuff.
I decided to add two more panels and upgrade the controller. I've been known for overdoing things on occasion. I wanted to stay with a 12v system, so I had to look at around a 40 to 60 amp charge controller. For safety sake I was leaning toward the 60 amp size. The more I looked, the more I realized they were very expensive. Easily in the $500 range with an LCD display being another $150 or so. I looked at every solar site I could find. I could have gotten a regular controller for less, but I really wanted it to be an mppt controller.
I ended up finding a 40 amp mppt controller in a brand name I hadn't heard of on eBay. It's specs were very similar to the Morningstar 45 amp mppt controller. It was a good bit less and also had an LCD screen that could be added to it. I did some internet searches and found a solar forum where they had taken them apart and really tested them. Their evaluation was that they were really good controllers. I decided it was worth looking at. They had a link on their forum to what I thought was the supplier.
I went to the site and looked up the information on the controller. I realized they also had a 60 amp version of the same controller. I noticed there was no price listed anywhere on the site. There was a box to submit information to request a quote. I filled it out and got a return email a few hours later.
I realized from the email that I was dealing directly with the manufacturer in china. The lady's name was Ms. Lily. We emailed back and forth several times and ended up with a price. The total would have been $130 for the controller, an external LCD display and air express shipping from China through FedEx. I was very happy with the price and figured it was well worth the risk. I expressed my desire to complete my order and there was a hitch. She was unable to do orders below $200.
I looked through all their products. They had some really great inverters and things like that but none of it was what I needed. In one of her emails she mentioned solar panels. I didn't see any on her site, but I was planning on eventually getting two more so I asked about those. The panels were available through one of their partner businesses.
She sent me a spec sheet for all the different panels they could produce. I was able to pick the exact size I would need to fit on the van perfectly with the panels I already have. I chose two 190 watt panels. The quoted cost before shipping was $152 per panel. Shipping would be an additional $230 for FedEx air express. The total cost of everything was to be $664 including shipping.
Now, this was a lot of money for me to gamble with. If you buy something in America and it's bad you return it and at least usually get your money back. No such guarantees in international trade. The only way to pay was with western union. That made me a bit uneasy too. Once the money is picked up on the other end there is virtually no way to get it back. It was basically a big gamble. I felt like the lady I was dealing with was genuinely trying to help complete a real sale. Ultimately I decided to go through with it. I would basically be getting the controller, external LCD screen and both solar panels for about the cost of just an equivalent controller here. It was a gamble worth taking in my eyes.
I sent the money the day before thanksgiving. I expected it to be a week or so before it would ship. Money transfer takes several days. The panels were to be custom manufactured after payment. About ten days later I got an email. There was a problem. The panels were complete and everything was boxed up and ready to go. The problem was that the boxes were too large for fedex air. We would have to use dhl as the shipper. The shipping would require an additional $100 for air express. I didn't want to lose a great deal over $100, but I was still nervous about sending more money. I decided to risk it and sent it out the next day.
A few days later, after the money cleared, I got email confirmation that it had been picked up and a tracking number for Dhl. I anxiously checked the tracking everyday and a few days later it was in Cincinnati Ohio. That is where all international air cargo arrives from Dhl. I was starting to feel pretty good about the deal. I watched and for three days it's status didn't change.
I was getting that nervous feeling again and I got a phone call from a Dhl representative. It turns out there was additional customs paperwork that would need to completed for it to clear customs and continue on to me. Apparently, if a solar panel is manufactured in mainland China there are lots of additional paperwork requirements. The charge controller was not an issue, just the panels.
Customs only allows ten days for clearance. After that shipments get returned to their point of origin. I had already used half that. I spent two days getting the info I needed from the contact in China and filling out and faxing paperwork. On the 23rd of December I got an email from Dhl saying it would be delivered the next day. They were true to their word and both packages arrived about noon on Christmas Eve.
I opened and inspected everything. Everything was packed well with no obvious damages. There was even a Christmas card in one of the boxes from Ms. Lily. I have installed the charge controller and it appears to be working great. I'm hoping to get the solar panels up next week. I will let you know how they do when they are up. I did a multimeter test already and they definitely produce voltage.
It was a big risk and quite an adventure but it all worked out for the best and saved a good bit of money. I even made a friend in China.
If anybody would like to do a similar thing I will try to guide you through it.
Patrick
Just wanted to share my experience. My van had two 150 watt panels on it and an inexpensive charge controller. The controller was working but I didn't feel I was getting the charge I should be. Some of it is where the van was parked, but some of it was the charge controller short changing me. We had just finished working a fair amount of overtime so I had enough extra funds to pay for more stuff.
I decided to add two more panels and upgrade the controller. I've been known for overdoing things on occasion. I wanted to stay with a 12v system, so I had to look at around a 40 to 60 amp charge controller. For safety sake I was leaning toward the 60 amp size. The more I looked, the more I realized they were very expensive. Easily in the $500 range with an LCD display being another $150 or so. I looked at every solar site I could find. I could have gotten a regular controller for less, but I really wanted it to be an mppt controller.
I ended up finding a 40 amp mppt controller in a brand name I hadn't heard of on eBay. It's specs were very similar to the Morningstar 45 amp mppt controller. It was a good bit less and also had an LCD screen that could be added to it. I did some internet searches and found a solar forum where they had taken them apart and really tested them. Their evaluation was that they were really good controllers. I decided it was worth looking at. They had a link on their forum to what I thought was the supplier.
I went to the site and looked up the information on the controller. I realized they also had a 60 amp version of the same controller. I noticed there was no price listed anywhere on the site. There was a box to submit information to request a quote. I filled it out and got a return email a few hours later.
I realized from the email that I was dealing directly with the manufacturer in china. The lady's name was Ms. Lily. We emailed back and forth several times and ended up with a price. The total would have been $130 for the controller, an external LCD display and air express shipping from China through FedEx. I was very happy with the price and figured it was well worth the risk. I expressed my desire to complete my order and there was a hitch. She was unable to do orders below $200.
I looked through all their products. They had some really great inverters and things like that but none of it was what I needed. In one of her emails she mentioned solar panels. I didn't see any on her site, but I was planning on eventually getting two more so I asked about those. The panels were available through one of their partner businesses.
She sent me a spec sheet for all the different panels they could produce. I was able to pick the exact size I would need to fit on the van perfectly with the panels I already have. I chose two 190 watt panels. The quoted cost before shipping was $152 per panel. Shipping would be an additional $230 for FedEx air express. The total cost of everything was to be $664 including shipping.
Now, this was a lot of money for me to gamble with. If you buy something in America and it's bad you return it and at least usually get your money back. No such guarantees in international trade. The only way to pay was with western union. That made me a bit uneasy too. Once the money is picked up on the other end there is virtually no way to get it back. It was basically a big gamble. I felt like the lady I was dealing with was genuinely trying to help complete a real sale. Ultimately I decided to go through with it. I would basically be getting the controller, external LCD screen and both solar panels for about the cost of just an equivalent controller here. It was a gamble worth taking in my eyes.
I sent the money the day before thanksgiving. I expected it to be a week or so before it would ship. Money transfer takes several days. The panels were to be custom manufactured after payment. About ten days later I got an email. There was a problem. The panels were complete and everything was boxed up and ready to go. The problem was that the boxes were too large for fedex air. We would have to use dhl as the shipper. The shipping would require an additional $100 for air express. I didn't want to lose a great deal over $100, but I was still nervous about sending more money. I decided to risk it and sent it out the next day.
A few days later, after the money cleared, I got email confirmation that it had been picked up and a tracking number for Dhl. I anxiously checked the tracking everyday and a few days later it was in Cincinnati Ohio. That is where all international air cargo arrives from Dhl. I was starting to feel pretty good about the deal. I watched and for three days it's status didn't change.
I was getting that nervous feeling again and I got a phone call from a Dhl representative. It turns out there was additional customs paperwork that would need to completed for it to clear customs and continue on to me. Apparently, if a solar panel is manufactured in mainland China there are lots of additional paperwork requirements. The charge controller was not an issue, just the panels.
Customs only allows ten days for clearance. After that shipments get returned to their point of origin. I had already used half that. I spent two days getting the info I needed from the contact in China and filling out and faxing paperwork. On the 23rd of December I got an email from Dhl saying it would be delivered the next day. They were true to their word and both packages arrived about noon on Christmas Eve.
I opened and inspected everything. Everything was packed well with no obvious damages. There was even a Christmas card in one of the boxes from Ms. Lily. I have installed the charge controller and it appears to be working great. I'm hoping to get the solar panels up next week. I will let you know how they do when they are up. I did a multimeter test already and they definitely produce voltage.
It was a big risk and quite an adventure but it all worked out for the best and saved a good bit of money. I even made a friend in China.
If anybody would like to do a similar thing I will try to guide you through it.
Patrick
