Renogy 100W Mono Panels: A Comparison

[AuricTech]

I just looked at the Renogy Web site for the first time in a while, and I noticed that they now carry several different 100W monocrystalline panels. Here's a brief comparison of these panels:

[font=Biryani, sans-serif]Renogy 100 Watt Monocrystalline Solar Panel (the standard one):[/font]
[font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif]Vmp: [font=Biryani, sans-serif]18.9V[/font][/font][/font]
[font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif]Voc: [font=Biryani, sans-serif]22.5V[/font][/font][/font][/font]
[font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif]Imp: [font=Biryani, sans-serif]5.29A[/font][/font][/font][/font][/font]
[font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif]Isc: [font=Biryani, sans-serif]5.75A[/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font]
[font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif]Dimensions: [font=Biryani, sans-serif]47.3 X 21.3 X 1.4 In[/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font]
[font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif]List Price: [font=Biryani, sans-serif]$136.99[/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font]

[font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif]Renogy 100 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Solar Panel (Slim Design):[/font][/font][/font][/font][/font]
[font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif]Vmp: 16V[/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font]
[font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif]Voc: 20V[/font][/font][/font]
[font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif]Imp: 6.25A[/font][/font][/font][/font]
[font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif]Isc: 6.45A[/font][/font][/font][/font][/font]
[font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif]Dimensions: [font=Biryani, sans-serif]46.9 X 19.7 X 1.4 In[/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font]
[font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif]List Price: [font=Biryani, sans-serif]$129.99[/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font]

[font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif]Renogy 100 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Solar Panel (Compact Design):[/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font]
[font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif]Vmp: 16V[/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font]
[font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif]Voc: 20V[/font][/font][/font]
[font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif]Imp: 6.25A[/font][/font][/font][/font]
[font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif]Isc: 6.45A[/font][/font][/font][/font][/font]
[font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif]Dimensions: [font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif]42.2 X 19.6 X 1.38 In[/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font]
[font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif]List Price: [font=Biryani, sans-serif]$129.99[/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font]

Renogy 100 Watt 12 Volt Flexible Monocrystalline Solar Panel (this panel weighs 4 pounds; all the others weigh 16.5 pounds):[/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font]
[font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif]Vmp: [font=Biryani, sans-serif]18.9V[/font][/font][/font]
[font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif]Voc: [font=Biryani, sans-serif]22.5V[/font][/font][/font][/font]
[font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif]Imp: [font=Biryani, sans-serif]5.29A[/font][/font][/font][/font][/font]
[font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif]Isc: [font=Biryani, sans-serif]5.75A
[/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif]Dimensions: [font=Biryani, sans-serif]47.9x21.0x0.08 In[/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font]
[font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif]List Price: $229.99[/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font]

[font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif][font=Biryani, sans-serif]My takeaway is that, unless the "standard" mono panels are on sale, you're better off buying the Slim or Compact mono panels, with  the Compact design being the winner for space efficiency. They're both smaller and less expensive than Renogy's "standard" mono panel. More importantly, they deliver nearly 1 amp more per panel through a PWM controller (such as the one that comes with most Renogy starter kits) than the "standard" mono panels can manage.[/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font][/font]

 

[jimindenver]

A lower voltage panel not only gives you more amps to start with, the fact that the working voltage is closer to the battery voltage means that you lose less to PWM.

 

[AuricTech]

I just noticed that I didn't include Renogy's Eclipse 100W mono panel in my comparison, so here it is:

Renogy Eclipse 100 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Solar Panel (this panel weighs 15 pounds):
Vmp: 17.7V
Voc: 21.2V
Imp: 5.70A
Isc: 6.10A
Dimensions: 40.8 x 20.7 x 1.4 in
List Price: $230.99

This panel's output parameters are somewhat more PWM-friendly than those of Renogy's "standard" mono panel, but still much less so than those of Renogy's Slim and Compact mono panels. Given their price premium, the best reason I can see for buying these panels is that they may make it easier to play "roofspace Tetris" when trying to fit as many solar panels as possible onto a limited area. As always, YMMV, the center cannot hold, Burma Shave.