Technical Q&A For Renogy Solar Products

[TraveLyn]

I read recently of someone using a 3M velcro type product to mount their flexible panels. They had them on for awhile and held fine. I can look for the link if this would be helpful.

 

[akrvbob]

Wow, that would be just about perfect!
Bob

 

[TraveLyn]

WinnieViews blog shows her three renolgy 100 watt flexible panels using 3M dual locking project. Said it allowed some air flow etc. Has a header marked skinnie solar that shows the install.

 

[mariasman]

http://winnieviews.blogspot.com/p/skinnie-solar.html

 

[FortWorthVanNoob]

That's a really great lead. Thanks so much.

 

[MikeRuth]

Seems simple enough that's for sure. My observation of the pictures on the site/blog caused me to immediately think SHADOWS!
I'm not sure how much there getting but it's going to happen and that's a power killer to a panel.

when laying out your panels be very mindful that you will not experience shadows!.

Mike

 

[oldogre]

Hi Dan,

The charge controllers are positive ground due to the country of origin, but we are currently in the process of getting negative ground charge controllers instead. Positive ground charge controllers tend to be slightly cheaper and CAN still work on a negative ground system.

The solar panels and battery plug-ins on the controller are perfectly fine to use.

In order for it to work correctly, you must not use the DC Load Terminals on the charge controller.

All the best,
The Renogy Team

Hum why did not it state in description that this was the type of controller, then I could of made a decision based on all the facts, so I have purchased a product that is not able to perform all the tasks it was intended to and what it was advertised to do, that is not quite right in my humble opinion, like purchasing a universal battery charger and find out will only recharges batteries made by particular company, if they were from a particular country of origin.

 

[ccbreder]

Oldogre, that is a good question.

 

[Bela's Mom]

To be fair to Renogy, the descriptions on their website do indicate which ones are positive ground and which are negative ground.  If you bought it somewhere besides Renogy's store, that information may not have been on that company's description of the product.

 

[oldogre]

To be fair to Renogy, the descriptions on their website do indicate which ones are positive ground and which are negative ground.  If you bought it somewhere besides Renogy's store, that information may not have been on that company's description of the product.

To be fair?  To be fair I did by it from renogy, this is the first honest answer I have gotten from them even after contacting tech support on several occasions, also this is marketed to and this is quote from ad Description

New to solar? This Starter Kit is the perfect kit for someone who wants to begin utilizing solar energy for their off-grid adventures. Two of Renogy 100W Monocrystalline Solar Panels, one 30A PWM Charge Controller, one 20Ft MC4 Adaptor Kit, two sets of Z-brackets, and a pair of branch connectors are all included in this specialized kit. The only thing missing to complete your system is a tray cable to connect to your battery. This kit is the perfect introduction to solar! 

     Well it is the perfect kit if you are new to solar and do not know any better and you didn't mention in your allegiance to renogy that the products advertised feature's are not fully usable because of the type of controller it is, but that does not stop them from using as a selling point, even though my hard earned money paid for all the advertised features and assumed them usable, maybe this post is narrow minded but I think we both used equall discernment when we posted it.  Just sayin :angel:

 

[Bela's Mom]

I also didn't mention in my "allegiance" to Renogy that I am new to solar and knew nothing about it before I studied and read everything before I bought my components.  Just sayin'.

 

[oldogre]

I also didn't mention in my "allegiance" to Renogy that I am new to solar and knew nothing about it before I studied and read everything before I bought my components.  Just sayin'.

Bela gota say your right on that point,  just irks me that it took so long to understand and get some kind of response from them so I feel comfortable using it.   I actually did speak with them before I ordered it, and I don't think I would of ever thought to inquire about the grounding just, and here is that famous word that gets everyone in trouble at some point, I "assumed" it would be positive is positive and neg is neg.  Oh well live and learn,  lol 

Dan

 

[Bela's Mom]

Dan, I didn't understand what it meant either until I researched it.  I have the 30 amp PWM, the cheap one, and it says that the load connection is only good for a small light.  I don't use it anyway.  The charge controller positive still goes to the battery positive and the negative to negative.  If you need it for a light or something, you could use a 12V accessory plug attached to the battery post instead of the load  connection on the controller.  Or an inverter but a good accessory plug uses less power.  

  I purchased separate pieces so I ended up reading everything....incurable manual reader.  There was so much good information on this forum but I didn't have the money to spend on some of the products the guys were talking about so I had to research alot to get something I could afford.  My little system has limitations, but it works for now.  I'm still learning because I know that at some point, I am going to want a better controller and more panels.

Hope it all works out for you!

 

[GotSmart]

I use the controller to only control the power into the battery.

I have the power out going through a distribution box so I can have fuses on each circuit.

 

[oldogre]

I am getting a better understanding, I wish they would have explained it to me months ago though. Now I can focus on battery. I always thought I would eventually upgrade controller, also add a 100 watts that would be able to placed in sun for shade parking.

 

[akrvbob]

It's part of the "features" race every market segment is going through. They keep offering more and more obscure feature to get a longer list. As far as I'm concerned most if it is silly and only adds complications for no real gain.

Running power directly off the controller fits into that in my opinion. I'd never recommend it and it not working is probably a good thing.

However, that doesn't reduce your legitimate complaint that they promised it and it isn't there. Bottom line is they aren't perfect and they messed up.

You still have a very good product at a very good price, but that one thing can sure leave a bad taste in your mouth--I think we have all experienced that!
Bob

 

[Seraphim]

To be fair?  To be fair I did by it from renogy, this is the first honest answer I have gotten from them even after contacting tech support on several occasions, also this is marketed to and this is quote from ad Description
New to solar? This Starter Kit is the perfect kit for someone who wants to begin utilizing solar energy for their off-grid adventures. Two of Renogy 100W Monocrystalline Solar Panels, one 30A PWM Charge Controller, one 20Ft MC4 Adaptor Kit, two sets of Z-brackets, and a pair of branch connectors are all included in this specialized kit. The only thing missing to complete your system is a tray cable to connect to your battery. This kit is the perfect introduction to solar! 
     Well it is the perfect kit if you are new to solar and do not know any better and you didn't mention in your allegiance to renogy that the products advertised feature's are not fully usable because of the type of controller it is, but that does not stop them from using as a selling point, even though my hard earned money paid for all the advertised features and assumed them usable, maybe this post is narrow minded but I think we both used equall discernment when we posted it.  Just sayin :angel:

The RV kits come with negative ground controllers; if you don't use a ground for solar, though, it's a non-issue. Both cables direct from the panels to the controller. No ground used. Renogy was also great about swapping controllers when I wanted an mppt instead of the PMW I received. Have you asked them to make a swap for you?

 

[Seraphim]

And what Bella said: I knew nothing about solar either, but that didn't stop me from fully researching the topic before I bought, nor fully researching their products either. It's why I bought the RV kit...it even came with battery tray cables.

 

[oldogre]

It's part of the "features" race every market segment is going through. They keep offering more and more obscure feature to get a longer list. As far as I'm concerned most if it is silly and only adds complications for no real gain.

Running power directly off the controller fits into that in my opinion. I'd never recommend it and it not working is probably a good thing.

However, that doesn't reduce your legitimate complaint that they promised it and it isn't there. Bottom line is they aren't perfect and they messed up.

You still have a very good product at a very good price, but that one thing can sure leave a bad taste in your mouth--I think we have all experienced that!
Bob

Yep you are right, just a little foreign to my understanding, just want to do it right and be secure in it. my best friend will be in there sometimes when I would have to run for something, but only if really necesary, so rather err on safety, I can replace a trailer.

Also thank you for everyone's input that I have received through this forum, thanks to you and all that participate, and not spanking me too hard, LOL.

 

[Renogy]

Yep you are right, just a little foreign to my understanding, just want to do it right and be secure in it. my best friend will be in there sometimes when I would have to run for something, but only if really necesary, so rather err on safety, I can replace a trailer.

Also thank you for everyone's input that I have received through this forum, thanks to you and all that participate, and not spanking me too hard, LOL.

Dan,
We understand your concerns and appreciate you reaching out to us. We've been thinking long and hard about the gap between consumer knowledge versus our own as solar providers, and our goal over the next few months is to create an educational page to better help our clients wrap their heads around all that is solar so that it will make it easier for them to size a system and figure out exactly what components they want in it.

We'd also would like to point out that like Jo said, we do actually list that the PWM controller that comes with the Starter Kit is a positive ground controller, it's listed in the Please Note portion just beneath the part that you referenced: "Please Note: This is a Positive Ground Charge Controller. If grounding is necessary, it must be completed on the positive line. If the controller is to be used on a vehicle which has battery negative on the chassis, loads connected to the controller must not have an electrical connection to the vehicle body.
If you want to connect this solar system to a negative ground battery bank, you can choose Renogy RV kit or Renogy Premium kit."

If you'd like to check the link, it's here.

All the best,
The Renogy Team