Newbie To Solar Panels Thread

Wanderlost Overland

Wanderlost Overland

Adventurist
Solar panel recommendations welcome!

I ran a search and all I found was a few old threads. I'm sure technology and availability has changed since then, so here's another post on "what's the best" solar panel. :)

We're in the very early stage of researching them so we would greatly appreciate any help you can give us that would steer us down the right path. Turns out there's a much larger selection out there then we initially thought, most are ridiculously cheap too (price & quality). The panel would be used in camp to help keep our secondary battery charged up as much as possible when the vehicle isn't running. We don't want to spend a huge amount but are willing to invest in a reliable, properly functioning panel.

Here's what we're looking for:

# 150w preferred(?) but a little less would be fine as long as it's TRUE output. I'm learning many panels are rated much higher than they really are.

# Portable, foldable, compact, and light. I like foldable over rolled. It would store better for us. Not a big fan of glass either. With our luck and abuse of equipment it would be shattered in no time.

# No controller needed. We'll be plugging it directly into our Redarc DC-DC charger with built in solar controller. If it should happen to come with an inexpensive charger we could always use that in our camper wiring.


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BlkWgn said:
It is not cheap, but Overland Solar has been around for a while making quality stuff. This year at overland expo I was looking at their bugout 120 folding panel and was pretty impressed. Compact, folding design and seemed to be very well built. https://overlandsolar.com/collectio...products/120-watt-nylon-folding-solar-charger
Click to expand...

I second this. I've had my Overland Solar kit for going on 5 years now. It's a 150 watt folding 3 panel in a zippered padded case. Very awesome panel. If you dont see what you want on his site then email him and he can help you out. Very knowledgeable and customer oriented.
 
I like & use Renogy, 30 amp Adventurer Charge Controller, w\15ft 10awg cable, 100watt Renogy portable suitcase monocrystalline solar panel, 125ah VMax Tank AGM battery
 
Overland Solar uses SunPower panels. I put together my own system using 3 SunPower 50W, and Renogy Voyager 20A and cables. I got lucky though and I found the panels for about $100 when they normally go for about $140. If it wasn't for that lucky find buying Overland Solar would have been, without a doubt, the lower cost option and far more convenient. Even so. As it stands I think I came in a little over.

It's the little things that add up when you make your own. e.g. How are you going to carry the panels and protect them during transport? I found an artist's portfolio case that was the right size for the panels but it was $55. Now the same one is listed at $90 on Amazon. I had some 1/8" fiberglass rod to make the stands. Even though it was leftover there's still a cost that I'm not adding in.

Sure I get to say "This is mine. No one else has one" and that appeals to me. I like to build stuff. But sometimes it's a heck of a lot easier, less costly, and a lot less hassle to open a box, unpack it, and be done then making your one off. :)

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I've got the 120 foldable from Overland Solar, and I'm very happy with it so far. My only complaint is that its a handful to prop up and angle towards the sun. You will get much better results if you work out some way to set it up and angle it similar to Greg's photo above. Also get a looong cable to get the panels out in the sun while you park in the shade. I like the form factor of the foldable (I have put in in my checked bag and flown with it), but if I had a little more room, then a suitcase panel would probably be easier to use.

Dave Muensterman at Turtleback is shipping trailers with both a Redarc DC-DC and a separate solar controller. He told me that the Redarc MPPT controller needs a minimum voltage from the panel to start charging (Redarc says 17.5+/- to start up, I think it will go lower once it has started), and not all 12v nominal panels will reliably get that for you. The implication was that he wasn't satisfied with the reliability of a setup based on the Redarc MPPT and random, off-the shelf panels. I called Overland Solar, and they assured me their foldable would work, but I haven't tried it yet. I have observed situations in which it was below 17v. In most of those, the output was so low that I wouldn't be losing much anyway, but it's something to think about.

I have since learned that all MPPT controllers need a little higher voltage to work efficiently. It is the headroom between what the battery needs and what the panel is providing that allows them to regulate more efficiently than PWM controllers. The Overland Solar panel comes with a PWM controller that is very robust and seems to charge just as well as the MPPT I added later. I added a Victron MPPT controller just to get the bluetooth monitoring, and the foldable 120W panel runs it fine. I haven't tried it on a Redarc yet, but have plans to in the future.

The panel's rating is the peak output, in peak sun, at precisely the right angle, etc.... You will probably never see it in real life, and you certainly can't count on seeing it for any length of time. I think the peak I have seen from my 120W panel is about 80 watts for a few minutes. Usually its closer to 60 in average sun. I figure that the best you will average is about 60% of the rated capacity over the course of a sunny day with angled panels, but I haven't spent enough time in one spot all day to verify that. If you need close to 150W to recharge, then you may want somewhere closer to 270W in panels. More panels will also give you some wiggle room on aiming and angling, etc...

A good 120W panel and a Group 31 battery will run an 50L fridge almost indefinitely in my part of the country (Southeast).
 
Another vote for Overland Solar. I have one of their older 150W tri-folds. Charges my Odyssey G34 battery in about 2 hours after a 24hr discharge or about 3 hours after a 48hr discharge. I've been tempted to break it apart and put one of the 50w panels on the roof and keep the other two as a 100w portable bi-fold. Just need an onboard charge controller and to add my 2nd battery into the system.
 
I run the Overland Solar 120 watt foldable panel and added the Victron MPPT controller, I like the Bluetooth feature. With that being said when I built my daughters 4 Runner she had the funding of a young adult (low funds) and we went with the Renogy 100 watt panel and PWM controller one group 31 battery. She lived in the 4 Runner for 5 months continuously with out issue. That 100 panel supported a ARB fridge, Victron pure sign wave 400 watt inverter and numerous LED lights with no issues.

Link to the 4 Runner build.
https://americanadventurist.com/forum/threads/wayward_skye’s-third-gen-4-runner-build.5406/page-3
 
Have a look at Merlin Solar XP160 and XP80 at 4thdsolar.com. These are light weight, strong, and rugged period (military/space).
4thDSolar is a spinoff of Conqueror NA.
I purchased a XP80 to replace existing Renogy 100 watt suitcase.
 
You did not mention what your power requirements are.

I run a Renogy 100w suitcase with their Rover 20a mppt, with a 100ah group 31 AGM. Fits my needs fine. I power an ARB63 and plenty of LED lights, tablet/phone/ camera batts/ fan/ etc. My batt is back to 100% after a couple hrs of early morning sun. Some mornings by 8-9am.

First thing to do on sizing a system is figure out what your total amp draw will be on any given day and go from there.
For instance ARB claims 2.3 amps per hour. Of course the compressor is not running continuously as it cycles...

For my needs I reposition the panel a few times per day to track the sun. If I'm leaving for the day I try to estimate the midday to late afternoon hour of the sun and tilt the panel that direction. I also use a 50-100’ extension of 10awg to extend my range out of (a shaded campsite) for instance.I also crank down the fridge temp in the day and raise it In the evening. I try to take advantage of the solar while it is there, colder beer lol. With the 20a controller I have the ability to add another 200w of panels if needed and gives me the option of a nice size inverter addition. Total invested without the battery is about $400 including the 100’ of extension.

If I had to do it over I’d probably go with Victron due to their Bluetooth is much better than Renogy. Using a panel with a built in controller could complicate things if you ever need to increase your set up.
The Expedition Portal forum is an excellent source for information.

Edit- I’d be wary of using the dc2dc unit as your controller, except maybe with a 10w trickle charger for non use periods.
I have a CTEK d250s in my system and as I understand you may not realize the full potential of your solar setup with a dc2dc unit. But that’s a 3 hour argument...
 
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