cerro Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 I am looking at 80w monocrystaline solar panels and looking at one in Manchester with free delivery its only £98.99 where as the same panel on other sites is £350 am I missing something any help by anyone with experiance of these cheap panels would be appreciated thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Brought a similar one 18 months ago on eBay was £160 then but recently prices have fallen still cheap compared to £400-£500 asked for branded panels. Now considering getting a second panel. Performance has exceeded expectations works every bit as well as an expensive panel, my total install cost was around £270, I used a Schaudt regulator as it plugged straight into my Elektroblock charger that was about 70 quid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankkia Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 I bought this one last year for £240 delivered from Slovenia :- http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Solar-panel-140W-12V-/221082139138?pt=UK_Gadgets&hash=item337985ba02#ht_1236wt_873 Now look at the price. Excellent panel though and if you have the roof space why not get the extra charge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 I purchased a 90watt unit from Germany earlier in the year. Has worked excellently and I have had no problems. Like the OP I question how companies can advertise panels which appear to provide the same output and yet can be £300+ What are we missing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The escapologist Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 looking to buy min140w solar panel, has anyone tried the oyster sun mover? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankkia Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 Hi Kevin and welcome to the mad house. The Oyster sun mover is rated at 75 watts so you would need 2 of 'em for your requirement of 140 w. - Bit expensive that. It has to be remembered that any of the sun seeking panels require quite a bit of roof real estate for their stated outputs - You could fit a 100 or possibly a 120 w fixed panel in the same area required for 1 of those to turn around. Also you can't use much larger panels than the 75w on the oyster as it would take off in high winds - even the 75 w panel would cause some concern if left up in a high wind. My own (2 x 140w panels) are fitted with hinges so when winter camping can be tilted towards the sun - yes it does make a great deal of difference when the sun is low. All of the power from my panels is available to the batteries whereas some of the power from the motorised types is used to rotate them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The escapologist Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 Hi Bernie, Thanks for your coments, I have only room for one 1200 x 800 panel due to the number of roof vents on this Burstner hence the reason I was looking at oyster as a 75w panel is rated at 225watts. But of course the oyster comes at a high price compared to flat panels. I will need the panel for winter skiing in the Alps so I want to make sure I maximise the space and power. More digging for me I think !!!!! Do you have to park up governed by the sun direction and your panel angles on your roof ?? Kevin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankkia Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 "225 w" - salt and a big pinch I think. Yes it is more efficient to have the panel angled to the sun but you are still also governed by the amount of solar acreage. In the summer I have no need to angle the panels at all as there is sufficient generated in the longer daylight hours and the higher sun. In winter (although we don't go a long way out of our way to do it) we tend to try and get the sun on the door side of the 'van if possible. There are two reasons - 1) to keep the sun off the fridge and 2) should I need to raise the panels they will be facing the sun. As we spend most of our time off hook up in both summer and winter I also carry an extra 60w panel in the garage. This has a long lead and I made a stand for it. On the end of the lead is a plug which can only be plugged in in 1 direction. I fitted a socket in a side locker which is wired to the input side of the regulator. This way I can put the solar panel in direct sunlight - angled correctly and achieve a good boost to the roof mounted panels. In 3 months in Portugal this winter we did not use hook up or generator for charging and were able to run satellite tv, laptop, keyboard (musical), heating and lights as and when we wanted them without any problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
747 Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 In reply to the escapologist, I have a 90 watt freestanding panel. It is not fixed because we wildcamp all year round and need to maximise the panel output. It is kept in the rear garage and slides out of one of the rear locker doors on our Burstner 747. The output is more than double that of a fixed panel in Winter. ps, before the inevitable reply .... we still have it, it has not been nicked. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cerro Posted July 29, 2012 Author Share Posted July 29, 2012 All these replys, Thank you. but no one is answering why I can get a panel for £98.99 on e-bay from Manchester and what seems like the exact same panel on other sites is £350. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankkia Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 'Cos there's no rhyme or reason behind a lot of folks pricing. It could be as these panels are "pre - order" the guy in Manchester is getting a good bulk discount on his purchase from Germany. More or less the same has happened in Germany as here - they have also reduced the tariff so not as many people are buying into solar leaving fitters with large stocks on hand. The solar panels are probably not from the big brand companies who seem to charge a very large premium for their name. I have yet to see any difference between the output or longevity of the named panels verses the unnamed. if it is what you want - go for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 cerro - 2012-07-29 7:40 PM All these replys, Thank you. but no one is answering why I can get a panel for £98.99 on e-bay from Manchester and what seems like the exact same panel on other sites is £350. It could be the same reason you can get cheap Lithium-ion batteries on ebay compared to 'high street' UK dealers. In the case of the later, they are(or should be) made to a high standard. The cheap ones arn't. So what you may ask? Well in the case of the batteries it could be the differance between life and death if your house burns down when the bateries are over/under charged and catch alight, or as happened to some one I know end up in hospital fearing for the loss of eyesight in one eye when a laser illuminator fitted on his rifle scope exploded. I suspect these cheap panels may be the rejects that get sold out the back door of the chinese factories producing them, they may be just a little down on spec and work fine for years or they may be well down and pack up after a couple of years of producing nowhere near spec power, how lucky do you feel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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