baden87 Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 What is the best 100watt solar panel for self fitting , Any recommendations and ones to avoid ? Thanks guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veletron Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 They are all much the same IMHO. You can pay silly money for panels that claim to be 1% more efficient than the others, but all too often what you see on paper does not work out in the real world - and the extra money is often best spent on a larger panel. 100W great for summer touring, but I would do bigger if you use the van off-grid in the winter and want the panel to work in winter also. You'll be very lucky to get 5W from a 100W panel on an overcast winters day. Look on amazon and ebay as the various kits. Re kits, the panels generally OK, ditto the mounting feet, but for any more than 100W you'll want more than just corner mounts. Look at the quality of the cables - they should be proper double insulated solar cables with solar connectors rather than bits of figure-8 red/black. The regulators with kits are usually bargain basement, the further north, and the further from mid-summer you wish to use the system, the more advantage you'll see from an MPPT regulator vs basic PWM. Check for regulators with a secondary output for charging cab battery if you leave van laid up for any period. Look at the entry gland they supply, the better ones are those with 2 cable entries (one for positive one for negative - as the glands are designed to seal a circular cable rather than two cables next to one another (if you go the latter route, you'll need to sika the cable entry as well). Check the kit comes with glue for fixing purposes - sikaflex 512 generally. Mono crystaline panels slightly more efficient than polycrystaline, mono has the square cells with the 'diamonds' in the middle, poly more oblong cells. Dont rule out poly though if you can get a good deal on a poly panel. For the controller, try and get one with a display on it (STECCA do some good PWM controllers with displays) - this will tell you what you are getting from the panel. Better still... buy a NASA BM1 (£100), and then just use a cheapo solar controller. The NASA BM1 has an AH counter, state of charge guage (that takes into account load/charge) and shows charge/discharge currents too. You program it with the capacity of your battery bank. As for fitting a BM1 - drivers/passengers side above upper front seatbelt mount - big void behind here, passenger can see display on the move, and easy to get cable into a seat box in a half-dinette layout. The BM1 will also report currents from alternator and mains hookup charging. http://www.photonicuniverse.com worth a look, esp: http://www.photonicuniverse.com/en/catalog/full/123-120W-12V-dual-battery-solar-charging-kit-German-BOSCH-solar-cells-with-10A-controller-mounting-brackets-and-cables.html - falirly poor quality gland though - I prefer the ones with a nice big flange that will take a good bead of sika. Or: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Solar-panel-100W-motorhome-caravan/dp/B00HT26MFY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1465385700&sr=8-1&keywords=100W+solar+panel+kit+motorhome - but note the single-entry gland. Neat self-feet on this - but if you sika it to the roof, getting under it to remove grime is gonna be an issue. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100W-12V-battery-solar-charging-kit-100-watt-panel-Caravans-Boats-Motor-Homes-Pv-/281432732362?hash=item4186b2b2ca:g:n40AAOSw7NNUCzt5 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/100W-12V-dual-battery-solar-charging-kit-100-watt-panel-camper-motorhome-boat-/121724968448?hash=item1c575f9e00:g:yS0AAOSw9N1VxS53 (photonic universe again, but on fleabay) You can also get some very neat Alu end feet for the panel, more expensive though - and you cant generally see the roof anyway! In general, you'll be paying 3x the value of the panel and fitting kit to have a motorhome dealer fit something vs you DIYing it. If considering say 160W, buying 2x80W connecting them in series and then using an MPPT controller is the way to go - you'll get more juice from this arrangement in overcast/winter conditions, but the MPPT controller is a must when connecting multiple panels in series. When fitting multiple panels - for series connection, panel currents must match, for parallel connection panel voltages must match. For best results use identical panels! The most difficult bit re panel installation is getting the cables into the van - just check and double-check and drill a pilot hole first. You may be able to get cable into van without drilling the roof - eg it might be poss to come in (eg drill) through the side of a skylight and feed cables above van ceiling and down a wall panel. I just drilled both the vans I have fitted panels to, but a friend with an Adria got the cable in through the side of the toilet skylight. Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baden87 Posted June 8, 2016 Author Share Posted June 8, 2016 Wow that's absolutely the info I needed thanks so much ,you are a star Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete-B Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Road Pro's NDS panels. A really good product at a good price, they come complete with a decent size cable and aero feet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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