Best Quality Solar Panels & Solar Controllers to use | Opinions Wanted

[arodriguez60]

Has anyone else tried Rogue Technologies? They are in Ashland Oregon. I've had luck with them, also good tech support

[McArthur]

I've had great results with Renogy panels and controllers. I've installed them on my house, my shop, my '82 Excella 34' and several other installations. I've never had a failure and Renogy has great tech support. If you plan to DIY, you can buy a three or four panel kit on Amazon for well under $500. I just buy their MPPT controller separately because they are a lot more efficient than the PWM controllers that come with the kits.

The instruction manual that comes with their MPPT controller is a lesson in solar power. There are easy to understand wiring instructions that make installation simple for anyone. Basically you run positive and negative wiring from your battery bank to the controller and then connect the two wires from the panels. That's it. Anyone can do it. Their 40 amp controller will easily handle four 100 watt panels.

I have no connection to Renogy other than being a very happy customer.

[BoldAdventure]

Just a note, while many have good experience with AMSolar, they are just a reseller/installer. They don't make anything. So it would be good to not confuse people by mentioning installers/resellers and stick to brands only.

Originally Posted by KJRitchie

As regards to quality of solar panels aren't most manufactured in Asia.

Yes/No - Panels are a lot like LCD TV's. A few companies make the solar cells, those are the black squares on the panel. And then a larger number of companies connect these into panels. Some do it here in the states, some do it overseas.

I found a half way ok video about High Tech Solar and how they buy the cells and make panels here in the US, if you want to learn more about that. (Do yourself the favor and fast forward to the 1 minute and 55 second mark to get to that)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90zt7yfsRKU?t=1m55s

The GS100 Panels for example that AMSolar sells, those are made by Grape Solar, but the cells in the panel are made by a company called SunPower which makes some of the most efficient cells on the market. There are also components in the panels that make some panels more efficient than others.

What spawned all this discussion was a question from a guy who found these high watt panels for super cheap, but the VMP and IMP seemed really close to the GS100 panels, and had me and another friend scratching our heads.

[arodriguez60]

rogue is a manufacturer of solar controllers. They are not widely known ,American made.http://www.roguepowertech.com/index.htm

[KJRitchie]

I went to the Grape Solar website and their only monocrystalline panel close to 100w is 105w and it is about 5" wider than AMSolar's GS100. I guess AMSolar's GS100 is custom made and not available from other Grape Solar resellers. Grape Solar has a 100w Polycrystalline panel but its dimensions don't match the SF100 size at AMSolar.

Kelvin

[airdreamers]

Originally Posted by Siegmann

I can attest to long-term flawless performance of the Blue Sky system at my off-the-grid cabin. In addition to the above comments, it has treated my battery bank very well.

I agree, Blue Sky flawless so far, 2 years.

[mefly2]

Although not in the same output category, GoalZero portable / folding works well for us ...

[BoldAdventure]

You are correct, the GS series were custom made. That's why they don't have the 135's anymore either. I do not know if the SF is made by Grape though. Lew might know. I do know the GS is Grape Solar since that's the sticker on the back of all my panels.

For some reason, Grape Solar seems to always have more discounted panels than others. Not sure what that is about. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[BigAl]

I installed an American made mppt charge controller made by Intronics. Has worked very well for me for a couple of years now.
Al

[lewster]

Originally Posted by BoldAdventure

You are correct, the GS series were custom made. That's why they don't have the 135's anymore either. I do not know if the SF is made by Grape though. Lew might know. I do know the GS is Grape Solar since that's the sticker on the back of all my panels.

For some reason, Grape Solar seems to always have more discounted panels than others. Not sure what that is about. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Greg Holder designed the panels and sourced the Sun Power cells that Grape Solar used in the GS-100 and GS-135 modules. Prior to that, Grape only dealt in the residential market. What was to be an AM Solar exclusive soon began showing up at Hope Depot, Amazon, etc. Sort of a sellout I would think. They both have been discontinued since Sun Power has stopped making the high efficiency cells. These cells required a back-contact assembly process which was also more expensive to apply so that no silver wiring is visible across the cell faces. The few remaining pallets of GS-100 panels are now available only in Springfield from AM Solar.

AM Solar's new SF series panels are mono-crystalline as well, but utilize regular high efficiency cells (NOT Sun Power), which is why the SF-100 is larger than the GS-100. In any event, AM Solar is having both panels custom manufactured for them exclusively in the Orient (NOT China!). You will not see these in Home Depot or on Amazon.

[BoldAdventure]

Good information. I have noticed that my GS100 is smaller compared to a friends Renogy 100 and weights less. I do like the smaller size and weight while still getting the same performance if not better.

I'd be biased if I didn't say I think they should make the SF panels with black trim. It looks better IMO on the roof the Airstream. But that's just me.

[Bigventure]

I have used Go Power equipment on my last two trailers. It all worked as designed. I don't have any experience with other brands. But, I likeGo Power by Carmanah. There web site is just as good as others. With lots of free info.

[switz]

The AM Solar GS-100 panel size (nominally 20 x 40) is what allowed us to mount five on the roof of the 23D and nine (or ten if it will fit when we try that in May) on the roof of the Classic.

We have a Magnum MS-2800 in the Classic with a 600 amp-hour AM Solar lithium battery and a MSH-3000 in the 23D with a 300 amp-hour AM Solar lithium battery. We are using the Magnum ARC-50 control head for both systems.

We are using the Morningstar TriStar 60 MPPT controller in the Classic with it's remote control display and the Blue Sky 3024iL MPPT controller in the 23D with it's IPN Pro Remote.

So far both systems have performed well. We will be attending our first rally with the 23D this weekend which will the first real test off all the systems.

[0557]

I wonder if it's worth using my old but
Immaculate Trace SW 4024 in my AS
With the new lithiums?
I hate just letting it sit around in the weatherproof container I mounted it in. The battery disconnect panel I still
Intact as well.

Maybe Lew cold advise on this.

[lewster]

Originally Posted by 0557

I wonder if it's worth using my old but
Immaculate Trace SW 4024 in my AS
With the new lithiums?
I hate just letting it sit around in the weatherproof container I mounted it in. The battery disconnect panel I still
Intact as well.

Maybe Lew cold advise on this.

At 24VDC, it won't be able to properly power anything in your rig. You would also need your batteries to be in series for a 24VDC bank. You could get a 24VDC to 12VDC power converter to provide for the 12VDC that you need from a 24VDC bank, but the expense wold be rather large for a quality unit.

[J. Morgan]

Originally Posted by lewster

As an American small business who has first hand experience with the decimation of our economy by foreign (mostly Chinese) garbage that floods the markets that many in this country buy strictly on a price basis, many products that are made here get a favored spot in my world, AS LONG AS THEY PERFORM AS REQUIRED. Anyone who has a basic understanding of economics will realize the benefits of buying and using products that are made here by US owned companies.
.

BOOM!!

Yep, me too!


Brevi tempore!

[Patman]

I've installed 150W of Renogy panels (100W and a 50W in parallel) using the factory prewire into Renogy's 20A MPPT controller going into the 2 stock group 24 batteries. I acquired all the components from Amazon, with the exception of a home built all-weather electrical combiner box with parts from Home Depot and sealed up Sikaflex 221. I attached the panels with Renogy's Z brackets with a single screw per anchor point and Sikaflex 221. I do not currently have a battery monitor (it's on my list).

I did the install myself, and compared to some of the packages I've seen from vendors, this ended up being very inexpensive. It's not a perfect system, but it seems to be doing the job of keeping the batteries charged (enough) when sitting in the use mode. The battery voltage is 12.6-12.7 at night, and that is using some lights and the usual parasitic draws.

Pros:
- inexpensive
- relatively easy install using the prewire

Cons:
- Z brackets do not have the capability to tilt, so my panels are 'flat' on the roof permanently
- the MTTP controller (with remote display option) isn't terribly useful - all I can really get from it is input charge voltage and amps being output on the battery side.
- one of the battery terminals broke off the circuit board at install time - customer service was great and offered to replace it, but I was able to just pick up a longer terminal screw and work around the problem so I didn't bother sending it back.
- the panels weigh more than some others
- Doing the install yourself, it's always scary putting holes in your trailer (for the screws as well as for pulling the solar wires up through the roof). Be sure to use grommets!


All in all, I'm satisfied enough with the install. I do have a Renogy 100W suitcase module as well, but don't bother taking it as we don't really boondock much. I am interested in either getting a decent battery monitor solution or replacing the charge controller with a solar charger/battery monitor unit.

If I had a larger trailer and could fit more panels on the roof, I would upgrade the wiring. In my case, I didn't think it was worth it since I'm out of real estate on the small 19' roof.

[0557]

Originally Posted by lewster

At 24VDC, it won't be able to properly power anything in your rig. You would also need your batteries to be in series for a 24VDC bank. You could get a 24VDC to 12VDC power converter to provide for the 12VDC that you need from a 24VDC bank, but the expense wold be rather large for a quality unit.

At one time I had 8 Rolls Surette L16
Powering the house in a residential
Setting. But that was a long time ago.
I have considered a 24-12 converter.
That wouldn't be very expensive would it?
Also, can it use AM solar lithiums ok?

[lewster]

You can wire lithiums into a 24 VDC configuration with no problem. The issue might be the ability to custom program the charger section of the inverter to the constant current/constant voltage specifications.

New unit have no issues but older ones might.


Lew Farber
RVIA/RVDA Nationally Certified Master Tech
ABYC Certified Master Marine Electrician
Master Tech Energy Systems, Inc.
AM Solar Certified Installation Center*AMS Lithium Batteries
Lifeline AGM Batteries**Magnum Inverters
541-490-6357

[0557]

Originally Posted by lewster

You can wire lithiums into a 24 VDC configuration with no problem. The issue might be the ability to custom program the charger section of the inverter to the constant current/constant voltage specifications.

New unit have no issues but older ones might.


Lew Farber
RVIA/RVDA Nationally Certified Master Tech
ABYC Certified Master Marine Electrician
Master Tech Energy Systems, Inc.
AM Solar Certified Installation Center*AMS Lithium Batteries
Lifeline AGM Batteries**Magnum Inverters
541-490-6357

Ok thanks