Renogy Flexible Solar Panels

[DaveP]

Has anyone installed the new Renogy 100-Watt 12 Volt Black Division Lightweight Monocrystalline Solar Panels? The specs look good and they only weigh 5 lbs. I am thinking of installing them to supplement my 600 watts of portable solar and to be the only solar power when taking longer trips on which we do not boondock. Your thoughts and experience would be appreciated.

[lewster]

Originally Posted by DaveP

Has anyone installed the new Renogy 100-Watt 12 Volt Black Division Lightweight Monocrystalline Solar Panels? The specs look good and they only weigh 5 lbs. I am thinking of installing them to supplement my 600 watts of portable solar and to be the only solar power when taking longer trips on which we do not boondock. Your thoughts and experience would be appreciated.

Hi DaveP,

We have installed just about every type of flex panel in years past. They work well for about 6 monks and then begin to degrade rather quickly. I would estimate that the Renogy flex panels will degrade to beyond usable output in a year or two. Renogy makes a fine panel, but only in their hard panel designs.

[TouringDan]

Originally Posted by lewster

Hi DaveP,



We have installed just about every type of flex panel in years past. They work well for about 6 monks and then begin to degrade rather quickly. I would estimate that the Renogy flex panels will degrade to beyond usable output in a year or two. Renogy makes a fine panel, but only in their hard panel designs.

Thanks for this valuable information Lew.

Dan

[martin300662]

Originally Posted by lewster

Hi DaveP,

We have installed just about every type of flex panel in years past.

Does that include CIGS panels Lewster?

I fully agree 'flexible' and 'monocrystalline' are two words that should not be in the same sentence, but the CIGS are flexible by design and used for military application and there doesn't appear to be the same reported failures?

[ROBERT CROSS]

If you are set on flexible, I'd go for 'marine grade'.

Just one example...do the research.

Bob
🇺🇸

[foobar]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

If you are set on flexible, I'd go for 'marine grade'.



Just one example...do the research.



Bob

I dislike being a contrarian, but Lew has a solid point.

Most quality rigid solar panels have a warranty that guarantees 80% of the original output power for 20-25 years. This guarantee is sometimes provided via a policy with an insurance underwriter since so many solar panel manufacturers go out of business.

But, the warranty on the flexible marine panels that you referenced Robert is... a guarantee of no less than 80% rated power at 1yr. Warranty only covers 4 years in total, prorated.

The flexible products are unfortunately, not even close in terms of longevity.

[DaveP]

I really appreciate everyone's input particularly Lewster with all of his experience.

On the Renogy website, this particular product has a "Performance Warranty: 5 year 95% output warranty, 10 year 90% output warranty, 25 year 80% output warranty". It seems that they are pretty confident in this new technology.

Is there anyone out there that has experience with this exact product? "100 Watt 12 Volt Black Division Lightweight Monocrystalline Solar Panel

Thanks, again.

[foobar]

Originally Posted by DaveP

I really appreciate everyone's input particularly Lewster with all of his experience.



On the Renogy website, this particular product has a "Performance Warranty: 5 year 95% output warranty, 10 year 90% output warranty, 25 year 80% output warranty". It seems that they are pretty confident in this new technology.



Is there anyone out there that has experience with this exact product? "100 Watt 12 Volt Black Division Lightweight Monocrystalline Solar Panel



Thanks, again.

Yes, that is the kind of warranty you want and should expect to see.

Greater than or equal to 80% of the original rated output at 20 years. Some very high quality panels are rated at 80% minimum at 25 years.

[Andrew T]

If you would like a panel that has a cleaner look? Zamp Obsidian panels are very nice and perform great. Its what I have on my own unit. 400 Watts, I almost never plug the Airstream in, only to run the convection part of the microwave.

[howell57]

Only con I’ve heard is longevity. Will Prowse (YouTube) did a segment on them as well as best brands.

[DaveP]

Originally Posted by howell57

Only con I’ve heard is longevity. Will Prowse (YouTube) did a segment on them as well as best brands.

Did Will do the comparison on the Renogy panel I am referencing in this thread?

[PB_NB]

I went with 2 skinny 80W CIGS panels and one larger 190W Mono Panel to fit around the various roof components. it has topped out at about 18 amps. All of this goes into my Victron solar charge controller.

It has about 6 months since I installed them so hopefully they will still work this coming year.

[AKNate]

I have the white Renogy flex panels, not the newest black. It looks like they use the same construction material (ETFE), but have newer, more efficient cells in them.
I have had my panels for four years now and they still look and perform like the day I got them. Flex panels have a bad reputation from the early models that used materials that did degrade quickly and many were poorly installed (you want a ventilation gap under them). Many people keep giving the same recommendations against flex panels year after year based on outdated information. Quality flex panels, like the newer Renogy’s, absolutely do not begin to degrade after only a year and, as was pointed out already, they carry the same 25 year, 80% output warranty as a rigid panel.
I spent a lot of time researching flex panels before I bought mine. I looked into as many flex panel failures as I could all over the internet and satisfied myself that all the root causes of the previous failures would not apply with proper installation of certain newer design panels. There are still plenty of junk flex panels out there that use inappropriate materials, but the Renogy is not one of them. Lumping all flex panels together and saying they are junk and don’t hold up is ridiculous. There are many different materials used in various panels and you need to understand what those materials are. ETFE for one has a long track record in outdoor applications and performs better than glass for solar applications.
I’ve had my panels in all conditions, from freezing and snow to Phoenix during heat warnings, from high UV camping for months in the Rockies (many places over 10,000 ft) to the salt air of the Keys and they have performed flawlessly and not degraded in any way. We spend about half of each year on the road, so they haven’t just been sitting in covered storage.
The panels you’re looking at have a higher efficiency than mine, so they are smaller for the same output, so you can fit more on your roof, which is always a plus. I’m not crazy about them making the non-cell areas black though. I prefer to have as little black on my roof as possible to keep the inside of the camper cooler. It’s a small amount of area though, so I guess it doesn’t matter that much. If I had the choice to make over today I would probably pick the panels you’re looking at (they didn’t have those when I got mine) because with the smaller footprint I could fit more of them. If not them I’d get the same ones I did, just because they’re white. Based on my experience with flex panels I would now never even consider rigid panels for an Airstream. They are heavier, bulkier, uglier, less aerodynamic, less efficient, not self cleaning, and harder to mount. For durability I see no difference. Rigid is definitely cheaper, but nobody ever bought an airstream because it was cheapest.
Anyway, that’s my opinion. There’s obviously people with the opposite opinion, but I question how recent and specific the facts are upon which those opinions are based. I’ve only had my panels four years, so maybe at five they somehow self-destruct, but I’ve seen zero indication of that happening and don’t expect them to.

[DaveP]

AKNate,

Thank you very much for responding with specific Renogy flex panel experience. That is exactly what I wanted.

I have been doing a lot of research this weekend. Flex panel installers like Brian Tito point out that you must have some ventilation underneath them and have some great ideas on how to do that.

As I mentioned in my first post, I already have 600 watts of Renogy solar suitcases that I take with me when I boondock which is most of our camping in the Colorado Rockies. I want to put another 200 watts on my roof so that I have some solar for trips when we are not boondocking and want to leave the suitcases at home (since they are pretty heavy/bulky). At 5 lbs each, these flex panels look like just the ticket, and I have plenty of overhead in my two Victron solar chargers to install them without much additional cost.

[AKNate]

I have a post in this thread showing how I mounted mine.

[GMFL]

I’m not a fan of the flex panels for the same reason LEW stated. They degrade quickly and offer no real advantage over rigid panels. Also flex panels can trap moisture underneath themselves and cause further damage.

[gandttimes]

Originally Posted by GMFL

I’m not a fan of the flex panels for the same reason LEW stated. They degrade quickly and offer no real advantage over rigid panels. Also flex panels can trap moisture underneath themselves and cause further damage.

So, in answer to the question that the OP asked.
No, I have no experience, just opinions.
Helpful. Not.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by gandttimes

So, in answer to the question that the OP asked.
No, I have no experience, just opinions.
Helpful. Not.

"Opinions are all about....meme, not UU".
RLC


Bob
🇺🇸

[field & stream]

I am following this thread with interest and am hoping that more members (especially the professionals) will comment on the OP’s specific request for experience with the new Renogy flexible panels. I have held off installing flexible panels due to the knowledge that older flexible panels did not hold up over time — the open question is these new ones.

Respectfully, I disagree that there are no significant advantages. Feel free to call me superficial, but they are way better looking than the clunky rigid panels. Airstream roofs already resemble a Home Depot parking lot sale and I have no interest in adding to the problem!

[DaveP]

field & stream,

They are also significantly lighter than most rigid panels (at approximately 1/3 the weight at 5 lbs.), hence my interest. I see this as their major advantage.

I am still collecting information, but I am getting close to pulling the trigger.