Fold-able, packable 100w solar panel recommendations?
- Thread starter Martinjmpr
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pdxfrogdog
Adventurer
A foldable, deployable solar solution (100W Renogy) has worked out well for me... with a little re-wiring. More on that in a bit.
My first instinct was to hard mount, but that goes contrary to a few realities: 1) I like to park in the shade 2) I only have large energy consumers (fridge, etc) in my rig when it's loaded out for a trip 3) A flat mounted panel can be less effective than a solar suitcase that can be moved and re-directed several times a day for optimal solar. Sure this can be offset with larger panel(s), but I do prefer to use my roof rack for gear rather then cover it in heavy glass panels.
I have the original Renogy model and got it on sale for just over $250. They seem to be a little harder to get as the company is now pushing their somewhat lighter and more efficient (and more $$) eclipse suitcase. The achilles heal for all these systems (IMO) is the solar controller being attached to the panels, thus the need to keep the run of wire shorter between controller and house battery. I think the Renogy system only included about 15-18ft. Thus I was always struggling to keep it in the sun on a short leash.
The configuration I settled on is to re-wire the suitcase so I could bypass the built-in controller and use an MPPT controller I mounted near my house battery. I purchased 100FT of inexpensive wire from home depot (suitable for garden lights) and created pigtails from the panel and solar controller using MC4 connectors. Now, if I'm using the suitcase, I can connect the long cable direct to the panel and MPPT controller and not have any issues with voltage loss. If a friend needs to use it or if something goes wrong with my on-board controller I can quick connect the suitcase's controller and use that with a shorter lead. Obviously I've spent over $300 on this solution, but it was over the course of a couple years and leaves me with quite a bit of flexibility. Works for me, anyway.
My first instinct was to hard mount, but that goes contrary to a few realities: 1) I like to park in the shade 2) I only have large energy consumers (fridge, etc) in my rig when it's loaded out for a trip 3) A flat mounted panel can be less effective than a solar suitcase that can be moved and re-directed several times a day for optimal solar. Sure this can be offset with larger panel(s), but I do prefer to use my roof rack for gear rather then cover it in heavy glass panels.
I have the original Renogy model and got it on sale for just over $250. They seem to be a little harder to get as the company is now pushing their somewhat lighter and more efficient (and more $$) eclipse suitcase. The achilles heal for all these systems (IMO) is the solar controller being attached to the panels, thus the need to keep the run of wire shorter between controller and house battery. I think the Renogy system only included about 15-18ft. Thus I was always struggling to keep it in the sun on a short leash.
The configuration I settled on is to re-wire the suitcase so I could bypass the built-in controller and use an MPPT controller I mounted near my house battery. I purchased 100FT of inexpensive wire from home depot (suitable for garden lights) and created pigtails from the panel and solar controller using MC4 connectors. Now, if I'm using the suitcase, I can connect the long cable direct to the panel and MPPT controller and not have any issues with voltage loss. If a friend needs to use it or if something goes wrong with my on-board controller I can quick connect the suitcase's controller and use that with a shorter lead. Obviously I've spent over $300 on this solution, but it was over the course of a couple years and leaves me with quite a bit of flexibility. Works for me, anyway.
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Corey
OverCamping Specialist
I have that one too from 2009 via Adventure Trailers.
It is for my starting battery only.
goomashoom
New member
Java - Thank you for the pictures of your new MOHOO 100w panel! I can't wait to see the results of your testing. As I mull over the Mohoo panel vs. the Renogy Eclipse 100w suitcase, I wonder how one could aim the MOHOO panel at the sun? I was thinking that a book stand might work. What do you think?
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B005IV6U0U
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B005IV6U0U
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java
Expedition Leader
Not sure that would quite hold it, depends how big it is. I was thinking on the windshield.
goomashoom
New member
You're right, it doesn't quite hold it. Back to the drawing board.
I bought the "Upgraded Sunpower Solar Panel 5.5A 18V 100W Portable Foldable Solar Panel Charger for Outdoors" for $169.99.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B071YP7X4F
In the picture, you can see the new panel on the right. My old "binder" style panel is on the left.
I took the panel out of the garage, put it on my roof rack, connected it to my MPPT charge controller, and got 4.60 amps. At 12.17 volts, that's only 56 watts. Can someone with more knowledge explain to me what's going on? Shouldn't it be closer to 100 watts?
- Kent
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java
Expedition Leader
How directly over head was the sun? Clouds?
Mfg's are known to grossly over rate their panels....
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goomashoom
New member
Mid-day sun in the San Francisco Bay Area, June 19, 2017. The sun was directly overhead. The battery was down to approx 75% charge, so maybe that has something to do with it?
java
Expedition Leader
What brand is the solar controller, some cheap MPPT ones are truly not....
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goomashoom
New member
Book stand doesn't quite work as planned
The book stand by itself did not work at all as the panel is too big. I used a piece of folded cardboard to support the panel, and it worked in a dead calm. Everything tipped over whenever a slight breeze blew.
A plastic footstool did the trick, but that's not a very elegant or portable solution. Back to the drawing board.
In the late afternoon sun, moving the panel from my roof rack to my makeshift book stand contraption added ~1 amp of current to the output.
The solar charge controller is the ECO-WORTHY 20A 12V/24V MPPT Solar Charge Controller ($99.99 on Amazon). I purchased it based on several positive long-term reviews on Youtube.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FF1KGT4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgWAa7dmn98&t=20s
I don't know for a fact that this Eco-Worthy controller is better than my cheap old PWM controller as I never did a back-to-back comparison before I sold the latter. My seat-of-the-pants assessment is that it's a definite improvement.
The book stand by itself did not work at all as the panel is too big. I used a piece of folded cardboard to support the panel, and it worked in a dead calm. Everything tipped over whenever a slight breeze blew.
A plastic footstool did the trick, but that's not a very elegant or portable solution. Back to the drawing board.
In the late afternoon sun, moving the panel from my roof rack to my makeshift book stand contraption added ~1 amp of current to the output.
The solar charge controller is the ECO-WORTHY 20A 12V/24V MPPT Solar Charge Controller ($99.99 on Amazon). I purchased it based on several positive long-term reviews on Youtube.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FF1KGT4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgWAa7dmn98&t=20s
I don't know for a fact that this Eco-Worthy controller is better than my cheap old PWM controller as I never did a back-to-back comparison before I sold the latter. My seat-of-the-pants assessment is that it's a definite improvement.
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dwh
Tail-End Charlie
First, panel temp. The hotter they get, the less they put out. MPPT doesn't change that, it just sqeezes out the max of whatever the PV is capable of at X temp and Y sunlight.
Second, battery at a high enough state of charge that it is resisting. That's lead-acid for you - the closer they get to 100%, the more they resist. That's why it's always that last 10%-20% that takes the longest.
Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
Whoops, almost forgot I started this thread. 
.
So I got the HQST 100w panel from Amazon:
.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XWL79L7/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
.
Used it twice on a couple of campouts. Seems to work OK, only "issues" are (a) right now it uses alligator clips to attach to the battery, which means I have to take the cover off the battery box in order to hook it up. The T@B is already set up with an SAE plug on the side of the propane cover that is wired to the battery so what I need to do is get some wire and make a cable with an SAE plug so I can just plug-and-play. Also (b) the power controller is attached to the back of the solar panel with really cheap Velcro that almost immediately fell off, leaving the controller dangling from the solar panel wire. This will be fixed, most likely with 3m heavy duty mounting tape.
.
But the panel itself seemed to work fine and while I didn't measure the amperage, it provided plenty of power to keep the T@B's deep cycle battery charged up over a hot weekend - although I would point out that I was NOT using the refrigerator on the trailer, since we were using the one in the truck.
.
This past weekend I did use the fridge a bit and the panel seemed to work OK (although I was hampered by the fact that we were camped in a wooded area and I struggled to find a good location for the panel that would get good sunlight.) Next campout we will have shore power but after that, we have 6 more that will be "dry" so the solar panel should get a good workout.
.
So I got the HQST 100w panel from Amazon:
.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XWL79L7/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
.
Used it twice on a couple of campouts. Seems to work OK, only "issues" are (a) right now it uses alligator clips to attach to the battery, which means I have to take the cover off the battery box in order to hook it up. The T@B is already set up with an SAE plug on the side of the propane cover that is wired to the battery so what I need to do is get some wire and make a cable with an SAE plug so I can just plug-and-play. Also (b) the power controller is attached to the back of the solar panel with really cheap Velcro that almost immediately fell off, leaving the controller dangling from the solar panel wire. This will be fixed, most likely with 3m heavy duty mounting tape.
.
But the panel itself seemed to work fine and while I didn't measure the amperage, it provided plenty of power to keep the T@B's deep cycle battery charged up over a hot weekend - although I would point out that I was NOT using the refrigerator on the trailer, since we were using the one in the truck.
.
This past weekend I did use the fridge a bit and the panel seemed to work OK (although I was hampered by the fact that we were camped in a wooded area and I struggled to find a good location for the panel that would get good sunlight.) Next campout we will have shore power but after that, we have 6 more that will be "dry" so the solar panel should get a good workout.
I have the MOHOO one linked above, folds very small. Have not used it to test output yet.
That looks like what I need!
Any experience with it yet? It doesn't seem to be on Amazon anymore though.
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Hi Kent,
How have you liked the Eco Worthy controller? Is it really worth the extra money over pwm?
Thanks!
Steve
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