cheap 80watt solar panels

They are polycrystalline and work best in direct sun rather than the mono crystalline that work in daylight. They also tend to be 2-3 times the weight. You are better off spend £80 for mono panels.
 
frontslide said:
How do you wire the solar panel in to your system?
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It's very simple; you buy a controller (around 30 quid) connect it to the battery (2 wires pos & neg) and then connect it to the solar panel(s) with another 2 wires (again pos & neg). If more than one panel, simply extend the 2 wires to each panel in turn (wired in parallel).

Make sure the wires are big enough to cope with the maximum current possible & flexible enough to cope with vibration from driving. Most controllers come with full instructions.
 
wildman said:
They are polycrystalline and work best in direct sun rather than the mono crystalline that work in daylight. They also tend to be 2-3 times the weight. You are better off spend £80 for mono panels.
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Apologies, but this site (& others I have read) suggest that your flat statement may not be entirely correct. I am no expert, just trying to find the truth.

You may wish to respond with your references.

I boughht poly's after doing a little research & finding that there is often little to choose between them & in fact, one of my sources actually said the opposite to what you have posted, altho the poly panels are generally larger & heavier. . Of course that source could have been wrong - the interwebby is not always correct is it? Incidentally my panels certainly produce their full 44v in mere daylight, altho I have not set them up against a working load yet & power output could be less.
 
There are many debates as to which is best, the cheapest is poly but the panels are larger for the same output (they are less efficient) and they weigh a lot more, often have a glass sheet covering them. so it depends where you are using them. For a home or static use then poly gives the best bang for your buck but mobile, Mono gives more bang for less weight and less roof space.
If any recent developement have changed this I've no managed to find them so mybe you could quote your sources?Monocrystalline vs Polycrystalline Solar Panels
https://solarjuice.com/blog/pv-panels/monocrystalline-vs-polycrystalline/
- Monocrystalline vs. polycrystalline panels - Energy Matters Forum
 
Smaug said:
Apologies, but this site (& others I have read) suggest that your flat statement may not be entirely correct. I am no expert, just trying to find the truth.

You may wish to respond with your references.

I boughht poly's after doing a little research & finding that there is often little to choose between them & in fact, one of my sources actually said the opposite to what you have posted, altho the poly panels are generally larger & heavier. . Of course that source could have been wrong - the interwebby is not always correct is it? Incidentally my panels certainly produce their full 44v in mere daylight, altho I have not set them up against a working load yet & power output could be less.
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See my referances above, I am a little concerned as to the open circuit voltage of 44V, that would appear too high for a 12V system and is probabbly a 24v or intended for a house system. You do not of course state what you intend to use it for or on.

a 12V battery needs about 15V to get fully charged. The charge controller consumes 2 volts, of internal diode drops. Allow another volt for losses on a hot day.
So your panel Volt Max Power should be around 18 or 19V Open ckt voltage around 21V
 
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The difference nowadays between Poly and Mono appears to be marginal, although it was different a few years ago. Using more modern manufacturing techniques has made the costs similar and there seems to be a glut of panels due to over manufacture by too many companies.

There is plenty of information online if anyone wants to check.
 
Smaug said:
It's very simple; you buy a controller (around 30 quid) connect it to the battery (2 wires pos & neg) and then connect it to the solar panel(s) with another 2 wires (again pos & neg). If more than one panel, simply extend the 2 wires to each panel in turn (wired in parallel).

Make sure the wires are big enough to cope with the maximum current possible & flexible enough to cope with vibration from driving. Most controllers come with full instructions.
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Thanks it was the controller bit i didn't know about.
 
Hi All is there any manufacturer better or worse than the other in solar panels would cheapest necessarily be the best buy I've never been anywhere to compare quality in them
 
Cheap solar panals

I don't know if they are a good make or not but I have ordered two of these off flea bay and they seem a good price for the size. I have also ordered this 20am controller as it looks quite reasonable for a 20 amp pricewise.

NEW SOLAR PV PANEL 80 WATT 18 V VOLT SUN ENERGY MONO SOLAR POWER MODULE | eBay

20A 12V- 24V Solar Charge Controller Panel Regulator Safe Protection CE Certify | eBay

To go with those two things I also ordered this water proof box and glands but I am not sure if I will use it or go direct into the van.

1x IP65 Rated 2 Way WATERPROOF ELECTRICAL JUNCTION BOX BOPLA EUROMAS GRP | eBay

After that I thought I would buy some cable so went for this 4mm coil.

Free crimped MC4 connectors + 10m DC rated.1000V 4mm solar panel pv cable TUV | eBay

I may need a few more bits and pieces but its unlikely they way I am planning it. If it goes in series I will need to put a couple of cheap bypass diodes in to prevent shading. I am still toying with that idea as at 18v per panel could equal 36v being pumped down into the batteries and I am not sure if the cheap regulator controller will be good enough for that.
At £157.40 for 2 80w panels equaling 160w plus the other gear I think it looks quite cheap and should do the job. I have seen kits with similar controllers and far less powerful solar panels for nearer £300 so I have taken the plunge and am going to suck it and see what happens.
.... Tom ....
 
Having read round the subject a fair bit, the modern mono/poly difference appears marginal and depends on what type of sun conditions and also where you park.

Why has the original link been deleted? It has messed up the thread.
 
wildman said:
They are polycrystalline and work best in direct sun rather than the mono crystalline that work in daylight. They also tend to be 2-3 times the weight. You are better off spend £80 for mono panels.
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Found that info very useful. My panel currently in a wet overcast day shows 21.4 volts and I would imagine the charge will be in mA rather than Amps
 
2 to 3 times heavier is certainly incorrect. A 100watt poly panel may be 10% bigger in surface area than a 100watt mono but both are constructed the same. An aluminium frame carrying a sandwich of EVA/cells & glass. So 10% heavier perhaps
 
polycrystalline solar panels

iv got 2 80w polycrystalline and they work very good with out direct sun ,
and you sey they are 2-3 times the weight there not coz iv had mono panels 80w and they was the same size as my polycrystalline 80w ones
thanks
 
I try not to go on t'internet after a night out i usually get myself in trouble:lol-053:
 
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