Ecoflow v Allpowers solar panel performance cloudy day

[Moped]

I was disappointed at the Allpowers 200w portable solar panel performance on a cloudy day with 0w output. The roof panel on the van was generating power so I guess this was down to the quality of the polychrystalline cells used in the Allpowers panel. It clearly is a blue skies only performer offering up 130w+ and unable to generate the required charge voltage when cloudy.

So given that the Ecoflow 220w bifacial panel has a very good reputation with high quality monocrystalline cells and is discounted currently decided to buy.

Today set it up for the first time on an overcast day with sun behind cloud and getting between 50w and 75w at 9:30am so very pleased. Total sun wipeout behind thick cloud and still generating 20w. Looking forward to seeing what I get when there is a clear blue sky. Rumoured to provide 180w+ so if this the case it will be a dream!

This is with a Bluetti power unit so confirmation also that the Ecoflow panel will work with Bluetti units.

This now solves my off grid needs as previous lack of charge on cloudy days was giving me power anxiety increasing hook up use and associated site fees.

 

[wildebus]

I was disappointed at the Allpowers 200w portable solar panel performance on a cloudy day with 0w output. The roof panel on the van was generating power so I guess this was down to the quality of the polychrystalline cells used in the Allpowers panel. It clearly is a blue skies only performer offering up 130w+ and unable to generate the required charge voltage when cloudy.

So given that the Ecoflow 220w bifacial panel has a very good reputation with high quality monocrystalline cells and is discounted currently decided to buy.

Today set it up for the first time on an overcast day with sun behind cloud and getting between 50w and 75w at 9:30am so very pleased. Looking forward to seeing what I get when there is a clear blue sky. Rumoured to provide 180w+ so if this the case it will be a dream!

This is with a Bluetti power unit so confirmation also that the Ecoflow panel will work with Bluetti units.

This now solves my off grid needs as previous lack of charge on cloudy days was giving me power anxiety increasing hook up use and associated site fees.

I don't know if the portable panel kits that the sellers offer are anything other than the typical standard PV panel, branded and packaged to go with the Power Stations? I would imagine they are all pretty interchangable and you should not need to get a specific panel kit for a specific power station.
If I bought a 220W panel kit, I would hope it would give me upto 220W! I would not be over the moon if it maxed out at over 180W to be frank.

I do have a Portable Power Station (decided it would be handy if working on a van or doing work in the garden as well as maybe out and about or in a power cut), but I decided not to get a 'matching' panel kit but just use the one I already had...

VTOMAN & 100W Portable Panel by David, on Flickr

It is a pretty cheap 100W (2 x 50W) panel kit bought from Alpha Batteries, and I took a photo of the input just after setting it up ...

VTOMAN charging from 100W panel kit by David, on Flickr
91W from the 100W Panel Kit is quite nice, and I have seen 100W from it, which is what I would expect TBH (not all the time of course, but around noon on a cloudless day. That picture was taken around 10:30 a few days ago (which would be 09:30 GMT so hours from high noon).

 

[Boris7]

I bought 2 x sunshine solar mono crystal 100w panels and applied my own hinges/handles use it with my EcoFlow works a treat

Much cheaper than the Ecoflow 220w bifacial panel, and from what I’ve seen just as good.

 

[Fisherman]

It seems that most dealers seem to prefer Truma solar panels. But when you look at the price it’s eye watering. I bought an eco worthy 120w panel on eBay to add to one already supplied by roller team. I found it to be fine. I have bought an eco worthy 240w kit for installation on the new van. But I will not be using their cheap controller, I will salvage my victron controller. To be honest I thought that all mono crystalline panels were all very much the same.

 

[wildebus]

It seems that most dealers seem to prefer Truma solar panels. But when you look at the price it’s eye watering. I bought an eco worthy 120w panel on eBay to add to one already supplied by roller team. I found it to be fine. I have bought an eco worthy 240w kit for installation on the new van. But I will not be using their cheap controller, I will salvage my victron controller.

To be honest I thought that all mono crystalline panels were all very much the same.

I think they pretty well are. I have at one time or other got 100% of the rated power from every panel I have had and has worked as advertised.
The only exception to that are the Victron Panels, which has on occasion given over 100%. I think that is not because they are neccessarily better, but they tend to underquote the outputs of their kit so it will perform better than expected (their 30A B2B outputs over 30A, for example).
I am not convinced it is worth paying extra for a branded glass PV panel over a bargain one.

 

[Fisherman]

I think they pretty well are. I have at one time or other got 100% of the rated power from every panel I have had and has worked as advertised.
The only exception to that are the Victron Panels, which has on occasion given over 100%. I think that is not because they are neccessarily better, but they tend to underquote the outputs of their kit so it will perform better than expected (their 30A B2B outputs over 30A, for example).
I am not convinced it is worth paying extra for a branded glass PV panel over a bargain one.

David Truma panels kits are three times the price of eco worthy, and they don’t even give you an MPPT controller. I will secure the panels to the roof myself, and leave the rest to your good self David.

 

[Moped]

Whilst I did look at making hinged panels out of two 100w fixed panels storage was a consideration and our van has a perfect sized dining table storage locker with room to store the Allpowers or the Ecoflow panels as well as the table.

Two hinged panels would be too wide and too deep. It would need to go in the garage and I did not want to store it there.

So there are practical considerations to consider when looking at solar panels.

The Sargent power box limits what can be fixed on the roof so it’s nice to triple the solar or even quadruple the solar capacity (I can angle the portable panel at the sun ) without overhauling any of the standard van electrics. I store a telescopic ladder in the garage so can even place the portable panel flat on the roof for added security when parked up. Which I have done with the Allpowers panel in the past. We have an area of roof unhindered by roof lights, aerials and the fixed solar panel that is large enough to unfold a 200w 4 section portable panel flat on the roof.

Total flexibility.

But of course what works for us may not work for others. For us both the Allpowers and Ecoflow meet our practical considerations. I wanted something that was a better performer than the Allpowers which I purchased at a bargain price anyway. And when I saw the Ecoflow at under £400 it was a no brainer as it had been on my radar since its introduction.

 

[Moped]

Yesterday had blue sky conditions so decided to connect the panels in series to see what they would generate. Best I observed individually on first set up when each panel was at its coolest at 11am was 180w from the Ecoflow and 155w from the Allpowers.

One thing I did notice was that the initial readings were higher but as they warmed up in the sun the efficiency dropped so an initial 340w dropped to the range 300w to 325w. It was slightly puzzling that they seemed to perform slightly better when connected in series than as individual units but this may be down to the voltage boost of a series connection and how the solar panel regulator within the Bluetti unit functions.

On their own flat on the ground the Ecoflow lost around 15w compared to being angled at the sun and the Allpowers lost 25w so the Ecoflow had a better angle efficiency so, given that the panel remained in a fixed position, would generate more power throughout the day as the sun moved around.

Around midday with both panels flat on the ground still generating 300w so well pleased with that. And because of the voltage boost of the series connection combined they performed better in cloudy conditions as the voltage remained above the minimum required to generate charge and was generating 40w to 60w when individually they might not generate anything.

This was in central England. Generation should be higher further south.