PREP Renogy 100w solar panels on sale

Sozo

Sozo

Insignificant Contributor
Tristan said:
So, good deal, screamin' deal, or a steal?

Thinking of putting in enough to support a small refrigerator in a power outtage...
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Well, if you do like a couple others mentioned and are able to grab them used for free or discounted, that would be a better deal, but these are half price. Half price is a pretty smoking deal in my book.

Do you have a good inverter? That's another cost you may have to consider before buying.

Looks like they have other items going in & out of stock as well:
 
Millwright

Millwright

Knuckle Dragger
_______________
Check craigslist for panels.

There's a guy in Dallas who sells insurance salvage panels....cheep.
 
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Tristan

Tristan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
OK, have a starter system on the way.

Now, which battery tech should I be looking at: Gel, Flooded L/A, ?

Thanks for the help, and for the heads-up!
 
T

Thinwater

Firearms Manufacturer
Tristan said:
OK, have a starter system on the way.

Now, which battery tech should I be looking at: Gel, Flooded L/A, ?

Thanks for the help, and for the heads-up!
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Neither of those, especially Gel unless you have the battery inside a van with you.
For a starter system a single lithium battery can give 100 amp hours and still be around working well in3-8 years when SHTF if it does not HTF before then.

For a fast cheap start up flooded L/A deep cycle, not deep cycle/start or start.

If you go lithium make SURE you know how to set up a charge controller properly to charge it or you can destroy them fast.
 
Hfcomms

Hfcomms

EN66iq
Thinwater said:
If you go lithium make SURE you know how to set up a charge controller properly to charge it or you can destroy them fast.
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Not to mention a lithium flambe can ruin your whole day. I have several of those Renogy 100w panels. They are mass produced and really don’t seem to put out 100 watts in full sun. 85 watts was about the best I’ve seen. They do seem to be durable and I have had them for a few years. The price is right and with the shipping surcharges you are never going to see them this cheap again.
 
N

nwillitts

Veteran Member
i have 4 renogy 100 watt panels bolted to the roof of my van.
been up there for a year now.still works good,they charge my 400 amp hour lifepo4 batts.works great.
i paid 130 each for them a year ago.
i drive 70 miles an hour and they are just fine up there.
 
1-12020

1-12020

Senior Member
also if you don't charge you batteries properly , you got issues.
when not in the sun and using a stand by plug in charger make sure you are using the correct charger for correct battery.
 
Tristan

Tristan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
No Lithium Flambe for me, thanks.

I kept hearing that Gel Cells were actually better than flooded-lead/acid batteries for the long term; has this not proven out?

Anyway, I would like to buy once, have the batteries last a long time. Unlikely they'll be under heavy stress, unless I expand the system far beyond the 500w in panels so far ordered...

I have been interested in Solar for a very long time, but pricing (at the time) and lack of requirement made it a non-starter at the time. However, now is the time.

I sincerely appreciate the help with this.
 
N

nwillitts

Veteran Member
Tristan said:
No Lithium Flambe for me, thanks.

I kept hearing that Gel Cells were actually better than flooded-lead/acid batteries for the long term; has this not proven out?

Anyway, I would like to buy once, have the batteries last a long time. Unlikely they'll be under heavy stress, unless I expand the system far beyond the 500w in panels so far ordered...

I have been interested in Solar for a very long time, but pricing (at the time) and lack of requirement made it a non-starter at the time. However, now is the time.

I sincerely appreciate the help with this.
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lifepo4 does not flambe.
 
S

Stanb999

Inactive
Hfcomms said:
Not to mention a lithium flambe can ruin your whole day. I have several of those Renogy 100w panels. They are mass produced and really don’t seem to put out 100 watts in full sun. 85 watts was about the best I’ve seen. They do seem to be durable and I have had them for a few years. The price is right and with the shipping surcharges you are never going to see them this cheap again.
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I have a bunch and use them for various water pumping needs around the farm. For my application they work very well often out performing expectations. For charging you want an MPPT charger to charge at full watts. :)
 
T

Thinwater

Firearms Manufacturer
The gel cells are not as long lived as flooded lead acid are best considered for use in a vehicle where outgassing is an issue. Flooded lead acid work well but do not have the lifespan of lithium. Even with the lead acid being cheaper to buy, over ten years the lithium are better and cheaper overall due to the number of charging cycles.

LiFePO4 solar system batteries are not a fire hazard. Just don't charge one up and crush it in a hydraulic press. There have been many batteries over the years based on lithium that had issues due to a combination of the very high power delivery, poor package design and CHy-na rip offs. When I was a cop Chy-na was counterfeiting name brand CR123 lithium batteries that we used in our high powered weapon lights. They would rapidly overheat and burn. Same for some cell phone batteries and radio controlled toy batteries. Anytime you engineer a high amp electrical system you can have a fire hazard, like the wiring in your house. It is simple, but has to be done correctly
 
WFK

WFK

Senior Something
Tristan, I have been following battery technology for 50 fifty years. First as a business consideration, then after retirement as
a home energy storage consideration. Around Yr 2000 I had 12kWh stored in lead/acid deep cycle. In 2021 I replaced them with LiFePO4 types. Left the rest of the system as is: Solar panels, MPPT charger, Inverter/Charger (line), but re-programmed charger(s) for LiFePO4 batteries.
This done because of the more favorable discharge characteristic of those over lead/acid, and almost maintenance free.
That system's life expectancy exceeds my own.
I started from the battery properties, chose the inverter after that, then the panels and the charge controller.
It's been there since 1999. I added a solar panel since then and changed the charge controller from PWM to MPPT.
The LiFeO4 batteries are MUCH different from the LiIon batteries (which would have never considered for storage.)
Learn the difference between all technologies and then decide.
 
Millwright

Millwright

Knuckle Dragger
_______________
I grabbed 4-330w/48v panels last year, cheep salvage.

Somewhere around here are a couple of 1500w chicom inverters.

Saw these chicom MPPT controllers for cheep, picked up one...just because.

PowMr MPPT Charge Controller 60 amp 48V 36V 24V 12V Auto - Max 160VDC Input LCD Backlight Solar Charge for Vented Sealed Gel NiCd Lithium Battery【Software Update Version】(MPPT-60A)



Now it's a matter of turning a ton of dead batteries into a few good batteries.

I'll probably go with flooded as I can get them fairly cheep too.


This is more of a training exercise than anything.
 
Tristan

Tristan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Millwright said:
I grabbed 4-330w/48v panels last year, cheep salvage.

Somewhere around here are a couple of 1500w chicom inverters.

Saw these chicom MPPT controllers for cheep, picked up one...just because.

PowMr MPPT Charge Controller 60 amp 48V 36V 24V 12V Auto - Max 160VDC Input LCD Backlight Solar Charge for Vented Sealed Gel NiCd Lithium Battery【Software Update Version】(MPPT-60A)



Now it's a matter of turning a ton of dead batteries into a few good batteries.

I'll probably go with flooded as I can get them fairly cheep too.


This is more of a training exercise than anything.
Click to expand...


What's your take on that PowMr MPPT charge controller? Worthy, or look elsewhere?
 
Millwright

Millwright

Knuckle Dragger
_______________
Tristan said:
What's your take on that PowMr MPPT charge controller? Worthy, or look elsewhere?
Click to expand...

Right now, it holding down junk mail on the coffee table...keeps the cat from knocking it off. :D

I need to build racks for the panels and get some batteries.

Not a high priority project.

I don't even know what I'll run with it. Maybe break out the shop lighting circuit.
 
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Millwright

Millwright

Knuckle Dragger
_______________
nwillitts said:
i have that one too.
not reliable.but will get you started.until it quits.
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Has yours laid down yet?

How many hours on it?

I figured it was kinda disposable, but do I want two of these or one name brand
 
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N

nwillitts

Veteran Member
i bought it a few years ago as a temp back up if my other ones failed.i knew about its pitfalls before i bought it.but it was cheap.
still in the box.....somewhere......
 
Tristan

Tristan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
What are some good names to look into for MPPT controllers?

I'm giving a lot of consideration to sizing the system, as the suggestion to check craigslist hit pay dirt.

~$60 for 240w panels sounds like a pretty good deal, right? Pulls, not from Jyna.
 
Sozo

Sozo

Insignificant Contributor
This website might be useful for beginners:

diysolarshack.com

How Long Will A 100Ah Battery Run An Appliance That Requires 400W?

How long will a 100ah battery run 400W? When I first saw this question my first reaction was to create a 100 Ah battery discharge calculator for appliances that
diysolarshack.com diysolarshack.com

diysolarshack.com

How Many Solar Panels Does It Take To Charge A 100Ah Battery?

How many solar panels needed to recharge a 100Ah battery? This is what you need to know to work how many solar panels you need to recharge your 100Ah battery:
diysolarshack.com diysolarshack.com
 
Jackpine Savage

Jackpine Savage

Veteran Member
Tristan said:
What are some good names to look into for MPPT controllers?
Click to expand...

I've been researching solar for awhile too. Will Prowse seems to be a pretty straight shooter. Here's his opinion on some charger and inverter options.

www.mobile-solarpower.com

DIY Off Grid Solar Charge Controllers

Building a vehicle mounted solar power system? Let me help.
www.mobile-solarpower.com

www.mobile-solarpower.com

All-in-One 12/24/48V Packages

MPP and a few other manufacturers now sell a "complete off grid system in a box" that has: AC Inverter Solar Charge Controller AC Battery Charger Automatic Transfer Switch (if grid power is...
www.mobile-solarpower.com
 
Tristan

Tristan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
So, checked the panels today; one of the panels has a relatively small amount of damage to one corner of the frame; it's slightly bent out at the seam.

The numbers coming out of the panel were essentially the same as all the others, so is this something I should be concerned about? The frame is basically just a carrier for the actual solar panel, correct? If so I may just put a bit of silicone caulk in the gap and call it good...
 
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