Solar panel

1

Syncronauts,

 

I want to install one solar panel on the roof of our van.

Since they are all made in China, is there a quality  difference between different suppliers?

Does it matter which brand I buy?

Syncronauts who have gone down this path - any suggestion?

 

Cheers,

Theo

2
Hi Theo,
Had this 120W panel for a year,it's from jaycar, it works fine, driving a 40 ltr Waco fridge/freezer.
Battery is 120Amp marine battery ex BCF at $220 I think. Price for panel I have to look up but go to Jaycar websales , cheaper then the shops.
Btw, I keep the house circuit totally separated from the car one, suits me. Hart
3
Hi Theo,

I purchased a foldable panel from a place in Preston. Price was very good compared to Jay-car. 160 watts for around $300 including a charge controller. The shop is a bit of a mess but they were very helpful and knowledgable. They design locally but manufacture in China.


Also I noticed they had some thin flexible panels in the shop which would be ideal for a permanent roof mount. This is something I am considering for the future. Having a pop-top roof, weight would be an issue for me. These 100w panels weigh 7.5kgs and are very think compared to conventional panels.



Cheers.

Jon.



On 02/01/2014, at 9:41 PM, Theo Weiss <teows@melbpc.org.au> wrote:

 

Syncronauts,

 

I want to install one solar panel on the roof of our van.

Since they are all made in China, is there a quality  difference between different suppliers?

Does it matter which brand I buy?

Syncronauts who have gone down this path - any suggestion?

 

Cheers,

Theo



4

Thanks Hartmut,

I wish I had paid closer attention to your setup while we were in Tassie.

I did look at the jaycar panels -  120W is now 145W.

I will check out the place in Preston Joe mentioned.

Cheers

Theo

 

From: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Hartmut Kiehn
Sent: Thursday, 2 January 2014 9:56 PM
To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Solar panel

 

 

Hi Theo,
Had this 120W panel for a year,it's from jaycar, it works fine, driving a 40 ltr Waco fridge/freezer.
Battery is 120Amp marine battery ex BCF at $220 I think. Price for panel I have to look up but go to Jaycar websales , cheaper then the shops.
Btw, I keep the house circuit totally separated from the car one, suits me. Hart

5

Hi Joe,

Thanks for the Info. I will check it out next week - much cheaper than jaycar.

Theo

 

From: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Jon Bartlett
Sent: Friday, 3 January 2014 3:39 PM
To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Solar panel

 

 

Hi Theo,

 

I purchased a foldable panel from a place in Preston. Price was very good compared to Jay-car. 160 watts for around $300 including a charge controller. The shop is a bit of a mess but they were very helpful and knowledgable. They design locally but manufacture in China.

 

 

Also I noticed they had some thin flexible panels in the shop which would be ideal for a permanent roof mount. This is something I am considering for the future. Having a pop-top roof, weight would be an issue for me. These 100w panels weigh 7.5kgs and are very think compared to conventional panels.

 

 

 

Cheers.

 

Jon.

 

 

 

On 02/01/2014, at 9:41 PM, Theo Weiss <teows@melbpc.org.au> wrote:



 

 

Syncronauts,

 

I want to install one solar panel on the roof of our van.

Since they are all made in China, is there a quality  difference between different suppliers?

Does it matter which brand I buy?

Syncronauts who have gone down this path - any suggestion?

 

Cheers,

Theo

 

 

6
Hi Theo
 
I glued two x 100 watt thin aluminium panels onto my T5 pop-top roof using Sikaflex-252 (expensive) and a couple of s/s bolts where a leak didn't matter.
A trip to WA hasn't moved them and with the PV controller from Jaycar easy to install.
I prefer to use more solar area as it is now cheaper than to having to move and pack away a folding unit plus we spend more time on the road than stationary at a camp site.
Found them on the internet ,a guy south of Sydney is importing them from PRC and around $400 for the two was good buying. With deep cycle house battery runs everything.
 
Cheers Graham
 
 
----- Original Message -----
From: Theo Weiss
Sent: Thursday, January 02, 2014 9:41 PM
Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Solar panel

 

Syncronauts,

I want to install one solar panel on the roof of our van.

Since they are all made in China, is there a quality  difference between different suppliers?

Does it matter which brand I buy?

Syncronauts who have gone down this path - any suggestion?

Cheers,

Theo

7

Hi Graham,

A nifty setup with an expensive solar controller. You are right. Most of the time is spent driving plus I like to camp

in the shade. However for longer stay I still will use my folding unit.

Not sure about the regulator though, do I need to spend the extra money or will a $50 unit do?

Thanks also for the pictures.

Cheers,

Theo

 

From: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Graham Adams
Sent: Saturday, 4 January 2014 10:22 AM
To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Solar panel

 

 

Hi Theo

 

I glued two x 100 watt thin aluminium panels onto my T5 pop-top roof using Sikaflex-252 (expensive) and a couple of s/s bolts where a leak didn't matter.

A trip to WA hasn't moved them and with the PV controller from Jaycar easy to install.

I prefer to use more solar area as it is now cheaper than to having to move and pack away a folding unit plus we spend more time on the road than stationary at a camp site.

Found them on the internet ,a guy south of Sydney is importing them from PRC and around $400 for the two was good buying. With deep cycle house battery runs everything.

 

Cheers Graham

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Theo Weiss

Sent: Thursday, January 02, 2014 9:41 PM

Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Solar panel

 

 

Syncronauts,

I want to install one solar panel on the roof of our van.

Since they are all made in China, is there a quality  difference between different suppliers?

Does it matter which brand I buy?

Syncronauts who have gone down this path - any suggestion?

Cheers,

Theo