Portable Solar Panels

silver

silver

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Tathra, Far South Coast, NSW
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2005
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Over the next year or so I will be gradually building up a few items...as I find them on special or gumtree or similar...and I found this mob today..
https://www.aussiebatteriessolar.com.au/solar/portable-panels/.
Generally I think that solar panels are way over priced and of unknown quality but this mob seems to have some better quality ones with waterproof regulators and the ones on sale seem a more realistic price.
As I will be running at least 2 100amp AGM batteries, maybe 3, plus I will have a battery for the electric trolling motor on the tinny I will need to pump the amps in whenever I can so I am looking at the 195w one on sale.
I will use a Ctek 250s Dual combined with a Ctek Smartpass to keep things running smoothly but can't find any deals on these off sites I trust yet.
Anyway, if anyone is interested in the solar panels maybe we could get together to see if we could get a bit better deal.
I will ring them tomorrow just to get some more info.
 
If you are using a CTEK 250s you do not need controllers on the panels and panels without controllers are cheaper. A controller just burns off volts to 12V whereas the CTEK will use the full capacity of the panels directly. For example, a guy in the club sourced an 80W panel without controller for $90. I'm looking for flexible panels (without controllers) to permanently mount to my Columbus roof top camper.
 
Not sure if I can get the panels without a controller. I have sent them an email so I will see how good their service is.
Also...I might want to use it for other things..eg at home on the battery for the trolling motor if a am not using it for a couple of days. I would use it instead of charging via my charger.
I know you can get cheaper panels but I simply don't trust ebay sellers and the like. I have a thing about 'brand name' items and am happy to pay extra to get what I believe is better quality.
The car will be rigged up to charge from the alternator, solar and 240v when available.
 
I've been trying to understand the solar info and now know the difference between a regulator and a controller. The Ctek 250dual has a MPPT set up in it so I don't need a controller on the panels.
The panel I am interested in is the 195watt tri fold Bosch cell panel and I can get it without a controller for $40 less.
I'm still a bit confused though...it seems from the pic that it each panel has a regulator or something attached to the back and I gather they all go through the controller. So I gather I get them with the regulators but not the controller??
I reckon I would just use this set up through the ctek 250 dual and smartpass to keep the car/camper batteries in good nick and get a separate portable panel....maybe something like the 130watt sharp cell one for the boat battery. I gather this one would need the controller which I can upgrade to a MPPT one which I understand is the one to use.
Is this the go??
 
silver said:
I'm still a bit confused though...it seems from the pic that it each panel has a regulator or something attached to the back.

Is this the go??
Click to expand...

There is a junction box on the back of the solar panel and, yes, that's the way to go.

I recently purchased 2 x 100W mono semi-flexible panels from an ebay seller that had a collection warehouse near my home. Have not installed onto the rooftop camper as yet.
 
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I am going for the semi flexible ones as well for my camper, after i return from my 4 week trip which is starting Monday.

I intend to set up 100% solar for bush camping whilst metal detecting.
 
They are a bit too expensive for me. I want brand name cells...as I have said I simply don't trust ebay panels or ebay in general for that matter. On Tuesday I bought my first ever ebay item so maybe I might change my mind if all goes well.
Come to think of it...the mob I will buy off DO sell on ebay.
They also have these...https://www.aussiebatteriessolar.com.au/complete-power-kits/diy-solar/
 
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My understanding is mono are better in low light than poly(multi) but not as good as poly in really hot conditions. Poly is always dearer and Kyocera make poly and are regarded pretty much universally as one of the best around.
Most panels you see that are portable are mono as most people do not want to pay for the Kyocera ones. That is why I though the site I posted a link to looked good for me. Sharp,Bosch and Kyocera. All names I would trust.
 
Poly: have a very low heat tolerance but have been around since day dot.

Mono: the most cost effective unit to operate and an efficient space saver

Framed: More cost effective than other models; able to be mounted or can be freestanding
 
^ agree - don't go under 100 AH. I have 2 x 100 AH deep cycle AGMs.

Made a mistake - my panels are mono. (modified previous post)
 
I use a 100amp AGM for the trolling motor in the boat and the camper will have 2 AGMs of at least 100amps. If, and it is a big if, I manage to get a new boat it will have an electric start motor so it will have 2 batteries...a 100amp AGM for the trolling motor and a deep cycle marine battery for the motor and fish finder. Possibly I could even look at a small third battery for the fish finder but will wait and see.
 
Gidday Silver,

For the moment we have one 100 amp battery in the Shack. 120w portable solar panel which has a controller to control energy into the battery. The controller is great, it tells you when it is charging the battery, how many watts the solar panels are "absorbing" from the sun, and also when the battery is fully charged. The controller also prevents too much energy being put into your storage system, which means that you don't have to worry about overcharging (or... undercharging i.e. if you leave the solar panel plugged in when you are at home, it doesn't go flat). When driving along, the car has an Anderson plug to the trailer. The fridge in the Shack keeps cool when driving along.

When we pull up to camp, we unplug the Anderson plug from the car, and plug the solar panel in to the Anderson plug on the van. Our old Engel is very noisy... and probably not as efficient as some of the newer units. I read somewhere that unplugging your fridge at night conserves energy. The food is ok because night is cooler as well as nobody is lifting the lid to let the cold out. For the moment, this works pretty well for us, and generally the 120w keeps the fridge going from the sun and even cloudy days still puts charge in.

Like you Silver, we would like to have an electric motor eventually for the Love Boat... but I am very keen to see how long the battery in the Shack lasts with the current setup. The reason being that deep cycle batteries are quite expensive. Maybe somebody has an idea of the life expectancy of a deep cycle battery? I have heard that when you set more than one battery up in line to charge, they should be the same amps and type of battery, and also the same age... i.e. if you have an older battery and hook a new one up to it, it doesn't function as well (charge wise) as setting 2 new ones up together.

I also did my own experiment with our portable battery jump starter kit. It is not recommended to use one of these as an extra battery on your system, HOWEVER.... if your jump start pack is flat, you can hook up the clamps to the Shack battery, and the solar panels will re-charge it in line with the Shack battery. I was pretty excited to find out that it worked like this. If you were unfortunate to be somewhere for a few days with not enough sunlight to run your fridge from the solar panels, in an emergency you could use the battery pack as a temporary dual battery to access more hours of stored energy so your food doesn't go to waste.

We find the battery pack awesome just for charging all the I things.. it has a USB plug as well as 2 x 12 volt sockets.

Very very interesting stuff, and always learning in this life!

Best regards,
 
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I hate it when stuff gets too bloody technical but I think you have a 'controller' not a regulator. I THINK a regulator just pumps the stuff in and doesn't stop and can in fact overcharge a battery but a controller is more like a battery charger and 'controls' what is happening. Anyway it doesn't matter but I gather it is not a good idea to have the bigger panels without a controller and there are two different ones with a MPPT one being the best as it is more efficient.
I think I have already said that a NRMA guy told me it is better to go big on solar panels rather than small. His idea was to always have the capacity to pump the amps in when you can as you never know what will happen. he also said what you have posted about the batteries...ie...same condition,size in a bank.
I will be doing much what you are. Charging from the car or panels or 240v when I can. The Ctek combination will do it all...automatically picks the sort of battery and where the charge is coming from and optimises the charge.
I am not sure if you would save any power by turning your fridge off overnight. Maybe..but it takes more energy to cool something down than maintain a set temperature.
I also think it is a good idea to have at least 2 batteries for power because if one stuff ups you can disconnect it and still run stuff of the other one.
Sort of like having 2 4.5kg gas bottles instead of 1 9kg one.
The battery case I use for the boat has 2 ciggie plugs in it and I might get a solar recharger that does AAA and AA batteries for torches/headlamps.
By the way.....as far as I am aware AGM batteries are the ONLY ones that should be used inside. You could check this but I think it is right.
 
Silver you're right. It is a controller.. Will change the above! If we do have a need to charge up the heavy duty battery pack, we do it during the day, with the bed up and back door of the shack up. Effectively like charging something in the shed with the door hanging wide open.

We also have a Powertek:

https://www.allvolts.com.au/catalogue/4194_item.html?ref_cat_id=CHARGERS-INVERTERS-CHARGERS-OTHER

which picks what method of charging you are using. The difference it makes turning the fridge off overnight is that with one deep cycle battery and the solar panel, the system (lighting and refrigeration) is self sustaining... and of course, we actually CAN sleep because it isn't rattling away right above our heads. If the fridge is on overnight, the battery goes flat in 2 days because there are not enough amp hours in one battery to run it overnight and put enough charge back in during the day for it to be self sustaining. Hope that made sense. It took some trial and error to arrive at the end result, which for the moment suits us. Ideally, 2 batteries in line would be best for the shack, plus another removable one for an electric boat motor.

I suppose I am really very conscious of how much weight we are constantly adding. Scooby2 is a great car, but she's not Hercules ;-) ... and we often have 5 people travelling as well as all the fallout 5 people make.

Best regards,
 
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Silver, I had a really bad day yesterday. Suffering the after effects of a pilates session that should have had 6 people in the class instead of just me. As a result, the Ctek I mentioned (is not what we have, I think what was recommended by our auto electrician) in the above information has been changed. Where it is positioned, you can't read what it actually is from the top of the unit because it is in a cupboard. I changed it & posted the link :)

The summary I did above of our system is the end result of about 6 months of trying to sort it out to work properly, so that maybe other people who are thinking of going solar (highly recommended when it is sorted out properly) don't make really costly mistakes. I learned the hard way and killed the first deep cycle battery in the first 12 months.... It may have been that the Shack came with a dodgy battery, OR it may have been that we didn't maintain its power levels often enough.

Basically now, even at home, we never use the 240 volt that the Shack is wired with. If I was setting up a system from scratch, I think I would just have everything 12Volt. Even if we go to a caravan park, we never use powered sites.

Interestingly, the actual solar panels themselves come with I think a 10 year warranty, but the controller's warranty is only for 12 months. If I knew what I now know, I would have made sure that the controller's warranty covered it for being outside. We haven't had any problems with it - where it is positioned under the solar panels is basically like it being under a roof anyway. Like I said before. Always learning.

Best regards,
 
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It's REALLY important to keep a battery fully charged and recharged ASAP after using. A standard deep cycle battery can discharge around 10% or more each month without use.
My boat battery cops a flogging...sometimes 6 or 8 hours on a fishing day. It's not even a well known AGM brand...it's a AMPTECH made by Supercharge and has turned out to be great value.
It goes on the charger as soon as I get home although now I use my 20w solar panel to charge it for free but use the Ctek every now and again to make sure it is up to scratch. The panel takes...I estimate about 5-6 days to get a full charge in...it can only do 1.2 amps/hr.
Even if I don't use the boat I connect it for a few hours to keep it topped up.
AGM batteries only discharge around 3% or less per month and I stress...they are the ONLY ones you should be using in any enclosed space as the others vent bad fumes.
I also think it would be good to invest in a QUALITY charger like a Ctek. I would not buy less than a 15amp one and if you use two batteries you might well need a 20amp one. Check the specs.
I got a M300 25amp one,brand new from shut down shop,on Gumtree, for $200.
DON"T buy grey imports!!
For example this could be a possibility..https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/ferntree-gully/accessories/ctek-250s-dual-dc-dc-charger/1038955092 (this is a charger as well as for other uses) but he bought it online and does not have a receipt...I won't buy it.
Here is a reputable store...https://www.ctekbatterychargers.com.au/contact-us.html
If possible get a bigger panel...use the 120w for the boat and a 200w or so for the shack..check out the link I posted earlier.You will need a bigger one if you go to 2 batteries if you want to pump the amps in.
My fridge uses about 25amps per day. I going to use portable panels as I think a roof top panel is a waste of time as you usually park in the shade if possible. I want to track the sun.
Also...I have read that you should not use 2 charging points. That is...if you are charging by the alternator, you should have the panels disconnected or charging via 240 , the same etc.
 
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