Best Solar Panels
Renogy's 100 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Solar Panel is Renogy's most popular product! Withstand high wind (2400Pa) and snow loads (5400Pa); resistant aluminum frame which allows the panels to last for decades.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My system consists of the following main components: 2 - Victron Multiplus 12/3000/120-50. Victron Blue Solar charge controller MPPT 150/85. 15 - 100 watt Renogy solar panels. Victron Color control gx. Victron BMV-702 battery monitor. 4 - 1000Ah LifePO4 Winston battery cells."
"I get about a 150 watts of output from the two panels on my scrap wood stands sitting on my apartment balcony facing South/ SouthWest form about 10:00 am to 3:00 pm on a sunny day."
"I put it on the end of 20 feet of 14 gauge wire to allow me to park the camper in the shade and move and orient the panel for best charging performance."
"Good quality, great price."
"These things rock!"
"So far great!"
"These are well built but they have change the dimensions."
"Great panels for a great price."
This solar kit comes with the tools necessary for a new system: a Renogy 100W 12V Monocrystalline Solar Panel, a 30A PWM Wanderer Charge Controller, a 20ft 10AWG MC4 Adaptor Kit, an 8ft 10AWG Tray Cable, and a set of Z-brackets. The charge controller has been upgraded to Renogy's new 30A PWM NegativeGround Charge Controller the Renogy Wanderer.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I wanted something to charge a battery that would power LED reading lights, an LED dome light, LED porch lights (just occasionally; I don't leave them on), and also a couple of 12 volt sockets (cigarette lighter type) that I could use to charge my phone, Ipad, Kindle, and also power my portable DVD player - either to charge it's battery or run it when the player's battery is depleted. I mounted the included charge controller on the interior wall of the trailer, requiring about a 2 foot run of cable. Then I ran a plus and minus back from the battery - the positive went to a fuse block on the wall below the controller; the negative went to a homemade "ground panel" - a bus where I could wire the negative leads from all the stuff. Since it's mounted permanently on top of the trailer it meant that the battery was being charged while I was driving from one campground to the next. If it was the kind of application where it gets put away between campsites and pulled out to angle towards the sun I think I would end up with less charging. I bought a volt meter which I'm going to wire into the system with an on-off switch so I can monitor the status."
"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IYWBOLA/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1. We are charging two 75 amp hour deep cell batteries wired parallel and have since added a second panel. lights (led), furnace or swamp cooler depending on the season, fan, stereo, water pump, etc. I usually check to see what the controller is doing in the afternoon, but other then that the kit takes care of itself. The panels are solidly built and reliable as are the tilt mounts. In my opinion, if you are looking to solar charge an RV or cabin, this is what you want to start with. Renogy's videos and instructions are very well done and their customer service is Outstanding! Last weekend my wife got on the roof and changed the angle of the panels for summer, all the maintenance it should need."
"I got 2 interstate golf cart batteries, one 400 Watt Cobra Inverter and 8 LED 800 Lumen, and my cabin is bright like a star."
"Impressed with the quality of this kit, I was about to buy a 45 watt kit from harbor but after looking at the old tech used and the cost, this kit at 100 watt is a no brainer."
"The controller is easy to use and I have a 12 volt bulb connected to the load side of the charge controller which comes on automatically at dusk."
"I built my own solar generator to replace a gas powered generator and needed these to recharge the batteries."
Charge Smarter The advanced combination of iSmart and Smart IC technologies will detect all connected devices' individual input and distribute the total output accordingly to guarantee the appropriate charge they can benefit from. Equipped with 4 practical hooks to always catch as much sunlight as possible, and 2 iSmart USB cables, you'll have the best travel companion for your smartphone, camera, and any other USB device that ran out of juice. Charge Smarter: iSmart technology automatically adjusts to connected devices and provides the optimal charging current to minimize charging time.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Facts: - One iPhone 6 Plus completely drained. - 1 RAVPower 15W foldable solar charger. - 1 OEM Apple 4 ft long lightning charging cable. - San Francisco Sunny Day with no clouds and about 63 degrees. Test Results: I placed the RAVPower 15W in direct sunlight; and, below, is my test results: 1000 - 1030 Hours PST: 23% charge to iPhone 6 Plus. 1030 - 1100 Hours PST: 30% charge to iPhone 6 Plus. 1100 - 1130 Hours PST: 35% charge to iPhone 6 Plus. 1130 - 1200 Hours PST: Fullly charged iPhone 6 Plus. In about two hours, RAV Power 15W fully charged my iPhone 6 plus, under direct sunlight, without clouds, at around 63 degrees, in San Francisco, CA. Facts: - One iPhone 6 Plus completely drained. - 1 RAVPower 15W foldable solar charger. - 1 OEM Apple 4 ft long lightning charging cable. - San Francisco Sunny Day with no clouds and about 63 degrees. - 1 Double-pain, vacuum sealed Marvin house-window rated to prevent approximately 95% UV light spectrum. Test Results: 1000 - 1030 Hours PST: 17% charge to iPhone 6 Plus. 1030 - 1100 Hours PST: 18% charge to iPhone 6 Plus. 1100 - 1130 Hours PST: 20% charge to iPhone 6 Plus. 1130 - 1200 Hours PST: 20% charged iPhone 6 Plus. 1200 -1230 Hours PST: 21% charged iPhone 6 Plus. 1230 - 1245 Hours PST: Fully charged iPhone 6 Plus. In about two hours and forty-five minutes, RAV Power 15W fully charged my iPhone 6 plus, indoors and under direct sunlight, without clouds, at around 63 degrees, in San Francisco, CA."
"I also tested it with my son's Samsung Galaxy 3 smartphone and it charged it from 60% to 75% in about an hour on a very overcast day where the sun was only visible as a bright area in a very gray, overcast sky. Note that it does not come with any charging cords or adapters and you would need one with a standard USB connector for your devices you plan to charge with it."
"Even on overcast days this solar charger provided enough current to charge up my 2-way satellite communication device which allowed me to keep in touch with my family back home."
"Its fairly compact and very portable, I just got around to testing the solar panels charging capabilities."
"It would charge for a minute or so, and then stop charging. I finally decided to try the other outlet, which kept the charge continuous, but the battery percentage did not change. Not sure if this is an issue, but: I noticed that when all the cells are exposed to sunlight, the outlet that does not have a load on it produces a continuous clicking or buzzing sound. There are no solar chargers even mentioned anywhere on their website."
Best Solar & Wind Power Inverters
The 4000 watt 12 volt low frequency AIMS Power inverter charger transforms DC (direct current) power, stored by batteries, into AC (alternating current) electricity that can be used to run your various tools and appliances. Built in 115A smart battery charger with 7 selectable battery type settings.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Last year, with no experience in this field, I purchased a Power Bright 3,500 watt modified sine inverter for my motorhome conversion from generator to battery bank with solar. Under a constant 2,500 watt load, my heavy 2/0 welding cables and connectors would get very hot. I would say that it's impractical and perhaps dangerous to draw constant loads over 2,500 watts from a 12 volt battery system (Update: I used 2/0 welding cable throughout, marine quality bus bars and switches, and fused both sets of batteries (200 amp) as well as the inverter (300 amp). The indicator lights on top of the unit are nice but for my application I purchased the REMOTELF remote display. There is also a little rheostat type dial on top which you can use to adjust how much of your 120 VAC input goes to charge and how much gets passed through (Update: This is a very important feature if you have a smaller generator My 2000 watt inverter generator (1,600) continuous will trip the breaker at the full 70amp charger draw. The fan is quiet and only runs when there is a significant load or is charging at a high rate. My other problem with it is that my microwave seems to have some type of relay in it that clicks every time the power cycles. (Update: I've since learned a bit more about electrical and these two wires are connected to bond your 120 volt AC neutral to ground) It wouldn't hurt them to put out an addendum to the manual with the changes to the unit since the manual was printed and some explanations such as what the functions of these green wires are and when they should be connected or not and why. Found a nice isolated meadow on the eastern slope of the Washington Cascades about 40 miles from home."
"I'd never heard of "AIMS Power" prior to researching inverters for installation in our vintage Airstream Renovation project, but the unit was hard to ignore given it's feature set (built-in transfer switch, surge rating, standby mode, etc...) and it's price. At one point, when in inverter mode and nothing was drawing power from it, the unit was drawing 22 amps and 240 watts by itself from my battery bank... Because I had just disconnected shore power, it seemed like the unit's battery charger stayed on and was trying to charge the batteries from the inverter. I've wired our electrical system such that the inverter is on a sub-panel and separate from our roof-top AC unit, so I can't speak as to whether or not it would power an Air Conditioner (my guess: no)."
Best Solar & Wind Power Parts & Accessories
But if you chose to purchase a low capacity power bank, it means you will charger everyday after used. Huge Capacity Solar Charger 24000mah,Never worrying about running out of power.Charge an iPhone 7 for over 7 times, Galaxy S7 Edge for 5 times, iPad mini for 3 times. When all lights turn to solid blue, it means it has been fully charged Parameter: Solar Panel: 5V/1W AC charging time: about 7-8 hours. In order to fully activate the battery,please charge it for 8 hours at least at the first 1-2 uses. Solar Charger:Recharge itself via solar power for emergency and Slowing Down the power losing.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"OK I must’ve met I am addicted to my devices and I live in an area that does get a lot of hurricanes, tropical storms, and nor’easter’s."
"Built-in 24000mah high capacity polymer battery equipped with a compact solar panel, which could recharge the battery itself under sunlight, eco-friendly and ideal for outdoor use."
"I always use it and this solar charger doing great job keeping my phone charge with a big power bank of 24000mah, this is huge capacity for power bank."
"Really love the solar charge function of this power bank!"
"I love this solar charger, it has a huge capacity, I have been charged my iPhone X 4 times already, still have battery, and it charged itself when I put it on the windows in the day time."
"I was sooo excited when I found our about this solar charger, I tried it and super, both of my phones and my boyfeiend's phone were charged!"
"It's heavy and big,but it charging very fast.This could be due to the charger I was using.I am very impressed with this product."
"Very powerful battery pack, was able to fully charge my cellphone 3time and best of all solar function works great!"
Best Solar Battery Chargers & Charging Kits
Anker PowerPort Solar Charge with the Power of the Sun. Fast Charging Technology Exclusive to Anker, PowerIQ discovers and replicates your device's original charging protocol to provide its fastest possible charging speed up to 2.4 amp per port or 3 amps overall (with enough direct sunlight). Incredibly Durable Industrial-strength PET plastic faced solar panels sewn into high-wear polyester canvas ensure it's able to withstand the trials of your outdoor adventures. What You Get: Anker PowerPort Solar (21W 2-Port USB Solar Charger), 3ft Micro USB cable, welcome guide, our fan-favorite 18-month warranty and friendly customer service.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I wondered why my Anker PowerCore 20100 power bank would never charge from this solar charger, but would charge from a wall charger. I again contacted Anker support and asked for a list of batteries that have been tested with and charge properly from the Anker solar charger. The Anker Astro E7 26800mah Power Bank works perfectly with the Anker solar charger. However if the sunlight drops too low and the charger produces close to 0 ma, but then the sun comes out before the solar charger powers off, the RavPower would not charge anymore."
"My first test of the panels was on a mostly cloudy day when my power brick was charged in the 26-50% range. My pack was drained back down to the 26-50% range and was fully charged after about 4 hours in direct sunlight, using both cables. As expected the angle of the panels affected power output as well, with around 45 degrees to the current sun azimuth producing the highest output."
"Both three panel fold outs were arranged in nearly identical positions on a small table in my back yard. Both units consistently produced sufficient power to cause my 5 inch Android phone to reflect charging. I strongly suspect that both the Anker and Aukey solar chargers would have charged at a much higher rate had something more than a 5" Smart phone been used. That both the solar chargers charged the Smart phone at a greater rate than the regulated power supply would tend to validate the claim of both manufacturers that their solar chargers would charge at the fastest rate safely possible for a given device. My technical video reviews routinely require at least a couple of hours to produce and I would appreciate a helpful rating if you found it so. POSTSCRIPT. Since some of you might be interested in seeing how the Anker Solar Charger did under a greater load, I placed the panels on the same table about 1:15 p.m., again with a nearly cloudless sky; the temperature was again about 50 degrees. With the panels laying flat on the table, the Drok meter registered 4.64 volts at 1.28 amps (5.9392 watts). The Aukey charger was not tested, but since it employs the same brand, quantity and size panels, I have no reason to believe the results under a greater load would have been substantially different. POSTSCRIPT - STATING THE OBVIOUS. While there is no simple answer to realized solar panel efficiency, suffice to say that you are much more likely to achieve good results in Arizona than in New England."
Best Renewable Energy Controllers
☀Change the default setting of solar controller, requires:firstly,Disconnect the solar panel.Secondly,ensure the remain voltage of battery no less than 12V.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"At first I was concerned that the controller, which is hooked directly to the car's 12v battery, might be damaged upon starting the car when the alternator kicked in, might provide a backflow of current into the controller. Turns out that there's no problem there; the controller continues to work, suspending the "float charge" while the alternator is running, and no damage results from the extra car battery voltage."
"It figured out what kind of batteries I have, two six volt's in my coach."
"This is a great controller at at great price."
"The sequence of software loading and adding the driver to the logger could be better though, the key point being do NOT plug in the logger to a USB port until both the User Interface software and the driver have been loaded."
"Overall it has been a great experience, just wished it had some sort of illumination so i can easily read it in the dark."
"USB port power seemed to be for charging only, if you need direct power feed to USB device recommend getting USB charge controller and separately wiring to the power-out ports on this."
"I bought it for my DIY powerwall + solar panels."
"I have this connected to a small solar panel which is used to charge a 12v battery for my ice fishing house."