Friday, January 24, 2014

Instapark® NEW All Black 180W Mono-crystalline Solar Panel, 180 watt

Instapark® NEW All Black 180W Mono-crystalline Solar Panel, 180 wattI've been using 3 of these as my primary power source for about 8 months now in Oregon. They were damn near worthless during the winter (as expected), but provide plenty of power during the summer. I use a TriStar 60amp MPPT, but the 45amp model would of been enough.

At present in early May I'll see 200 to 300 watts incoming power from them.

These panels use MC4 connectors which makes wiring them up super simple. I ran mine in parallel using HQRP Pair MC4 T-branch Solar Panel Connector M/M/F & F/F/M (1F2M & 2F1M) for PV / Photovoltaic System plus HQRP Coaster

Two panels run into one connector. Then that connector, plus the third panel, run into the second connector.

Those then connect to Tektrum 12ft Long PV Extension Cable with MC4 M/F Connectors for Outdoor Solar Panel (Set of 2)

That runs to my charge controller which has very short cables I made with HQRP Pair MC4 Solar Panel Connector male & female (M&F) for PV / Photovoltaic System plus HQRP Coaster.

If I could do it all over again, I'd of not use the pre-built MC4 cables. They're 12AWG with no mention of material (copper? aluminum? It matters!). I'd rather make an exact fit cable using the crimp on connectors and 8AWG copper wire from Home Depot. Cheaper and higher quality!

To note, 12AWG _should be_ fine, but I'd rather have optimal. Solar panels generally output higher voltage and lower amperage. The Voc is 44.64volts, the Ios is 5.25amps. 3 in parallel gets you 44.64volts and an Ios of 15.75amps.

12 feet of 12AWG aluminum in those conditions gets 2.13% voltage drop. 12 feet or 8AWG copper gets 0.54%.

These two units provide all the power I need to operate the electrical system on my boat for up to 8 hours.

Buy Instapark® NEW All Black 180W Mono-crystalline Solar Panel, 180 watt Now

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