I used to install panels as an apprentice electrician probably did 1000 or so. And I can tell you that the quality of panels out there varies enormously..... The best install we had was with high-quality REC panels, and must have been installed at the perfect angle as the customer rang up and said his system fired up and ran at night on a full moon!!! This is excellent info for the average consumer. Cheers.
I had REC panels with ABB micro inverters installed in 2013, all are still going strong. Over 8 years now with no issues. Panels were manufactured in Singapore unlike the majority that come from China.
*We just bought 2x310 watts panel for our sailboat, the mono are smaller in size for the same wattage, on a sailboat that is important, the price difference was only 50$ more. Thanks for the information, I was not aware about the bus bars, I looked at ours and they actually have 5 of them*
Another great vid Cahn. Be good to have you talk about voltage loss when people have their portable panels 10-20m away from their battery and how important choosing the correct size cable is 👍
Cheers mate! That's a good point, a lot of info like that in some of my other videos - but for anyone reading consider how many amps your solar produces, how many metres of wire you're running and calculate the voltage drop (there are plenty of online calculators!) then if you need to upsize your wiring it's a worthwhile cost! Cheers, Cahn
@@4wdsupacentreAu Trying to learn about solar too are you saying that if I get a 10m extension cable, it will be less effective than the standard 4.5m cable I would get? I'm wondering as I'm looking to buy from 4WD supacentre, but some deals are selling the 10m as a package with the 200w solar panels
Thanks mate, It will really change your camp setup! Take the time to set it up properly and you shouldn't ever have an issue. Nothing better than sitting back at camp knowing you have more power coming in, than your fridge and 12V gear is using every day! Cheers, Cahn
Hello great video and lots of practical info. I am a complete novice but on a huge learning curve. My situation is that I have a 120w solar panel on the roof of my van and a 200w battery. I also want to add a portable panel as well. Do I need to get a completely new battery for the portable panel to be connected to? Thanks in advance
Thanks John, much appreciated! It's tough to talk about such a heavily technical topic and not get right into the nitty gritty, but hopefully this was a good balance of technical info and practical info! Cheers, Cahn
Wow it's amazing ! I loved all solar panels you showed. There is one different for each need. My favorite one is the Monocrystalline for its perform. Amorphous panels are not popular but I consider they are a good option. I like the different mount systems you have.
Looking for a cheap and easy solution for a 12v solar pool heater. Pool is 12m X 5m. 1.25m deep going to 2m. Location is Almeria, Spain. Thinking of extending pool season beyond Summer but only if it's not a king's ransom. Grateful for and helpful advice. Cheers.
Nice vid mate would like to put a flexible solar panel on my quicky rooft top tent but im worried about the head if I would glued on because than there is no head escape do I need to worry or should be fine thanks
Nice video! I have two questions: At 10:52 (NOCT) "the lower the number the better"? At 11:17 "the current increases as the temperature increases"? I didn't know this. Do you have a reference or link where I can study this?
About to add permanent panel on top of my vehicle (with existing roof basket, deciding between semi-flex and standard solar panel. Is it safe to stack on top of either of these panels? Flat items like portable solar panel (for trailer) or soft rooftop bags with bedding only.
I live in Arizona, which means I'd be stupid to not go solar, but I've been avoiding it, because I didn't know my amorphous from my monocrystalline. Thank you for this succinct run-down on what's out there!
This is really good information, thanks so much. Knowing all that, I'm looking for a rigid solar panel to charge my 1,000 watt portable power station at home. I have a south facing window which gets good sun most of the day. Can anyone recommend a decent 200 watt solar panel with monocrystalline and class A rating? Thanks.
Hey Guys, I have just installed a 160W fixed solar panel onto my 4wd. It charges the Aux battery through a kings 25A DCDC charger. I am wondering about adding an additional 200W solar blanket in parallel with the 160W fixed panel while parked at camp. Is it possible to just use a 2 into 1 Anderson lead and plug them both into the DCDC charger? I noticed that they are rated to different voltages at PMAX, Cheers.
Yep as CYCLOPATH said we suggest mounting them on corflute - it spaces them up off the roof, and allows air to pass through. Nice and lightweight but strong and shouldn't compress or have any issues! Cheers, Cahn
G'day Mate, we put the source in the video - onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/pip.3102 check out the latest! but to sum up, I'm talking about an individual cell efficiency in the lab. by the time you add a layer of glass over the top and have to house it in a frame, plus run the busbars a greater distance they lose efficiency. About the most powerful you can get at this point is just under 23% Cheers, Cahn
Hello, when I connect solar panel to my battery the voltage rises and lowers rapidly on my battery, is this normal, if not what could be causing it? Thank you, Noel.
Hi Mate just a question - I've put in a solar system on my caravan, 3x300 watt Mono's. Got 2x300amp lithium batteries in caravan. It seems the installers couple the 3 panels in series and is surposed to kick out 60 amp , because each panel kicks out plus minus 20 amps. On the best sunny day we only manage to get 25amps of charging from the 3 panels. We thought we would get at least 50 amps . The most wattage we got out was 450 watts between al 3 of them and we getting a good 60 volts from the 3 panels in series. Do you got any recommedations ? Thanks, will await your response Pieter
Hi Guys, Would like to know (Video maybe?) the best way to connect two Solar panels into the same 12v system. Scenario is a fixed one on the roof, then adding a foldout one when camped out. Cheers Dazzer.
Simplest way that's guaranteed to work spot on is to run the fixed panel on the roof through its own regulator that's connected permanently to the battery, and then when you're camping, fold out your portable panel, connect it through its own regulator and clamp onto the battery. Cheers Brenno
“Australia has the highest solar irradiation on average on earth. That means we get the most sunlight per square meter" *California and Florida have left the chat*
Let me say in florida, cloud hours in florida are equal to sun hours in an average day. I think due to proximity to each coastal sea breezes bringing air moisture as humidity.
When installing a permanent aluminium framed panel on the roof, how much impact do corrugated roads have on the integrity of the panel? Will I need to install foam rubber under the panel? Also, is there a panel which will serve both rooftop during travel and ground during base camp?
Hi Michael, We've never seen the need for rubber mounting, but it wouldn't hurt. You could use a fixed panel on the roof, then remove it when you arrive at camp (so long as you have an easy / quick release system) and ensure you're still using a regulator or DC-DC charger with solar input to charge correctly in either case! Cheers, Cahn
Hi Terry, The regulator will only regulator the blanket so what some people do is that they hardwire panel and blanket together and then buy a bigger regulator that can regulate power coming from both units. You may wanna see a sparky to get further assistance. cheers, Saleha
Just to add to this, you can run them off separate regulators. The best way to do this is connect the regulators first then the panels to each. What will happen is if the battery is severely flat and will accept a high rate of charge, both panels will be working. If the battery is closer to full you'll find that one panel will do the majority of the work (and boost the voltage) and the other, seeing that the battery is 'fuller' will taper off the charging. Ideally you'd run them both through the same regulator for the best output though! Cheers, Cahn
The real question on everyone’s mind is do we buy a 2500$ REDARC amorphous blanket, or do we buy the kings 250w blanket.. how do you decide the 2300$ difference is worth it or not. Probably depends on everyone’s budget
Hi there - I looked at a Kings brand review on TH-cam where the owner had replaced his blankets three times in a few months with warranty replacement - also the 200W rated panel only produced 100W in full sun and no clouds - was there a bad batch of these panels? - thanks for the detailed technical review and explanation- John in SA
Hi John, There has not been a bad batch of blankets released, unfortunately this customer has just had a poor experience. As part of our commitment to customer satisfaction these would have been replaced promptly. As for the 100W produced, output is dependent on a number of factors and would need to be discussed further. If you would like to receive more information on product featured, call us on 1800 88 39 64 or visit the 4WDSC website. Regards, Talia
@@jamiefookes1579 yes Jamie it appears so - I’ve had a positive experience with their Titan drawers but had to modify their awning because the thin aluminium strips with holes where the horizontal poles feed into kept tearing at both ends despite my careful and diligent approach to erecting the awning every time - I’ve reinforced these with an aluminium plate ‘sandwich’ and of course with holes - they should automatically come with strong fixtures in the first place - the awning material has been very good though and not a drop gets through after long downpours - I also replaced the horizontal extension poles which bend easily with a better pair from Tent World - John in SA
Sorry for the late reply! The answer is they'll put out some power thanks to the light that does pass through the clouds, but it'll be significantly reduced! Off the top of my head if you're in a nice cool climate, a really bright sunny day will hypothetically put out 100% An 'average' (not super bright) sunny day will put out around 80% A sunny day with some clouds might put out 70% (depending on clouds!) A sunny day with more regular clouds maybe 50% (again depends on cloud cover) An overcast day could be around 20% output And a really dark overcast day might only be up to 10% Of course, that's in the middle of the day with max sun and a panel that's pointed directly at it - if it's early morning or late arvo when the sun isn't as bright it'll affect it too. So the best scenario would be on top of a cold mountain on a bright sunny day, and you constantly reposition the solar so it's pointed at the sun! Cheers, Cahn
> NO sun and it's cloudy all the day long "NO sun" = night. In full overcast I see about 20% of max yield. In full dark overcast I see about 10%. In full bright overcast I see about 30%.
If this helps: my 100 watt panels usually have a low average amp output of 8 tenths of an amp in the cloudy times, varying to 1.2 amps . This is low low light day conditions.
I think you mean these ones: www.4wdsupacentre.com.au/solar-panel-mounting-brackets-to-suit-kings-110w-fixed-solar-panel-mounting-hardware-incl-stainless-steel-adventure-kings.html but if not what time of the video and I'll let you know! Cheers, Cahn
I have a 90watt tv I want to run it off grid for 26 hours a day. What equipments I need with a tight budget???? I appreciate if you can precisely give me exact amps,bolts or watts equipment power i need. Thank you in advance.
@mick salau Well I dont know how about vehicles but for houses and roofs its pretty big deal because its about your house. If you want you can do some quick research and you will find a lot of cases of burned solar panels and burned roofs. The fuse and wire will not help you because the cos of fire is failure of the panel it self where one of the cell is blocked and creates basically resistance (blockade for other cells) and that collect all the energy in one spot where it burns. I mean it doesnt really matter in solar farms where one burned panels is not a big deal but for your house and roof thats very important.
Im a bit confused, he said put the solar blanket in direct sunlight facing the sun, but then he said to keep the solar blanket cool, what put it the shade and poor iced water over the panels every 20 minutes? if the panels are in the shade then how can it use the sun to charge the battery?
Question..... Oh BTW, that was great info thanks very much.. I am looking for a panel with the highest Amp output I can get and was wondering if your Kings 200W Solar Blanket coupled with the 20A MPPT controller that is advertised as outputting "up to 16Amps" is a "Real Life" figure that I could expect to get in ideal conditions or is that the unachievable Lab test rating ? Cheers
from what i have been testing. NO the links 200w solar blanket will output about 8amps, i use 2 x 200w solar blankets from kings and a victron 100/20 MPPT and struggle to get 250w and 15 amps, the kings 250w folding panels will give about 14-15 amps so there is a difference, thats my take on it anyway
In most cases your alternator will charge more than you can get from your panels when you drive. I got 140A in my camper and it will charge in drive my second battery about 30-40 Amps. The voltage is often slightly higher so it's easy to build system where when you stop, it automatically starts charging from panels. A Good rule is to have every 100W of panels 100A battery. And if you use big inverter you need more battery capacity!
Yes that's true! But solar priority charging can improve your fuel efficiency (even if it's just a little bit...) A larger alternator puts more load on your engine and that will use more fuel if it's constantly needing to charge at high output. A combination is a good thing, so as I said in the video combining alternator charging with your solar is a good idea! Glad to hear your setup is working well (that's the main thing everyone should aim for!) and thanks for the comments and handy suggestions! Cheers, Cahn
@@4wdsupacentreAu In my 2.3L Diesel (Fiat Ducato) I do Not found fuel consumption Increase even if I use Air Conditioner, that's mainly because it's Diesel and 90% time under heavy use. And if those increase consumption, it is so little that you can not measure it. Thanks for your answer, just want to share mine because working over 10 years with it!
@@april7_ Yes it can be marginal in some diesel vehicles - you're right. For petrol vehicles and vehicles with smart alternators though, it's a big win! Cheers, Cahn
If you mount the Kings 160 watt solar panel, between the canopy and attached to under the roof racks (not on top), how many watts of power do I lose by the roof rack bars going across the panel? No one has been able to answer this for me.
Hey Pam, I think the reason no-one has been able to help you out is because this is a very hard question to answer! First of all, you'd need to figure out the surface area of the shaded sections, then find that as a percentage of the total cell area - that would give you the immediate % drop at a certain point in time. Every roof rack will be different in what shadow it casts, plus it will depend on where you mount the panel and which parts of the roof rack (mesh, cross bars, mounting points etc) are actually shading the panel. The problem though is that over the course of a whole day, as the position of the sun changes and the shadows getting longer, that surface area will constantly be changing. That means the output is constantly changing too. Next issue is that while the shaded areas will be cooler (which you might see as a good thing), that shading can cause a drop in efficiency in that cell, which causes the cell to heat up more than others and lose power output. Also the fact that the cells themselves are mounted hard against the bottom of the roof rack could mean that heat transfer between the racks and the solar panel is an issue. Depending on the air gap between the canopy and the solar panels it could affect it more than if there was a larger air gap too. Overall, I'd say the possible losses don't make mounting it under the roof rack worthwhile. Next time I have a chance though, I might try and set up two identical panels on top of and underneath a roof rack and try and get an instantaneous difference in output for you! Cheers, Cahn
If the panels have the same voltage range, you can connect them in parallel and use one controller . If you use MPPT controller, it's more optimal to have separate controllers. And yes, you can have more than one charge-controller on one battery. The only thing is if you have two controllers and lead acid battery, only set the one controller to do reconditioning...
Hi Phillip, this gets a little hard especially if you're using 2 different brands or styles of solar panel. We suggest only linking solar of the same design, size/output and brand together. (OR use individual regulators on each panel if they’re different) Cheers, Mia
I bought a cheaper solar panel from Aliexpress. I have a question perhaps you can help. I have 22 volts DC coming out from the solar panel. This is a 20 watt panel. The maximum current I get is 30 mA. It is quite low. It was fine before. I don't see any physical defects. I checked for the diodes and don't see. Just a little USB circuit. Any ideas what could be wrong? Thanks
Hi Asat, I'm afraid we cant comment on any other brands as they have their own design. I think it will be best to contact manufacturer or a solar electrician. Thanks. Cheers, Saleha
More amps with heat does not mean the mppt will work better! more voltage would. So if it went from 18-21v then the mppt would be able to put out more. Plus you didnt say if the voltage dropped? So if amps up and volts down its likely the ONLY thing that would see a benefit would be PWM (though still lower than a mppt)
Hi Fred, You can mix and match mate, it just depends on what you are looking to achieve. Give us a bell on 1800 88 39 64 and we can give you the advice you need. Cheers, Chad
Hey Dan, No, while they’re able to conform to gentle curves, they’re not designed to be constantly flexed. As you can imagine, mounting it at each end will cause it to bow in the middle and flail back and forth while you’re moving, causing damage. Hope this helps, Emily 👍
My 250 w portable solar panel is making 22.2 volts at the Anderson and I have three and all doing around same volts , I also have a 160 watt portable panel and it’s doing around 13.6 volts ,will the extra volts on the 250 panels cook my 170 & 150 agm batteries .
@@denniscockayne6022 pre charge controller it can be any voltage the charge controller can handle (mine is 45v max for example) , post charge controller it'll be whatever voltage your battery needs. That's the job of a solar charge controller.
In short, 22.2 volts strait to the batteries will kill them very quickly. Sounds like the 160w portable panel has a regulator of some sort and your 250w panel isn’t. Never connect an unregulated panel to a battery of any sort.
Hey Dennis, That should be the Open Circuit Voltage (or close to it) that's listed on your panel. Once you connect it to a battery, the regulator automatically adjusts to suit the battery voltage and start charging. If you connect it your battery and then check the voltage you'll see it drops down! Cheers, Cahn
I am currently I the middle of a warranty claim on a 200w flexible panel from these guys (Lensun Solar) that I had mounted to the roof of my RTT since may2023 (its AUG 2023 @ time of writing). Maybe it will get better but currently I have not been impressed, my issue hasn't been resolved, and the panel just up and quit working. No visible damage. Just stopped working.
@@4wdsupacentreAu purchased from manufacturer website. It’s roughly39”x 40”, typical output when it was flat (tent closed) was around 7-12A output and between 80-140ish W.
I wonder if anyone has installed panels actually inside a 4x4 canopy, (flexiglass) side, long windows, have the battery in the tub, and when at home, I hook up the panels to Kings solar charger, a pain in the butt, would be nice to have panels secured inside, would also cut out the sun as well?
from my understanding it's not shade they need, it's cooler temps. light conditions but cooler temps they perform better than light and hot. basically more efficient in spring type weather rather than middle of summer.
Hi Alex, Amorphous offers better efficiency, and realistically partially shading either poly or mono panels will mean a significant reduction in output. Hope this helps, Emily
I used to install panels as an apprentice electrician probably did 1000 or so. And I can tell you that the quality of panels out there varies enormously..... The best install we had was with high-quality REC panels, and must have been installed at the perfect angle as the customer rang up and said his system fired up and ran at night on a full moon!!!
This is excellent info for the average consumer. Cheers.
Thanks mate
Where can i buy that
I had REC panels with ABB micro inverters installed in 2013, all are still going strong. Over 8 years now with no issues. Panels were manufactured in Singapore unlike the majority that come from China.
Photovoltaic / Solar Thermal Technician here and I approve this video LOL
i Like, OLE!
Thanks for the approval mate! haha
I'm sure there are some details I missed, but as a basic guide hopefully it's helpful to most people!
Cheers,
Cahn
Great video, very useful for a novice solar camper. Thanks for the info.
Most informative. You were able to keep us all up to speed on a relatively technical subject. Well done Sir.
Yes agree with this
Thanks for explaining in a easy way to understand, you've cleared up a lot of questions I had .
Great video!
*We just bought 2x310 watts panel for our sailboat, the mono are smaller in size for the same wattage, on a sailboat that is important, the price difference was only 50$ more. Thanks for the information, I was not aware about the bus bars, I looked at ours and they actually have 5 of them*
Another great vid Cahn.
Be good to have you talk about voltage loss when people have their portable panels 10-20m away from their battery and how important choosing the correct size cable is 👍
Cheers mate! That's a good point, a lot of info like that in some of my other videos - but for anyone reading consider how many amps your solar produces, how many metres of wire you're running and calculate the voltage drop (there are plenty of online calculators!) then if you need to upsize your wiring it's a worthwhile cost!
Cheers,
Cahn
@@4wdsupacentreAu Trying to learn about solar too
are you saying that if I get a 10m extension cable, it will be less effective than the standard 4.5m cable I would get?
I'm wondering as I'm looking to buy from 4WD supacentre, but some deals are selling the 10m as a package with the 200w solar panels
Very helpful advice on solar panels. Thanks Peter
This is the most helpful, erudite and informed presentation on solar panels for 4 wheel drive I have listened heard.
Great explanation, can,t wait to set up my BT50 with this gear, cheers
Thanks mate,
It will really change your camp setup! Take the time to set it up properly and you shouldn't ever have an issue. Nothing better than sitting back at camp knowing you have more power coming in, than your fridge and 12V gear is using every day!
Cheers,
Cahn
Great vid, helps a lot. With a fixed panel on the roof rack are they tough enough to take load on top? like swag and tents etc. during travel.
Hi Stephen,
They’re tough enough for sure, but you could scratch them and reduce their output so we advise not to do this.
Cheers,
Emily
great info for people to see before buying..... thank you for the video....
A really well thought out video! Thank you! It would be nicer without the loud music. As for me it was distracting.
Great explainer vid guys!
Thanks Patrick,
Much appreciated! Thanks for taking the time to comment and watch the video!
Cheers,
Cahn
Hello great video and lots of practical info. I am a complete novice but on a huge learning curve. My situation is that I have a 120w solar panel on the roof of my van and a 200w battery. I also want to add a portable panel as well. Do I need to get a completely new battery for the portable panel to be connected to? Thanks in advance
Really enjoyed your video mate !
Fantastic presentation! Succinct and perfectly paced. Thanks heaps.
Thanks John, much appreciated!
It's tough to talk about such a heavily technical topic and not get right into the nitty gritty, but hopefully this was a good balance of technical info and practical info!
Cheers,
Cahn
Great video! Where can I get these solar blankets in the USA?
Awesome info mate.
Cheers
Fantastic & Knowledgable
Great video, love the detail, explained well.
Glad it helped
Many thanks for this excellent presentation.
Great info. Thanks
Wow it's amazing ! I loved all solar panels you showed. There is one different for each need. My favorite one is the Monocrystalline for its perform. Amorphous panels are not popular but I consider they are a good option. I like the different mount systems you have.
Looking for a cheap and easy solution for a 12v solar pool heater. Pool is 12m X 5m. 1.25m deep going to 2m. Location is Almeria, Spain. Thinking of extending pool season beyond Summer but only if it's not a king's ransom. Grateful for and helpful advice. Cheers.
Thanks for a very informative video. I like your presentation. You have a new subscriber.
Awesome, thank you!
Nice vid mate would like to put a flexible solar panel on my quicky rooft top tent but im worried about the head if I would glued on because than there is no head escape do I need to worry or should be fine thanks
very good information and good video as well. thx u.
Great video👍
Beautifully explained.. gonna buy it soon..
Good choice
Nice video!
I have two questions:
At 10:52 (NOCT) "the lower the number the better"?
At 11:17 "the current increases as the temperature increases"?
I didn't know this. Do you have a reference or link where I can study this?
If I want to put a solar panel on my single cab ute Great Wall can you put one on the roof off the ute
About to add permanent panel on top of my vehicle (with existing roof basket, deciding between semi-flex and standard solar panel. Is it safe to stack on top of either of these panels? Flat items like portable solar panel (for trailer) or soft rooftop bags with bedding only.
These are great 👍🏻 thanks
I live in Arizona, which means I'd be stupid to not go solar, but I've been avoiding it, because I didn't know my amorphous from my monocrystalline. Thank you for this succinct run-down on what's out there!
We're glad you found it useful 👍
Hi Ellen, check out PEP Solar. We’re AZ local and oldest solar installer in the USA 😊
Very informative, great vid 👍
Glad you enjoyed it
This is really good information, thanks so much. Knowing all that, I'm looking for a rigid solar panel to charge my 1,000 watt portable power station at home. I have a south facing window which gets good sun most of the day. Can anyone recommend a decent 200 watt solar panel with monocrystalline and class A rating? Thanks.
Interesting 🤔 Thanks
Hey Guys, I have just installed a 160W fixed solar panel onto my 4wd. It charges the Aux battery through a kings 25A DCDC charger.
I am wondering about adding an additional 200W solar blanket in parallel with the 160W fixed panel while parked at camp. Is it possible to just use a 2 into 1 Anderson lead and plug them both into the DCDC charger? I noticed that they are rated to different voltages at PMAX,
Cheers.
Do you have a link to a shot out with other (quality?) solar panels please?
Very helpful thank you
I learned a lot. Thanks.
Hi how do you recommend installing the semiflexible panels on a vehicle to keep them ventilated?
mount them on coreflute, check out the video on how to mount them on the product page.
Yep as CYCLOPATH said we suggest mounting them on corflute - it spaces them up off the roof, and allows air to pass through. Nice and lightweight but strong and shouldn't compress or have any issues!
Cheers,
Cahn
And where do I get thouse 26.5% efficiency panels if may I ask? Highest I've seen is 21% in mono
G'day Mate,
we put the source in the video - onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/pip.3102 check out the latest!
but to sum up, I'm talking about an individual cell efficiency in the lab. by the time you add a layer of glass over the top and have to house it in a frame, plus run the busbars a greater distance they lose efficiency. About the most powerful you can get at this point is just under 23%
Cheers,
Cahn
@@4wdsupacentreAu lol
Hello, when I connect solar panel to my battery the voltage rises and lowers rapidly on my battery, is this normal, if not what could be causing it? Thank you, Noel.
very helpful, thanks for the info
No problem!
Hi Mate just a question - I've put in a solar system on my caravan, 3x300 watt Mono's. Got 2x300amp lithium batteries in caravan. It seems the installers couple the 3 panels in series and is surposed to kick out 60 amp , because each panel kicks out plus minus 20 amps. On the best sunny day we only manage to get 25amps of charging from the 3 panels. We thought we would get at least 50 amps . The most wattage we got out was 450 watts between al 3 of them and we getting a good 60 volts from the 3 panels in series. Do you got any recommedations ? Thanks, will await your response Pieter
Excellent video
Hi Guys, Would like to know (Video maybe?) the best way to connect two Solar panels into the same 12v system. Scenario is a fixed one on the roof, then adding a foldout one when camped out. Cheers Dazzer.
Simplest way that's guaranteed to work spot on is to run the fixed panel on the roof through its own regulator that's connected permanently to the battery, and then when you're camping, fold out your portable panel, connect it through its own regulator and clamp onto the battery. Cheers Brenno
Rated vs real world. A lot of blankets advertise say 200w but only produce around half of that in full sun conditions. Kings included
what dose it mean if your mono blanket has smoky looking sells in the panels
“Australia has the highest solar irradiation on average on earth. That means we get the most sunlight per square meter"
*California and Florida have left the chat*
The last time I checked, Australia was a country, Florida and California are states.
Australia is the continent with the highest solar irradiation on average on earth. Not country or state!
Let me say in florida, cloud hours in florida are equal to sun hours in an average day. I think due to proximity to each coastal sea breezes bringing air moisture as humidity.
When installing a permanent aluminium framed panel on the roof, how much impact do corrugated roads have on the integrity of the panel? Will I need to install foam rubber under the panel? Also, is there a panel which will serve both rooftop during travel and ground during base camp?
Hi Michael,
We've never seen the need for rubber mounting, but it wouldn't hurt.
You could use a fixed panel on the roof, then remove it when you arrive at camp (so long as you have an easy / quick release system) and ensure you're still using a regulator or DC-DC charger with solar input to charge correctly in either case!
Cheers,
Cahn
What brand of monocrystaline pannel do u recomend for DIY house
$wd supercenter ones
can you run a blanket along side a fixed panel?
i have a 130 amp solar pan, max power 18v open circuit vol 22.5 max system vol 1000 witch fuse do i need for the solar panel
Great info, Can you use a fixed panel and also a blanket at the same time?
Hi Terry,
The regulator will only regulator the blanket so what some people do is that they hardwire panel and blanket together and then buy a bigger regulator that can regulate power coming from both units. You may wanna see a sparky to get further assistance.
cheers,
Saleha
Just to add to this, you can run them off separate regulators. The best way to do this is connect the regulators first then the panels to each.
What will happen is if the battery is severely flat and will accept a high rate of charge, both panels will be working.
If the battery is closer to full you'll find that one panel will do the majority of the work (and boost the voltage) and the other, seeing that the battery is 'fuller' will taper off the charging.
Ideally you'd run them both through the same regulator for the best output though!
Cheers,
Cahn
Cahn is this a hint of a new range 😳😳😳 cloudy days are getting more often...
What's the difference between 100watt and 400watt solar panels ? Thanks
The real question on everyone’s mind is do we buy a 2500$ REDARC amorphous blanket, or do we buy the kings 250w blanket.. how do you decide the 2300$ difference is worth it or not. Probably depends on everyone’s budget
Let's just say the poor man buys twice and leave it at that.
@@TheVeganTravelShow yes correct but in this instance the poor man can buy 10 times 😂
Hi there - I looked at a Kings brand review on TH-cam where the owner had replaced his blankets three times in a few months with warranty replacement - also the 200W rated panel only produced 100W in full sun and no clouds - was there a bad batch of these panels? - thanks for the detailed technical review and explanation- John in SA
Hi John,
There has not been a bad batch of blankets released, unfortunately this customer has just had a poor experience. As part of our commitment to customer satisfaction these would have been replaced promptly. As for the 100W produced, output is dependent on a number of factors and would need to be discussed further. If you would like to receive more information on product featured, call us on 1800 88 39 64 or visit the 4WDSC website.
Regards, Talia
The quality dropped about 5 or 6 years ago
@@jamiefookes1579 yes Jamie it appears so - I’ve had a positive experience with their Titan drawers but had to modify their awning because the thin aluminium strips with holes where the horizontal poles feed into kept tearing at both ends despite my careful and diligent approach to erecting the awning every time - I’ve reinforced these with an aluminium plate ‘sandwich’ and of course with holes - they should automatically come with strong fixtures in the first place - the awning material has been very good though and not a drop gets through after long downpours - I also replaced the horizontal extension poles which bend easily with a better pair from Tent World - John in SA
That was a pretty informative video.
What is the most powerful blanket out???
Hi just like to know how heavy the folding panels are to lift.
Regards Ingrid
Hey Ingrid, depends on the panel - which one are you after?
Thanx, I needed to see this, can't remember if you touched on the light factor but will they charge if NO sun and it's cloudy all the day long ?
Sorry for the late reply!
The answer is they'll put out some power thanks to the light that does pass through the clouds, but it'll be significantly reduced!
Off the top of my head if you're in a nice cool climate, a really bright sunny day will hypothetically put out 100%
An 'average' (not super bright) sunny day will put out around 80%
A sunny day with some clouds might put out 70% (depending on clouds!)
A sunny day with more regular clouds maybe 50% (again depends on cloud cover)
An overcast day could be around 20% output
And a really dark overcast day might only be up to 10%
Of course, that's in the middle of the day with max sun and a panel that's pointed directly at it - if it's early morning or late arvo when the sun isn't as bright it'll affect it too.
So the best scenario would be on top of a cold mountain on a bright sunny day, and you constantly reposition the solar so it's pointed at the sun!
Cheers,
Cahn
> NO sun and it's cloudy all the day long
"NO sun" = night.
In full overcast I see about 20% of max yield.
In full dark overcast I see about 10%.
In full bright overcast I see about 30%.
If this helps: my 100 watt panels usually have a low average amp output of 8 tenths of an amp in the cloudy times, varying to 1.2 amps . This is low low light day conditions.
Can you charge two batteries off one solar panel and DCDC CHARGER???
What brackets are you using to attach the solar panel to the roof rack?
I think you mean these ones: www.4wdsupacentre.com.au/solar-panel-mounting-brackets-to-suit-kings-110w-fixed-solar-panel-mounting-hardware-incl-stainless-steel-adventure-kings.html
but if not what time of the video and I'll let you know!
Cheers,
Cahn
thank you great detail video
Glad it was helpful!
I have a 90watt tv I want to run it off grid for 26 hours a day.
What equipments I need with a tight budget????
I appreciate if you can precisely give me exact amps,bolts or watts equipment power i need.
Thank you in advance.
Nice video, the only think Im missing is the safety and thats pretty big deal.
Your doing to much thinking I think.
@mick salau Well I dont know how about vehicles but for houses and roofs its pretty big deal because its about your house. If you want you can do some quick research and you will find a lot of cases of burned solar panels and burned roofs. The fuse and wire will not help you because the cos of fire is failure of the panel it self where one of the cell is blocked and creates basically resistance (blockade for other cells) and that collect all the energy in one spot where it burns. I mean it doesnt really matter in solar farms where one burned panels is not a big deal but for your house and roof thats very important.
Im a bit confused, he said put the solar blanket in direct sunlight facing the sun, but then he said to keep the solar blanket cool, what put it the shade and poor iced water over the panels every 20 minutes? if the panels are in the shade then how can it use the sun to charge the battery?
Very good information
Glad you liked it mate, thanks for watching
Question..... Oh BTW, that was great info thanks very much.. I am looking for a panel with the highest Amp output I can get and was wondering if your Kings 200W Solar Blanket coupled with the 20A MPPT controller that is advertised as outputting "up to 16Amps" is a "Real Life" figure that I could expect to get in ideal conditions or is that the unachievable Lab test rating ? Cheers
from what i have been testing. NO the links 200w solar blanket will output about 8amps, i use 2 x 200w solar blankets from kings and a victron 100/20 MPPT and struggle to get 250w and 15 amps, the kings 250w folding panels will give about 14-15 amps so there is a difference, thats my take on it anyway
In most cases your alternator will charge more than you can get from your panels when you drive. I got 140A in my camper and it will charge in drive my second battery about 30-40 Amps. The voltage is often slightly higher so it's easy to build system where when you stop, it automatically starts charging from panels. A Good rule is to have every 100W of panels 100A battery. And if you use big inverter you need more battery capacity!
Yes that's true!
But solar priority charging can improve your fuel efficiency (even if it's just a little bit...)
A larger alternator puts more load on your engine and that will use more fuel if it's constantly needing to charge at high output.
A combination is a good thing, so as I said in the video combining alternator charging with your solar is a good idea!
Glad to hear your setup is working well (that's the main thing everyone should aim for!) and thanks for the comments and handy suggestions!
Cheers,
Cahn
@@4wdsupacentreAu In my 2.3L Diesel (Fiat Ducato) I do Not found fuel consumption Increase even if I use Air Conditioner, that's mainly because it's Diesel and 90% time under heavy use. And if those increase consumption, it is so little that you can not measure it. Thanks for your answer, just want to share mine because working over 10 years with it!
@@april7_ Yes it can be marginal in some diesel vehicles - you're right. For petrol vehicles and vehicles with smart alternators though, it's a big win!
Cheers,
Cahn
If you mount the Kings 160 watt solar panel, between the canopy and attached to under the roof racks (not on top), how many watts of power do I lose by the roof rack bars going across the panel? No one has been able to answer this for me.
Hey Pam,
I think the reason no-one has been able to help you out is because this is a very hard question to answer!
First of all, you'd need to figure out the surface area of the shaded sections, then find that as a percentage of the total cell area - that would give you the immediate % drop at a certain point in time.
Every roof rack will be different in what shadow it casts, plus it will depend on where you mount the panel and which parts of the roof rack (mesh, cross bars, mounting points etc) are actually shading the panel.
The problem though is that over the course of a whole day, as the position of the sun changes and the shadows getting longer, that surface area will constantly be changing. That means the output is constantly changing too.
Next issue is that while the shaded areas will be cooler (which you might see as a good thing), that shading can cause a drop in efficiency in that cell, which causes the cell to heat up more than others and lose power output.
Also the fact that the cells themselves are mounted hard against the bottom of the roof rack could mean that heat transfer between the racks and the solar panel is an issue.
Depending on the air gap between the canopy and the solar panels it could affect it more than if there was a larger air gap too.
Overall, I'd say the possible losses don't make mounting it under the roof rack worthwhile. Next time I have a chance though, I might try and set up two identical panels on top of and underneath a roof rack and try and get an instantaneous difference in output for you!
Cheers,
Cahn
Can you use 2 different types at the same time to charge your battery like have fixed flexi solar panel and then a portable solar blanket?
I'd use separate controllers.
@@fratermus5502 cool but can go into the same battery?
If the panels have the same voltage range, you can connect them in parallel and use one controller .
If you use MPPT controller, it's more optimal to have separate controllers.
And yes, you can have more than one charge-controller on one battery.
The only thing is if you have two controllers and lead acid battery, only set the one controller to do reconditioning...
Can you have two different types of panels going into one mppt charger?
Hi Phillip, this gets a little hard especially if you're using 2 different brands or styles of solar panel. We suggest only linking solar of the same design, size/output and brand together. (OR use individual regulators on each panel if they’re different) Cheers, Mia
I bought a cheaper solar panel from Aliexpress. I have a question perhaps you can help. I have 22 volts DC coming out from the solar panel. This is a 20 watt panel. The maximum current I get is 30 mA. It is quite low. It was fine before. I don't see any physical defects. I checked for the diodes and don't see. Just a little USB circuit. Any ideas what could be wrong? Thanks
Hi Asat, I'm afraid we cant comment on any other brands as they have their own design. I think it will be best to contact manufacturer or a solar electrician.
Thanks.
Cheers,
Saleha
Do yous install them on customers 4×4
Some stores offer fitting, other stores have fitting partners - Hit the 'Stores' link on the 4WDSupacentre website to get this info. Cheers, Emily
MPPT for the win
Interesting fact about Australia I wonder if Canada have the same unique characteristics as Australia.
More amps with heat does not mean the mppt will work better! more voltage would. So if it went from 18-21v then the mppt would be able to put out more. Plus you didnt say if the voltage dropped? So if amps up and volts down its likely the ONLY thing that would see a benefit would be PWM (though still lower than a mppt)
should all the solar panels be the same or can you mix them up??
Hi Fred,
You can mix and match mate, it just depends on what you are looking to achieve. Give us a bell on 1800 88 39 64 and we can give you the advice you need.
Cheers,
Chad
Is it possible to make a Kings folding solar panel fixed by making a aliminium frame out of 50x50 Aliminium angle
Hi there,
Unfortunately not as they are not designed for permanent fixtures.
Regards, Courtney
Can a semi flexible panel be tied to cross bars of a roof rack without a cage?
Flapping in the wind will eventually destroy it
@@shanevonharten3100 thanks
Hey Dan,
No, while they’re able to conform to gentle curves, they’re not designed to be constantly flexed. As you can imagine, mounting it at each end will cause it to bow in the middle and flail back and forth while you’re moving, causing damage.
Hope this helps,
Emily 👍
Don't tell me that Australia beats North Africa or the Andes mountains for solar radiation or Antarctica for that matter
My 250 w portable solar panel is making 22.2 volts at the Anderson and I have three and all doing around same volts , I also have a 160 watt portable panel and it’s doing around 13.6 volts ,will the extra volts on the 250 panels cook my 170 & 150 agm batteries .
No. The solar charge controller will regulate the voltage going into your battery.
Master Ruseman shouldn’t it be around 13 volts measured at the Anderson plug not 22-23 volts for a 12 volt panel.
@@denniscockayne6022 pre charge controller it can be any voltage the charge controller can handle (mine is 45v max for example)
, post charge controller it'll be whatever voltage your battery needs. That's the job of a solar charge controller.
In short, 22.2 volts strait to the batteries will kill them very quickly. Sounds like the 160w portable panel has a regulator of some sort and your 250w panel isn’t. Never connect an unregulated panel to a battery of any sort.
Hey Dennis,
That should be the Open Circuit Voltage (or close to it) that's listed on your panel.
Once you connect it to a battery, the regulator automatically adjusts to suit the battery voltage and start charging.
If you connect it your battery and then check the voltage you'll see it drops down!
Cheers,
Cahn
no..... 12 seconds. A new personal best LOL
Dont understand much about the mathematical process but I am trying..
What are the blacks ones at the back
Hi Leeanne,
They are the support legs. See link below.
www.4wdsupacentre.com.au/250w-solar-blanket-with-support-legs.html
Cheers,
Cahn
I am currently I the middle of a warranty claim on a 200w flexible panel from these guys (Lensun Solar) that I had mounted to the roof of my RTT since may2023 (its AUG 2023 @ time of writing). Maybe it will get better but currently I have not been impressed, my issue hasn't been resolved, and the panel just up and quit working. No visible damage. Just stopped working.
Lensun Solar? Where did you purchase? Also how big is it and did you ever measure the output when it was working?
@@4wdsupacentreAu purchased from manufacturer website. It’s roughly39”x 40”, typical output when it was flat (tent closed) was around 7-12A output and between 80-140ish W.
12:24 Remember where you parked when you climb out of your vehicle for your midnight pee!!
I wonder if anyone has installed panels actually inside a 4x4 canopy, (flexiglass) side, long windows, have the battery in the tub, and when at home, I hook up the panels to Kings solar charger, a pain in the butt, would be nice to have panels secured inside, would also cut out the sun as well?
I've been asking all the channels to do a review of fold out panels 2x4 as a dashboard sunshade, but no one has done it.
how many watts will i need for my setup?
What are you running? Do you have a DC charger or dual battery isolator etc?
Cheers,
Cahn
Yes.
You will need all of the watts.
Awesome
Thanks for your support mate!
Cheers,
Chad
Tx Cobb.
but hw many gigawatts do we need at what speed to go back to the future?
hahaha 1.21 @ 88mph should do it I reckon!
Plus you'll need a flux capacitor of course...
@@4wdsupacentreAu lol
Doesn’t poly get better efficiency when partially shaded?
from my understanding it's not shade they need, it's cooler temps. light conditions but cooler temps they perform better than light and hot. basically more efficient in spring type weather rather than middle of summer.
Hi Alex,
Amorphous offers better efficiency, and realistically partially shading either poly or mono panels will mean a significant reduction in output.
Hope this helps,
Emily
Will a solar panel work through a window?
Hi there,
Our solar panels may not work as efficently compared to being in direct sunlight.
Regards, Courtney
Amorphous panels are not popular beacause price