Will: I think you need to update this. My Renogy flexible doesn't get any hotter than dark paint but my glass panel gets a lot hotter. Most are junk but there are several good ones now.
Wow, you managed to cram an hour's worth of info into six minutes. Will, this is the type of video I love. None of the fluff and time killer, just the facts!
Minus the facts ... He has a wild misunderstanding of how solar cells work, how they fail, or how they dissipate heat. His thermal fails show signs of resulting from cracked crystals which frequently happens during the shipping and handling. The sandwhiching layers are NOT, in fact, insulators. The thermal performance with one thin layer of plastic is very close to that of the glass (an actual insulator) on one side and air cooled aluminum on the other. Failures frequently occur when people paste them to metal roofs that get hot in the sun. They are less efficient, they are not as durable, but literally nothing this guy says is anything but counter-hype. He is enthusiastic and convincing, just not accurate. Solar power is suffering terribly from over hype and the resultant backlash like this video.
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Agreed! Some of what Will says doesn't seem to apply to them (like one cell damaged pulling down the panel). Also, Hobotechs experience doesn't seem to align with much of this and I haven't personally read of anyone else making these kinds of claims against Bouge/cigs flexible panels - quite the contrary.
Yes, Yes! I am looking for a CIGS review too. On a sailboat bimini, we simply can't install 6 glass panels with all that weight. Sailboats need the shade tolerance too with the end of the boom, mast, shrouds/stays and flags whose shadow can cross the panel. Review the BougeRV Yuma 200W or similar please!
@@ronauger I did go ahead and buy the Bouge 100w CIGS panel. It is bonded to the slightly curved carbon fiber roof of my camper (search: "schmude camptop" for an image). So far it has performed well. Most of my travel is in deserts, so I don't often have the problem of partial shading. The previous "flexible" solar panel was damaged during installation despite me going to great lengths to protect it. This one went on without a hitch and I have walked on it (by accident) without any repercussions. It performs well even when it is smoking hot.
I'm happy with my semi-flexiblepanel after four years. I mounted it on a thin sheet of masonite. Light weight and shock resistance are essential to me. I keep it indoors when not charging. I never expose it to the night sky because freezing might harm it. Mine is the one shown in your video.
I think the flexible panels your are talking about are the flexible crystalline ones. There is also thin film (aka amorphous), which are meant to work better in low light and shade. You made a lot of good points.
I have glass panels in all my permanent installs, but I bought a semi-flexible one to use as a temporary vehicle battery charger when my car is parked for long periods. A glass panel would take up more space when not in use and also be more likely to damage the dashboard or trim due to the weight and sharp corners. So far the flexible panel is working fine. I'm reasonably gentle with it and it is entirely exposed on the back for heat dissipation as it is held onto the windshield with suction cups.
Dude your opinion is by far the best, I have ever seen. That’s saying a lot because, I have been selling and installing renewable, sense the early eighties. When I started, we made our own panels, I broke many cells while soldering the cells, to make a panel, not to mention the water proofing the panel. it’s so much better and easier today. Even after all of these years, I still feel that, a Home built, Axle Flux Wind Turbines is far better then, any manufactured wind turbine, on the market. NOW FOR ME, and for what I’m doing, I’m trying something very difficult, installing a panel on my boat. I would like to be sure my boat battery stays charged, I have a 20’ Thompson speed boat, that we use for fishing. While under power, I’m never worried about our charging abilities. There are those days, that we stay put all day fishing, our electronics, are always on. We have Humminbird Fish Finder/Deep finder, a Ship to Shore Radio, and other electronics. That’s a heavy drain of power, we start our boat every 1/2 hour or so, to keep the batteries charged. We added a extra battery in Parallel for extra capacity. My fear is if someone would ever forget to start the boat, they would drain out. I even keep a third battery on my boat on standby, just in case. Yes I’m paranoid, I would like to have a 200w solar panel charging them. I have always known for about the shittyness of flexible panels. Is there Something that you can suggest for my situation or is flexible my only answer, with the problems you have, rightfully explained. The next problem is the whole 12v thing, I hate them, I always considered them a waste of money. All of my off grid installations we use 36v panels. With Midnight Solar, Classic Charge controllers. I’m just in one of those weird situations, that I may need a flexible 12v panel, with some stupid and cheaply built controller. You would know this, what would be a decent small controller, that you would you suggest? I have never built such a small array before? Sorry for the novel dude. Your opinion is very valuable to me. I always send any new off grid costumer, of mine to you. They can get a education from someone, I consider one of the best that I have ever seen. You will go a long way in life, and will lead people to a much better future.
The hot spot issue is not due to materials used, thin plastic sheet performs the same as a thick slab of glass. The most likely culprit is in fact bending damage, these panels are handled 100x over and very likely to get small unnoticeable cracks which will keep getting worse once the material heat cycles, and once you have significant damage the cell no longer produces a comparable voltage to other cells so it becomes a power drain instead, now effectively working as a resistive heater. It could also be bonding issues, but that is again a very small change in heat dissipation.
Yeah, he has misidentified the 'hot spot' cause. The encapsulation materials on glass panels are also insulators (-ish). While I deeply wish this weren't true, getting small orders shipped all the way from China/Indonesia means they get handled *alot* .
I agree that the inability to dissipate heat would cause failure of the panels or at least reduce its performance. Ambient temperature does account for a large portion of heat, but what is being show at 0:46 is from circulating current due to individual receiving different amounts of radiation, thus different currents. It has more to do with internal interactions rather than environmental temperatures. Also, this is an issue flat panels share, so his statements aren't technically true. It just happens more often with flexible panels because how they are being used.
I watched your video last year and decided I'd take the risk and go flexible as I needed to keep weight down. 12 months later, my output is down 40%, a glass panel of the same weight would provide better performance... Do it right or do it twice!
I have had my two 100 watt flexible solar panels on my van for almost 7 years now and I haven't had one single issue !!! I even go through the car wash from time to time !!! If you buy quality solar panels and take the proper precautions when installing them they should last for years !!!
Excellent, you just saved me a few $100, I also saw a video in which the flex panel transfers heat into the interior of the vessel, ceiling temperatures increased by 5 deg F. thanks
Hands off ! I just adopted Will as my private tutor and grandson . Will congratulations on your new house, I am so impressed the way you have decorated the EN-SUITE Bedroom for your guest when you yourself should be enjoying it. There is no end to your kindness towards the public. Please be safe
I've had flexible panels on my boat for 6 years and have noticed for at least the last three at least that the output has reduced dramatically. I was getting up to 25A from 360W but now only using 180W (2x90W panels) and getting 2.5-3.5A. A useful trickle but not much more... I will be going for solid panels when the time comes 👍
when you can get a 200w flexi for less than $70, which is less than 5 times the cost for heavy rigid panels, the light, slim, cheap flex panels are excellent as portable extra panels you can tuck away and only bring out when you are parked in the shade. So they may not last as long (duh, most cheap alternatives don't, but just do the maths). I have two large (250w) flexi panels as extras, I backed with a semi rigid plastic billbord material and cable-tied slim alloy channel around the edges, fitted longer cables and now I have 2 light, slim, cheap semi rigid panels that I bring out occasionally when needed. Sometimes it pays to go cheap, especially when there is no realistic expensive alternative.
I would rather build an active cooling for flexies than drag 100kg worth of glass on my roof It is around 100l of water. Weight factor is paramount when it comes to vehicles. Anyway, you have got the point. Thanks for the video.
Fortunately with Sunpower cells, even cracked cells don't produce significantly less output, as long as the copper traces on the back remain intact. They still collect electrons from the silicon and perform as normal.
Hi Will, I love your videos and enjoy the discovering detailed information you provide. I'm interested in flexible solar for my Ecoflow Delta 2 in my campervan. I wonder if the information you shared 5 years ago is still the same now.
Are there no flexible panels worth buying in the current market? Gas prices are up for one thing so aerodynamics are a big deal. But also in terms of keeping a van conversion less obvious and more stealth, flush mounted flex panels are better than a huge blocky array on hardware mounts. Honestly if flex are such a problem, I'm going to get a couple suitcase type panels and just store them in the vehicle except when I am camping in remote areas. Which kind of sucks.
I agree. Foldable panels typically cost the most. I have solar panels on a cargo basket that I'm trying tone down a bit. On another note, the solar panels attached to my roof rack essentially acts as shade keeping my car some what cool even while in direct sunlight.
I bought 2 x 100w of the ones you showed the advert for. They lasted 2.5 years before dying and replacing them with a 310w solid panel doubled my power output.
I have 2 Renergy 100 watt flexible portable panels that I built PVC pipe frames for them with legs to pivot & put them out in the sun, bring them in at night. After 6 months, still generating the same power when I bought them. Also, their on an open frame so the dissipate heat well. They should last much longer this way then roof mounting. I wouldnt do that at all.
Drum Crazy Crary I’d love another update man - so much contradictory information and sites with reviews they’ve handpicked (can’t trust). Any info from real people is welcome!
I have been used my flexible solar panels (factory installed) on my Alto Safari Condo 1713 camper for 7 years... no problem whatsoever...just perfect for me...I use them in AZ, CA, NM and Canada for few months every year.
I have 3 100w sunpower flexible panels on Eagle cap 1200 in northern California with corrugated plastic underneath them and haven't had a problem after 3 years . Still going strong.
This is a good post/topic - Solar panels get hot - flexible panels bonded directly to a metal roof that is invariably insulated on the underside will get very hot - The falloff in power proportional to temperature is significant - the MPPT volt for the panel drop can be 20% or more which will throw cheaper controllers which are not true MPPT horribly - outfitting a panel to a curve makes little sense since the panels output will drop to the cell most orientated away from the sun - thanks for posting
Great review I agree with everything you said as everybody around me at the marina has flexible solar panels and I’ve never seen any last more than two years without falling apart except for a mate that has a pair of solbian panels , they are now 8 years old and the 100 watt panel is still putting out it’s 5 amps , the reason not every body has a good quality panel is because one of these panels costs 1300 Australian dollars
Unfortunately there has been a rush of super cheap prices advertised on flexible solar panels. The crystals in both the cheap and expensive ones are all the same at point of manufacture. The *mishandling* of the panels before point of sale is the major cause of these problems. Small cracks in individual crystals turn the the crystal into a resistive heater (it's not the sun melting them but the neighboring crystals pushing amperage through them, worsening the problem). You get what you pay for and the cheap rush is going to ruin solar's reputation before long.
I'd be interested in getting your views, as I'm about to use 2 or 3 flexible panels on my van in the UK. I wonder if our 'weaker' sun here actually helps?
Incompetent installation and/or *very* poor quality panels encounter these heat problems. The encapsulations on glass solar panels are also insulators. I , personally am a big fan of the aluminum backed semi-flexible marine solar panels as you can dissipate heat beneath them (if you can manage an air gap without getting flex form the wind)
I've had three flexis, they all barely lasted a year. Went crispy crackly and two are zero volts and remaining panel only outputs ten watts at most! They don't look burnt out but I've definitely cracked cells through moving the panels. The bus bars in the panels also looked like they were delaminating. They don't have many bus bars per cell which contributes to cell hot spots, add that to the poor thermal conductivity and you get degraded or even burnt through cells. Cheap nasty stuff. Perc half cut cell glass panels might be expensive but I've learnt the hard way that you get what you pay for with solar panels!
Exactly what I needed to know. I was thinking of mounting flex panels on my Sienna stealth van. Nope. Gotta go with glass. Two 100 watt Renogys. They'll still be fairly unobtrusive. Thanks for this.
Can you please review renergy 2nd generations flexible solar panels? I heard they did alot to improve these issues. Im jus afraid to try them out and all the videos on them are bias
Check MiPV Leisure series panels. Constructed using CIGS cells based on a stainless steel foil cannot crack and are extremely resistant to impact damage such as large hailstones or stones thrown from tyres etc.
what about a layer of Corroplast or corrugated polycarbonate greenhouse covering sandwiched between the flexible panel and the vehicle for airflow/cooling? I was thinking of trying this but haven't seen anybody else try this. I know the ETFE coated panels last longer before clouding up.
I just bought one lol. I bought a 300 watt flexible solar panel for my car dual battery system because here in Vuctoria, Australia we are not technically allowed the glass & aluminium panels roof mounted. I pray that mine lasts at least 3 years lol. Great Video, Thanks mate 🙏
Will, your video is spot on. I bought (4) Suaoki 100W 18V 12V Solar Panel Charger SunPower Cell Ultra Thin Flexible with MC4 Connector on Amazon 18 months ago and they ALL FAILED. I mounted them with brackets on top of my RV for air flow and still failed. A lot of $$$$$$ out the door! Too bad I did not run into your video sooner. I now have Renogy 100 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Solar Panel (Compact Design) and they seem to be solid with a good warranty.
Did you go with the flexible Renogy panels? I ask because I'm using those too and need to know and would love to communicate with other people on how they do over time. Thanks
Will you are valuable because you are helping others to know the best solar panels for them to buy. You are saving people a lot of time and money because you have spent time and money testing out solar panels and you now know which solar panels are the best.
All true. I have experimented with them as well. One thing I have wondered about tho; was the panel abused before I received it? They can only bend so far. I am with you, I don't use them anymore.
Do you have data supporting the stuff you are saying? Because a lot you are saying here does not add up when I look a little further. Glass has a thermal conductivity of around 0.7 while most plastics are between 0.2 and 0.5. That makes me wonder how the several times thicker glass cover will dissipate heat better? Also I wonder how the company you are mentioning can afford replacing flexible cells for 25 years if "at most you can get 5 years [of use]" (0:55). That'd mean the make enough money of each cell they're selling to give you AT LEAST another four cells for free during the warranty period (if the cells are in fact failing after 5 years at most).
Great rethoric William but saying "The Truth" in 6 minutes can be difficult and some mistakes is possible. For example saying that the heat dissipation in a glass panel is easier than in a no-glass (flexible) panel is at least poorly defined. The 3 or 4 mm thick front glass in a standard solar panel is a formidable heat insulating barrier, much stronger than the one represented by the polymer sheet which covers the cells in the flexible panel. If you need to stick the panel on a surface the Normal Operating Condition Temperature (NOCT) of a glass panel is surely higher than the one of a flexible panel. That is measurable, not just an opinion. If you have an air flux under the panel, the glassy one can behave a bit better, but that can be an issue if you want to install in mobility or on the deck of a boat, where flush installations are a must. Also there are many other inaccuracies in your video: heat has nothing to do with hot-spots, which are the results of cells damages, you can have hot-spot also at the north-pole and also in rigid panels even if I agree that the rigid ones are more resistant to impact. But the glass can breaks and in some installation is better to have a not working panel than a broken glass; ETFE is not black, is one of the possible transparent surface that can be used in flexible panels, it is actually one of the best, and has nothing to do with the flexibility of the panels, which are actually quite flexible, much more than what is needed in most of the installations. Yes, sure, you can find cheap flexible panels on the market and it is always a good idea to choose a reliable distributor, even if the one you advices is selling the same flexible chinese panels you are blaming. So William, to many inaccuracies to trust your Truth. Flexible and rigid panels have their pros and their cons, and they have different fields of application. --- PLEASE NOTE: I'm the technical director of Solbian, an Italian company manufacturing flexible solar panel (also shown in the William video), thus my comment cannot be considered unbiased, but what I wrote can be easily verified.
I agree Luca. I want a quality 100W flex panel, like Solbian, to put on my small electric scooter and ebikes trailer....I will design a dedicated custom trailer. I ride my small electric scooter (ezip1000) and ebike everywhere and even walk them into local stores, grocery shopping etc... I currently charge them at home on my rigid solar array that I built myself. People are so fascinated that I ride on power from the sun with such simplicity. I'm a EE and I love talking about PV and direct use of solar power with people. People I meet would be even more impressed if I had a module/panel on a trailer for a visual. ;)
@@BreeUSA I charge my ebikes up with a pair of 100w rigid panels....I took the mony I saved (compared to flex panels) and doubled my battery capacity and range....and besides, who likes to ride mid-afternoon in the heat/sun anyway (I look for shade when I ride). Pulling a panel makes sense for extended off-grid trips....or makes sense if you need a visual to prop up the 'ol ego. :-)
@@prblakeslee Yes Paul for extended trips, camping, shorter trips mostly public education (I always get queries about my electric rides and when I say I charge off the sun they are intriqued but a visual really helps). I have a rigid solar array I built myself to mainly charge all my E-rides as I mentioned. I purchased a Sunpower flex panel recently as it was within my now tight budget but I was very dissapointed with the QC. When I contacted Sunpower they delayed and delayed in responding and ultimately after first promising a solution didn't care about the mechanical defects (grommets pushed half way through, smashed and grommets split on a couple critical corner grommets) , and various cosmetic defects and poor build quality. While I like the Sunpower cells, the QC and company product support was a terrible experience...very large arrogant dismissive company. Perhaps for large orders they will show more respect.
There are many high quality flexible panels with warranties now. Everyone knows it won't last as long as thick glass aluminum framed panels, but we love it for the easy install without drilling holes and using a rack. You can use reflective tape or 1inch foam insulation underneath for heat dissipation. And you can stealth camp.
I know this is an old video but it’s new to me. I am building a small, portable system (100ah). I want it to be lightweight. I went with flexible panels (2 SunPower 50w) because I thought they would fit my needs and they have decent output. This is not a 24/7/365 installation; only for camping trips. Is there another lightweight, compact option that recommended?
I think this video is very biased if you do some research and don't buy cheap flexible panels your probably be good I have 3 renogy flexible 100w panels is been 5 months no signs of them degrading
Totally agree. We put flexible solar panels on a bimini on our boat and they failed after 3 months. Current output per panel dropped from 8amps to 2amps and never came up. I experienced the cracking sound too. Never use flexible panels.
Good to know. I never liked flexible panels. My 98 monaco came with 100watt bp panels from factory. Still pulling almost 4.5amps at peak hours. I will be getting more panels soon. But not flexible ones. Thanks for the info!!
South-east England and I have just fitted a flexible panel, and the purchase was mostly based on the pop-top roof of our elderly camper. When we upgrade the camper, or the struts that hold that pop top! The mounted area is almost completely flat, so it shouldn't flex. It's a mono 150W etfe panel. It was cheap, fills a gap for us and can be replaced in a few years if the van is still with us. Nice work Will, love the videos, keep it up!
Mount cells on 1/8 polycarbonate (lexan), lightweight and can take massive impacts. Plastic is close to glass for heat conductance, balance thicknesses. I use 100watt flex to Solarized my etrikes which increase range to 160km/sunny day.
Thanks for the great info. Made my decision to go with hard panels. Just hate to change my trawler profile but can’t have something for nothing. Now just need to decide between 24 or 12 volt system. Thanks again!
had my very flexible panel , 70 watt. for years but its very different from what you showed its blue and it was shipped in a roll. that is how its stored "in a roll" currently as it is part of my diy solar generator set up. but its fine when i put it on a hot roof for a year. no changes, i think THAT type is bunk, but mine works great bro. Here is one very close to mine: Uni-Solar PVL-136 Watt PowerBond Flexible 24V Amorphous Solar Panel MC3
Hi Will, always great info.... Renogy has 100 watt/12 volt Flexible Monocrystalline Solar Panels with a 25 year output warranty (80% efficiency rate after 25 years) and 5 year warranty for workmanship and materials. Thoughts?
I've been researching this myself, reading reviews on Amazon. I would recommend asking them if mounting them flat to the roof of a van or RV is covered under warranty. It is this specific use he's talking about, and why they fail. A metal roof is not a heat sink, it's closer to an oven :)
The Renogy flexible panels are ETFE not the junk PET panels reviewed here -night and day. They are similar to the Lensun panels but with a much better warranty.
Great video as usual! I bought (2) Renogy 160W flexible panels 2 years ago and flat-mounted them on my RV epdm roof with eternabond tape. They still work great and I have not had any issues with them. They show the panels flat-mounted in one of their product pics too. I also like the warranty as follows: 25-year power output warranty: 5 year/95% efficiency rate, 10 year/90% efficiency rate, 25-year/80% efficiency rate. 5-year material and workmanship warranty.
@@richpetrelli2783 Hey Rich, I'm using those too. Please reach out to me if yours fail or start to (or if they do amazing). I do a TH-cam channel too, and I really don't want to accidentally steer any viewers in the wrong direction. Thanks!
I guess I've been lucky, although I use it differently. I have them in a portable system for my RV. I have 400 watts traditional solar panels on the roof and I use 2 -100 watt flex for my portable. I use the flex panels on a PVC frame. Weight is the prime consideration for using these panels. I use thick wire and can place them up to 20 feet from the RV with minimal voltage drop. This way I can park in the shade and still have 200 watts working in the sun. I'm on my second year with these and so far so good. They are cheap Chinese Ebay panels and I do expect rather quick failure - but for me the light weight and portability is worth it. Thanks for the tip on you Cali distributor.
Ahh dangit! I just recently installed a 100w flex etfe bougerv panal on my astro..... I guess I get to find out how long it lasts!!!! I plugged it in a few days ago to my solar generator and was consistently getting 69-70 watts. Thanks for the info man.
Update!. Lasted 14 months and fried in the arizona sun. May partially have been my fault. I mounted it directly to my van roof without an air space under it. I would buy again. Never had any trouble until the end. Only complaint is the bix on top where the wires come out was terrible design and not water proof.
I was thinking to make a solar sea scooter and use a flexible solar panel. Nice video change my mind. my solar panel will be 1 metre above the sea ? Which panel do you recomend? Salt water damage monocristal regular panel? Or flexible panel 1 metre above sea manage heat problem? There will be nothing between panel and sea there will be just air.
I appreciated the honesty at the end, we know you've bought a ton of equipment and you're being honest in your advice on what you spent on them and the disappointment. I've got two solar arrays and I'm looking for something to charge up a portable LifePO4 power station with. I was thinking flexible panels but now I'm thinking of just making a mounting system for a few glass panels.
Great video!. May I ask, however: at 3:50 you mention that the flexible-but-less-flexible panels degrade quickly because they are black. But to my naive eye all solar panels look black. So I'm a little puzzled. Thank you.
Thank you for the input. I bought a Renogy 100w Flexible panel, but haven’t installed it. I had an odd feeling that this wasn’t going to work out as I thought it would.
I appreciation this video. I just bought a Renogy 100 watt flexible mono panel for 25 bucks at Lowe's. Yes, it's new. I'll be installing it with air space underneath that will also allow water to drain away. It's going on a flat travel trailer roof. My only concern, and you didn't say anything about it, it's if a flexible panel may be used with rigid panels of the same wattage? I already have 300 watts of solar in rigid panels.
We have had the same problem. Over the year we have had our pannels they have degraded so much. Now they output anything from .1 to .3 amps. Basically no power at all. At 280 a piece we are very displeased with the flexable pannels and will never buy them again. I only wish I had done more research to begin with rather than getting them because they fit with our needs. We need power more than we need them to fit a particular area.
Valid, helpful points about flexible panels.🎯 Now tell us how you really feel about them⚡😂😂😂 Endeavor to NOT let oneself to be "pissed off' more than a few minutes, when something breaks. . . it's broken,,, pick up the pieces and carry on. It's not a bad idea to keep a few broken items handy... My workshop rule#2, "only throw the broken parts" . it's a way to de stress and the good parts are safe😁
from the vids I've seen recently (today is 8/20/23) times have changed. some of the stuff you're mentioning may have been true 5 years ago -- but some of the newer CIGS panels (BougeRV Yuma 200w comes to mind) seem to be in an entirely different class. interesting video here -- but I think more of historical interest than currently applicable.
ok so. Here’s my setup. roof mounted swivel and tilt. renogy solar panels, maybe 4 or 6 100-175w panels. vs 4 or 6 100-175w cracked glass panels . which ones will output more.?
Please review the metal flexible panels, to have an idea of voltage/current/watt behavior and possible uses/ instalation....and of course how durable they are compared to other panels
One of those last pics you showed of two flex panels on a fabric covering on a boat seems like possibly the best application for these panels. Tons of air flow! This is my first time looking into them. I'm interested in them because of their low profile because anyone with an eye for van dwellers can see that I've got ridged panels on the roof of my box truck. I mounted mine about an inch up because I was aware of the issues around panels getting hot. It always sorta confounded me as to how flex panels don't get hot, but I always assumed they just costed more because they didn't have that issue. I'm glad I say your video before I bought.
Hey buddy! Great vid! Literally almost went for one this morning but my gut told me to wait a bit more and look a bit more more into it. What would you say instead about folding panels? Those that get really small usually in a folder with handles? Any good ones you came across? Unfortunately I am in a situation where I can't install a fixed solution on my van and I am looking for alternatives. Thanks for your help!
I am trying to add about 200 watt ( 2x100 ) to my RV. Don't know whether to roof mount of just place out in open sunny area. I like to park in shade. I your opinion, what would be more cost effective, hooking up in 12 or 24 volt. I will probable use a PMT controller because this is a 3-6 day type of thing. Also I have seen used poly panels for sale from the changing out of panels in Commercial Solar Fields. They say they are 9 years old and have been tested to be atleast 90% of original power output. Like $50.00 for 24 volt, 280 watt. What do you think?
I see a lot of van builds and other camper videos where people bought these and regret it. They were excited a year or two ago and now their panels are junk.
I don't know how they are promoted in the us, but the company I worked for sold them to sail boats. You can mount them on a sail, with a lot of airflow....
flex solar panels are great for solar powered e bike builds made for the sun trip . I made a for me a solarpowered cargo tricycle for work proposals, and works fine so far.
Had a 50W flexible panel on the dash for camping. Vibration from driving killed it at the end of the road trip. Also it got somewhat warped from being in a hot car is summer.
i was going to add one of these to my system to test them out, but ill just stick to the old school panels after your review. most of mine are 5 years old now and still going strong. Sounds like these flexible panels have a long way to go. let us know when these panels are worthwhile!
I have a nominal wattage of 990W of Sunpower panels on my RV roof and after 2.5 years I just measured 1,021 Watts again under pretty much ideal conditions. My circumstances are such that I can only mount the rather light flexible panels and so far I am very happy with them.
Sunpower flexible solar panels from research are good quality but not the absolute best in the industry. I don't take everything Will Prowse says as gospel truth and there are always exceptions to quality of these panels.
Will: I think you need to update this. My Renogy flexible doesn't get any hotter than dark paint but my glass panel gets a lot hotter. Most are junk but there are several good ones now.
yes!!! please Will, we need an update!!
So happy i saw this comment. Just ordered a 175w renogy flexible panel, and was about to regret my decision, but now i feel good again 😁
@@elsyver They are quality.
But i guess that you still have air flowing underneath them right? I still dont trust them to be flush on the roof@@tonylatham5915
yep those older ones were booty
Wow, you managed to cram an hour's worth of info into six minutes. Will, this is the type of video I love. None of the fluff and time killer, just the facts!
Mark Conger pro tip. for 1 hour videos watch at 1.5x speed.
spot on comment.
Yeah, if they can't give me the info in ten minutes or less, they're either disorganized or think I'm lonely and need some company.
Minus the facts ...
He has a wild misunderstanding of how solar cells work, how they fail, or how they dissipate heat.
His thermal fails show signs of resulting from cracked crystals which frequently happens during the shipping and handling.
The sandwhiching layers are NOT, in fact, insulators. The thermal performance with one thin layer of plastic is very close to that of the glass (an actual insulator) on one side and air cooled aluminum on the other.
Failures frequently occur when people paste them to metal roofs that get hot in the sun.
They are less efficient, they are not as durable, but literally nothing this guy says is anything but counter-hype. He is enthusiastic and convincing, just not accurate.
Solar power is suffering terribly from over hype and the resultant backlash like this video.
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Perhaps you could redo this video with the newer CIGS panels?
Agreed! Some of what Will says doesn't seem to apply to them (like one cell damaged pulling down the panel). Also, Hobotechs experience doesn't seem to align with much of this and I haven't personally read of anyone else making these kinds of claims against Bouge/cigs flexible panels - quite the contrary.
Yes, Yes! I am looking for a CIGS review too. On a sailboat bimini, we simply can't install 6 glass panels with all that weight. Sailboats need the shade tolerance too with the end of the boom, mast, shrouds/stays and flags whose shadow can cross the panel. Review the BougeRV Yuma 200W or similar please!
@@ronauger I did go ahead and buy the Bouge 100w CIGS panel. It is bonded to the slightly curved carbon fiber roof of my camper (search: "schmude camptop" for an image). So far it has performed well. Most of my travel is in deserts, so I don't often have the problem of partial shading. The previous "flexible" solar panel was damaged during installation despite me going to great lengths to protect it. This one went on without a hitch and I have walked on it (by accident) without any repercussions. It performs well even when it is smoking hot.
I'm happy with my semi-flexiblepanel after four years. I mounted it on a thin sheet of masonite. Light weight and shock resistance are essential to me. I keep it indoors when not charging. I never expose it to the night sky because freezing might harm it. Mine is the one shown in your video.
Will, the world needs you bro. This video saved me a world of hurt. My instincts on these panels were vindicated. Thank you a million times.
I think the flexible panels your are talking about are the flexible crystalline ones. There is also thin film (aka amorphous), which are meant to work better in low light and shade. You made a lot of good points.
I have glass panels in all my permanent installs, but I bought a semi-flexible one to use as a temporary vehicle battery charger when my car is parked for long periods. A glass panel would take up more space when not in use and also be more likely to damage the dashboard or trim due to the weight and sharp corners. So far the flexible panel is working fine. I'm reasonably gentle with it and it is entirely exposed on the back for heat dissipation as it is held onto the windshield with suction cups.
Dude your opinion is by far the best, I have ever seen. That’s saying a lot because, I have been selling and installing renewable, sense the early eighties. When I started, we made our own panels, I broke many cells while soldering the cells, to make a panel, not to mention the water proofing the panel. it’s so much better and easier today. Even after all of these years, I still feel that, a Home built, Axle Flux Wind Turbines is far better then, any manufactured wind turbine, on the market. NOW FOR ME, and for what I’m doing, I’m trying something very difficult, installing a panel on my boat. I would like to be sure my boat battery stays charged, I have a 20’ Thompson speed boat, that we use for fishing. While under power, I’m never worried about our charging abilities. There are those days, that we stay put all day fishing, our electronics, are always on. We have Humminbird Fish Finder/Deep finder, a Ship to Shore Radio, and other electronics. That’s a heavy drain of power, we start our boat every 1/2 hour or so, to keep the batteries charged. We added a extra battery in Parallel for extra capacity. My fear is if someone would ever forget to start the boat, they would drain out. I even keep a third battery on my boat on standby, just in case. Yes I’m paranoid, I would like to have a 200w solar panel charging them. I have always known for about the shittyness of flexible panels. Is there Something that you can suggest for my situation or is flexible my only answer, with the problems you have, rightfully explained. The next problem is the whole 12v thing, I hate them, I always considered them a waste of money. All of my off grid installations we use 36v panels. With Midnight Solar, Classic Charge controllers. I’m just in one of those weird situations, that I may need a flexible 12v panel, with some stupid and cheaply built controller. You would know this, what would be a decent small controller, that you would you suggest? I have never built such a small array before? Sorry for the novel dude. Your opinion is very valuable to me. I always send any new off grid costumer, of mine to you. They can get a education from someone, I consider one of the best that I have ever seen. You will go a long way in life, and will lead people to a much better future.
5 years later, does your opinion still stand with the current generation of flexibles on the market?
The hot spot issue is not due to materials used, thin plastic sheet performs the same as a thick slab of glass.
The most likely culprit is in fact bending damage, these panels are handled 100x over and very likely to get small unnoticeable cracks which will keep getting worse once the material heat cycles, and once you have significant damage the cell no longer produces a comparable voltage to other cells so it becomes a power drain instead, now effectively working as a resistive heater.
It could also be bonding issues, but that is again a very small change in heat dissipation.
Yeah, he has misidentified the 'hot spot' cause. The encapsulation materials on glass panels are also insulators (-ish). While I deeply wish this weren't true, getting small orders shipped all the way from China/Indonesia means they get handled *alot* .
I agree that the inability to dissipate heat would cause failure of the panels or at least reduce its performance. Ambient temperature does account for a large portion of heat, but what is being show at 0:46 is from circulating current due to individual receiving different amounts of radiation, thus different currents. It has more to do with internal interactions rather than environmental temperatures. Also, this is an issue flat panels share, so his statements aren't technically true. It just happens more often with flexible panels because how they are being used.
I watched your video last year and decided I'd take the risk and go flexible as I needed to keep weight down.
12 months later, my output is down 40%, a glass panel of the same weight would provide better performance... Do it right or do it twice!
I'm at 5 months on top of my van with renogy flexible so far so good
I have had my two 100 watt flexible solar panels on my van for almost 7 years now and I haven't had one single issue !!! I even go through the car wash from time to time !!! If you buy quality solar panels and take the proper precautions when installing them they should last for years !!!
Did you use any insulation underneath your panels ? I have white vinyl on my roof which should help to reduce the heat
What brand of solar
Sunflare panels are made of CIGS material and have stainless cells. They are a game changer.
QUESTION:
Has the flexible solar panel technolog improved since this video was made?
yup
Excellent, you just saved me a few $100, I also saw a video in which the flex panel transfers heat into the interior of the vessel, ceiling temperatures increased by 5 deg F. thanks
Hands off ! I just adopted Will as my private tutor and grandson . Will congratulations on your new house, I am so impressed the way you have decorated the EN-SUITE Bedroom for your guest when you yourself should be enjoying it. There is no end to your kindness towards the public. Please be safe
I've had flexible panels on my boat for 6 years and have noticed for at least the last three at least that the output has reduced dramatically. I was getting up to 25A from 360W but now only using 180W (2x90W panels) and getting 2.5-3.5A. A useful trickle but not much more... I will be going for solid panels when the time comes 👍
when you can get a 200w flexi for less than $70, which is less than 5 times the cost for heavy rigid panels, the light, slim, cheap flex panels are excellent as portable extra panels you can tuck away and only bring out when you are parked in the shade. So they may not last as long (duh, most cheap alternatives don't, but just do the maths). I have two large (250w) flexi panels as extras, I backed with a semi rigid plastic billbord material and cable-tied slim alloy channel around the edges, fitted longer cables and now I have 2 light, slim, cheap semi rigid panels that I bring out occasionally when needed. Sometimes it pays to go cheap, especially when there is no realistic expensive alternative.
I would rather build an active cooling for flexies than drag 100kg worth of glass on my roof It is around 100l of water. Weight factor is paramount when it comes to vehicles. Anyway, you have got the point. Thanks for the video.
That feel, when you dont have to skip a single part of the video. Thank you!
Fortunately with Sunpower cells, even cracked cells don't produce significantly less output, as long as the copper traces on the back remain intact. They still collect electrons from the silicon and perform as normal.
Hi Will, I love your videos and enjoy the discovering detailed information you provide. I'm interested in flexible solar for my Ecoflow Delta 2 in my campervan. I wonder if the information you shared 5 years ago is still the same now.
I'm wondering too if they have improved since then!
Are there no flexible panels worth buying in the current market?
Gas prices are up for one thing so aerodynamics are a big deal.
But also in terms of keeping a van conversion less obvious and more stealth, flush mounted flex panels are better than a huge blocky array on hardware mounts.
Honestly if flex are such a problem, I'm going to get a couple suitcase type panels and just store them in the vehicle except when I am camping in remote areas.
Which kind of sucks.
I agree. Foldable panels typically cost the most.
I have solar panels on a cargo basket that I'm trying tone down a bit.
On another note, the solar panels attached to my roof rack essentially acts as shade keeping my car some what cool even while in direct sunlight.
I bought 2 x 100w of the ones you showed the advert for. They lasted 2.5 years before dying and replacing them with a 310w solid panel doubled my power output.
I have 2 Renergy 100 watt flexible portable panels that I built PVC pipe frames for them with legs to pivot & put them out in the sun, bring them in at night. After 6 months, still generating the same power when I bought them. Also, their on an open frame so the dissipate heat well. They should last much longer this way then roof mounting. I wouldnt do that at all.
Drum Crazy Crary I’d love another update man - so much contradictory information and sites with reviews they’ve handpicked (can’t trust). Any info from real people is welcome!
Also have the renogy and still going strong 7 months in.
I have been used my flexible solar panels (factory installed) on my Alto Safari Condo 1713 camper for 7 years... no problem whatsoever...just perfect for me...I use them in AZ, CA, NM and Canada for few months every year.
There are some expensive ones that do great. Sounds like you lucked out. there are two good ones I know of from Germany and Italy that work well
@@WillProwse What are the names of those panels Will? Also, what do you think about the Sunpower flexible panels which come with a 5 year warranty?
What brand name was that?
This may well be one of the most helpful videos on all of youtube.
Will, thank you so much for your time and concern here! I almost fell for these, seemed to good to be true
I have 3 100w sunpower flexible panels on Eagle cap 1200 in northern California with corrugated plastic underneath them and haven't had a problem after 3 years . Still going strong.
Thanks for sharing this video you helped me make up my mind to go with rigid. 👌🏽
This is a good post/topic - Solar panels get hot - flexible panels bonded directly to a metal roof that is invariably insulated on the underside will get very hot - The falloff in power proportional to temperature is significant - the MPPT volt for the panel drop can be 20% or more which will throw cheaper controllers which are not true MPPT horribly - outfitting a panel to a curve makes little sense since the panels output will drop to the cell most orientated away from the sun - thanks for posting
Great review I agree with everything you said as everybody around me at the marina has flexible solar panels and I’ve never seen any last more than two years without falling apart except for a mate that has a pair of solbian panels , they are now 8 years old and the 100 watt panel is still putting out it’s 5 amps , the reason not every body has a good quality panel is because one of these panels costs 1300 Australian dollars
Unfortunately there has been a rush of super cheap prices advertised on flexible solar panels. The crystals in both the cheap and expensive ones are all the same at point of manufacture. The *mishandling* of the panels before point of sale is the major cause of these problems. Small cracks in individual crystals turn the the crystal into a resistive heater (it's not the sun melting them but the neighboring crystals pushing amperage through them, worsening the problem).
You get what you pay for and the cheap rush is going to ruin solar's reputation before long.
yeah the good ones are really costly!
Interesting, nearly 4 years into flexible in uk, mounted near flat on a ribbed van roof, still performing as well as always 😁
I'd be interested in getting your views, as I'm about to use 2 or 3 flexible panels on my van in the UK. I wonder if our 'weaker' sun here actually helps?
Incompetent installation and/or *very* poor quality panels encounter these heat problems. The encapsulations on glass solar panels are also insulators. I , personally am a big fan of the aluminum backed semi-flexible marine solar panels as you can dissipate heat beneath them (if you can manage an air gap without getting flex form the wind)
I've had three flexis, they all barely lasted a year. Went crispy crackly and two are zero volts and remaining panel only outputs ten watts at most! They don't look burnt out but I've definitely cracked cells through moving the panels. The bus bars in the panels also looked like they were delaminating. They don't have many bus bars per cell which contributes to cell hot spots, add that to the poor thermal conductivity and you get degraded or even burnt through cells. Cheap nasty stuff. Perc half cut cell glass panels might be expensive but I've learnt the hard way that you get what you pay for with solar panels!
Exactly what I needed to know. I was thinking of mounting flex panels on my Sienna stealth van. Nope. Gotta go with glass. Two 100 watt Renogys. They'll still be fairly unobtrusive. Thanks for this.
Can you please review renergy 2nd generations flexible solar panels? I heard they did alot to improve these issues. Im jus afraid to try them out and all the videos on them are bias
Check MiPV Leisure series panels. Constructed using CIGS cells based on a stainless steel foil cannot crack and are extremely resistant to impact damage such as large hailstones or stones thrown from tyres etc.
Super helpful information. Hopefully someone invents a better way for flexible solar panels to dissipate heat, bit of a tough physics issue though.
they should put a copper sheet under solar panel, and some kind of passive heatsinks with a large surface area put on the copper sheet
what about a layer of Corroplast or corrugated polycarbonate greenhouse covering sandwiched between the flexible panel and the vehicle for airflow/cooling? I was thinking of trying this but haven't seen anybody else try this. I know the ETFE coated panels last longer before clouding up.
There are conductive flexible sheet materials... my guess is they're expensive...
Just did. Look at my comment from earlier today
Since this review is 3 years old and things have changed I would love to see you review Sunflare solar’s panels.
I just bought one lol.
I bought a 300 watt flexible solar panel for my car dual battery system
because here in Vuctoria, Australia we are not technically allowed the glass & aluminium panels roof mounted.
I pray that mine lasts at least 3 years lol.
Great Video, Thanks mate 🙏
Will, your video is spot on. I bought (4) Suaoki 100W 18V 12V Solar Panel Charger SunPower Cell Ultra Thin Flexible with MC4 Connector on Amazon 18 months ago and they ALL FAILED. I mounted them with brackets on top of my RV for air flow and still failed. A lot of $$$$$$ out the door! Too bad I did not run into your video sooner. I now have Renogy 100 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Solar Panel (Compact Design) and they seem to be solid with a good warranty.
Did you go with the flexible Renogy panels? I ask because I'm using those too and need to know and would love to communicate with other people on how they do over time. Thanks
No, just the compact 100 watt glass panels. So far, so good.
Will you are valuable because you are helping others to know the best solar panels for them to buy. You are saving people a lot of time and money because you have spent time and money testing out solar panels and you now know which solar panels are the best.
All true. I have experimented with them as well. One thing I have wondered about tho; was the panel abused before I received it? They can only bend so far.
I am with you, I don't use them anymore.
Thank you for this information, I was pretty close to pulling the trigger on a kit I saw on eBay for $300 CAD a few days ago.
Do you have data supporting the stuff you are saying? Because a lot you are saying here does not add up when I look a little further.
Glass has a thermal conductivity of around 0.7 while most plastics are between 0.2 and 0.5. That makes me wonder how the several times thicker glass cover will dissipate heat better?
Also I wonder how the company you are mentioning can afford replacing flexible cells for 25 years if "at most you can get 5 years [of use]" (0:55). That'd mean the make enough money of each cell they're selling to give you AT LEAST another four cells for free during the warranty period (if the cells are in fact failing after 5 years at most).
Uhm, aren't hothouses made out of glass?
@@johnwren3976 the newer ones are made from plastic. Techo evolution my friend.
Great rethoric William but saying "The Truth" in 6 minutes can be difficult and some mistakes is possible. For example saying that the heat dissipation in a glass panel is easier than in a no-glass (flexible) panel is at least poorly defined. The 3 or 4 mm thick front glass in a standard solar panel is a formidable heat insulating barrier, much stronger than the one represented by the polymer sheet which covers the cells in the flexible panel. If you need to stick the panel on a surface the Normal Operating Condition Temperature (NOCT) of a glass panel is surely higher than the one of a flexible panel. That is measurable, not just an opinion. If you have an air flux under the panel, the glassy one can behave a bit better, but that can be an issue if you want to install in mobility or on the deck of a boat, where flush installations are a must. Also there are many other inaccuracies in your video: heat has nothing to do with hot-spots, which are the results of cells damages, you can have hot-spot also at the north-pole and also in rigid panels even if I agree that the rigid ones are more resistant to impact. But the glass can breaks and in some installation is better to have a not working panel than a broken glass; ETFE is not black, is one of the possible transparent surface that can be used in flexible panels, it is actually one of the best, and has nothing to do with the flexibility of the panels, which are actually quite flexible, much more than what is needed in most of the installations. Yes, sure, you can find cheap flexible panels on the market and it is always a good idea to choose a reliable distributor, even if the one you advices is selling the same flexible chinese panels you are blaming. So William, to many inaccuracies to trust your Truth. Flexible and rigid panels have their pros and their cons, and they have different fields of application. --- PLEASE NOTE: I'm the technical director of Solbian, an Italian company manufacturing flexible solar panel (also shown in the William video), thus my comment cannot be considered unbiased, but what I wrote can be easily verified.
I agree Luca. I want a quality 100W flex panel, like Solbian, to put on my small electric scooter and ebikes trailer....I will design a dedicated custom trailer. I ride my small electric scooter (ezip1000) and ebike everywhere and even walk them into local stores, grocery shopping etc... I currently charge them at home on my rigid solar array that I built myself. People are so fascinated that I ride on power from the sun with such simplicity. I'm a EE and I love talking about PV and direct use of solar power with people. People I meet would be even more impressed if I had a module/panel on a trailer for a visual. ;)
@@BreeUSA I charge my ebikes up with a pair of 100w rigid panels....I took the mony I saved (compared to flex panels) and doubled my battery capacity and range....and besides, who likes to ride mid-afternoon in the heat/sun anyway (I look for shade when I ride). Pulling a panel makes sense for extended off-grid trips....or makes sense if you need a visual to prop up the 'ol ego. :-)
@@prblakeslee Yes Paul for extended trips, camping, shorter trips mostly public education (I always get queries about my electric rides and when I say I charge off the sun they are intriqued but a visual really helps). I have a rigid solar array I built myself to mainly charge all my E-rides as I mentioned. I purchased a Sunpower flex panel recently as it was within my now tight budget but I was very dissapointed with the QC. When I contacted Sunpower they delayed and delayed in responding and ultimately after first promising a solution didn't care about the mechanical defects (grommets pushed half way through, smashed and grommets split on a couple critical corner grommets) , and various cosmetic defects and poor build quality. While I like the Sunpower cells, the QC and company product support was a terrible experience...very large arrogant dismissive company. Perhaps for large orders they will show more respect.
There are many high quality flexible panels with warranties now. Everyone knows it won't last as long as thick glass aluminum framed panels, but we love it for the easy install without drilling holes and using a rack. You can use reflective tape or 1inch foam insulation underneath for heat dissipation. And you can stealth camp.
I know this is an old video but it’s new to me. I am building a small, portable system (100ah). I want it to be lightweight. I went with flexible panels (2 SunPower 50w) because I thought they would fit my needs and they have decent output. This is not a 24/7/365 installation; only for camping trips.
Is there another lightweight, compact option that recommended?
I think this video is very biased if you do some research and don't buy cheap flexible panels your probably be good I have 3 renogy flexible 100w panels is been 5 months no signs of them degrading
Just got your solar power book. It is written very well.
Awesome!! Thank you
So in the three years since you made this video do you think the quality of flexible panels have improved?
Thanks for your honest review. What is your review and lifetime of > PowerFilm 120 Watt F-120 Foldable Solar Panel?
Have you reviewed the Merlin flexible solar panel which claims you can walk on it, even shoot a arrow through it without affecting the output much
Totally agree. We put flexible solar panels on a bimini on our boat and they failed after 3 months. Current output per panel dropped from 8amps to 2amps and never came up. I experienced the cracking sound too. Never use flexible panels.
Another excellent post from my GO2GUY Will, you've saved me a ton of headaches and money over the last couple of years Thank You!
Good to know. I never liked flexible panels. My 98 monaco came with 100watt bp panels from factory. Still pulling almost 4.5amps at peak hours. I will be getting more panels soon. But not flexible ones. Thanks for the info!!
South-east England and I have just fitted a flexible panel, and the purchase was mostly based on the pop-top roof of our elderly camper. When we upgrade the camper, or the struts that hold that pop top! The mounted area is almost completely flat, so it shouldn't flex. It's a mono 150W etfe panel. It was cheap, fills a gap for us and can be replaced in a few years if the van is still with us. Nice work Will, love the videos, keep it up!
Mount cells on 1/8 polycarbonate (lexan), lightweight and can take massive impacts. Plastic is close to glass for heat conductance, balance thicknesses.
I use 100watt flex to Solarized my etrikes which increase range to 160km/sunny day.
Hey Will,
Thank you for the Solar Milk Crate idea!
I know your a busy guy, but when you get a chance please make a follow up video to this.
Thanks for the great info. Made my decision to go with hard panels. Just hate to change my trawler profile but can’t have something for nothing. Now just need to decide between 24 or 12 volt system. Thanks again!
had my very flexible panel , 70 watt. for years but its very different from what you showed its blue and it was shipped in a roll. that is how its stored "in a roll" currently as it is part of my diy solar generator set up. but its fine when i put it on a hot roof for a year. no changes, i think THAT type is bunk, but mine works great bro. Here is one very close to mine: Uni-Solar PVL-136 Watt PowerBond Flexible 24V Amorphous Solar Panel MC3
Hi Will, always great info.... Renogy has 100 watt/12 volt Flexible Monocrystalline Solar Panels with a 25 year output warranty (80% efficiency rate after 25 years) and 5 year warranty for workmanship and materials. Thoughts?
im ready to buy.
I've been researching this myself, reading reviews on Amazon. I would recommend asking them if mounting them flat to the roof of a van or RV is covered under warranty. It is this specific use he's talking about, and why they fail. A metal roof is not a heat sink, it's closer to an oven :)
The Renogy flexible panels are ETFE not the junk PET panels reviewed here -night and day. They are similar to the Lensun panels but with a much better warranty.
Great video as usual! I bought (2) Renogy 160W flexible panels 2 years ago and flat-mounted them on my RV epdm roof with eternabond tape. They still work great and I have not had any issues with them. They show the panels flat-mounted in one of their product pics too. I also like the warranty as follows: 25-year power output warranty: 5 year/95% efficiency rate, 10 year/90% efficiency rate, 25-year/80% efficiency rate. 5-year material and workmanship warranty.
@@richpetrelli2783 Hey Rich, I'm using those too. Please reach out to me if yours fail or start to (or if they do amazing). I do a TH-cam channel too, and I really don't want to accidentally steer any viewers in the wrong direction. Thanks!
I guess I've been lucky, although I use it differently. I have them in a portable system for my RV. I have 400 watts traditional solar panels on the roof and I use 2 -100 watt flex for my portable. I use the flex panels on a PVC frame. Weight is the prime consideration for using these panels. I use thick wire and can place them up to 20 feet from the RV with minimal voltage drop. This way I can park in the shade and still have 200 watts working in the sun. I'm on my second year with these and so far so good. They are cheap Chinese Ebay panels and I do expect rather quick failure - but for me the light weight and portability is worth it. Thanks for the tip on you Cali distributor.
Ahh dangit! I just recently installed a 100w flex etfe bougerv panal on my astro..... I guess I get to find out how long it lasts!!!! I plugged it in a few days ago to my solar generator and was consistently getting 69-70 watts. Thanks for the info man.
I read they only have an 18 month warranty.
Are the solar panels still working ?
Update!. Lasted 14 months and fried in the arizona sun. May partially have been my fault. I mounted it directly to my van roof without an air space under it. I would buy again. Never had any trouble until the end. Only complaint is the bix on top where the wires come out was terrible design and not water proof.
I was thinking to make a solar sea scooter and use a flexible solar panel. Nice video change my mind. my solar panel will be 1 metre above the sea ? Which panel do you recomend? Salt water damage monocristal regular panel? Or flexible panel 1 metre above sea manage heat problem? There will be nothing between panel and sea there will be just air.
I appreciated the honesty at the end, we know you've bought a ton of equipment and you're being honest in your advice on what you spent on them and the disappointment. I've got two solar arrays and I'm looking for something to charge up a portable LifePO4 power station with. I was thinking flexible panels but now I'm thinking of just making a mounting system for a few glass panels.
Great video!. May I ask, however: at 3:50 you mention that the flexible-but-less-flexible panels degrade quickly because they are black. But to my naive eye all solar panels look black. So I'm a little puzzled. Thank you.
Thank you for the input. I bought a Renogy 100w Flexible panel, but haven’t installed it. I had an odd feeling that this wasn’t going to work out as I thought it would.
If you need help with vehicle mounted solar, check out my website :)
www.mobile-solarpower.com
Ive managed to dissipate the heat by mounting them to corrugated plastic roofing, that allows airflow underneath,
I appreciation this video. I just bought a Renogy 100 watt flexible mono panel for 25 bucks at Lowe's. Yes, it's new. I'll be installing it with air space underneath that will also allow water to drain away. It's going on a flat travel trailer roof. My only concern, and you didn't say anything about it, it's if a flexible panel may be used with rigid panels of the same wattage? I already have 300 watts of solar in rigid panels.
25 bucks for 100W? Damn that's getting cheap. How is it holding up?
@@nlewis1111 very well. We used Gorilla Tape and it hasn't moved in over 2000 miles and charges the batteries like it's supposed to,
Is there a heads-up for this technology moved 4 years down the line?
We have had the same problem. Over the year we have had our pannels they have degraded so much. Now they output anything from .1 to .3 amps. Basically no power at all. At 280 a piece we are very displeased with the flexable pannels and will never buy them again. I only wish I had done more research to begin with rather than getting them because they fit with our needs. We need power more than we need them to fit a particular area.
So the way I'm using it on top of a kayak for an occasional trip is perfect.
Noticed that this video is a few years old. Was curious if your thoughts have changed with any of the newer technology?
Valid, helpful points about flexible panels.🎯
Now tell us how you really feel about them⚡😂😂😂
Endeavor to NOT let oneself to be "pissed off' more than a few minutes, when something breaks. . . it's broken,,, pick up the pieces and carry on.
It's not a bad idea to keep a few broken items handy...
My workshop rule#2, "only throw the broken parts" . it's a way to de stress and the good parts are safe😁
Thank you - very helpful - originally I was going to do flexible but not now having seen this. You rock!
from the vids I've seen recently (today is 8/20/23) times have changed. some of the stuff you're mentioning may have been true 5 years ago -- but some of the newer CIGS panels (BougeRV Yuma 200w comes to mind) seem to be in an entirely different class.
interesting video here -- but I think more of historical interest than currently applicable.
ok so. Here’s my setup.
roof mounted swivel and tilt.
renogy solar panels, maybe 4 or 6 100-175w panels.
vs 4 or 6 100-175w cracked glass panels .
which ones will output more.?
The best middle ground is that metal solar panel you reviewed before. It's flexible, heat is evenly distributed, and it is very durable.
Yeah those are awesome! I love them. I wish more people manufactured them
What panels? Brand and other information, please.
Please review the metal flexible panels, to have an idea of voltage/current/watt behavior and possible uses/ instalation....and of course how durable they are compared to other panels
I can't find the panels you mention, do you have a link to them? thank you,
Elf solar tricycles used aluminum backed solar panels and many failed after a year or so.
One of those last pics you showed of two flex panels on a fabric covering on a boat seems like possibly the best application for these panels. Tons of air flow!
This is my first time looking into them. I'm interested in them because of their low profile because anyone with an eye for van dwellers can see that I've got ridged panels on the roof of my box truck. I mounted mine about an inch up because I was aware of the issues around panels getting hot. It always sorta confounded me as to how flex panels don't get hot, but I always assumed they just costed more because they didn't have that issue. I'm glad I say your video before I bought.
hi, have your elastic panel mounted one inch above works well?
Hey buddy! Great vid! Literally almost went for one this morning but my gut told me to wait a bit more and look a bit more more into it. What would you say instead about folding panels? Those that get really small usually in a folder with handles? Any good ones you came across?
Unfortunately I am in a situation where I can't install a fixed solution on my van and I am looking for alternatives.
Thanks for your help!
So it's been 5 years do you have the same opinion
As usual... good advice! Have you made a video yet on solar blankets?
If you using MLto source flex panel did they warranty the damaged hot spot panels ? If so, how did you lose any monies ?
I am trying to add about 200 watt ( 2x100 ) to my RV. Don't know whether to roof mount of just place out in open sunny area. I like to park in shade. I your opinion, what would be more cost effective, hooking up in 12 or 24 volt. I will probable use a PMT controller because this is a 3-6 day type of thing. Also I have seen used poly panels for sale from the changing out of panels in Commercial Solar Fields. They say they are 9 years old and have been tested to be atleast 90% of original power output. Like $50.00 for 24 volt, 280 watt. What do you think?
I see a lot of van builds and other camper videos where people bought these and regret it. They were excited a year or two ago and now their panels are junk.
I don't know how they are promoted in the us, but the company I worked for sold them to sail boats. You can mount them on a sail, with a lot of airflow....
flex solar panels are great for solar powered e bike builds made for the sun trip . I made a for me a solarpowered cargo tricycle for work proposals, and works fine so far.
Watched this 2 years ago. Any news on better flex panels today?????
Thank you so much I was about to buy one for my van conversion. I guess I'll go for solid glass
Thanks for the info
Had a 50W flexible panel on the dash for camping. Vibration from driving killed it at the end of the road trip. Also it got somewhat warped from being in a hot car is summer.
Yeah, I was totally going to buy some flexible panels for my trailer. Now I need to figure out how to install rigid panels on my r pods roof.
i was going to add one of these to my system to test them out, but ill just stick to the old school panels after your review. most of mine are 5 years old now and still going strong. Sounds like these flexible panels have a long way to go. let us know when these panels are worthwhile!
Hey Will, have you experimented with any treatment such as wax, clear-coat, etc... to prolong the degradation of the surface material?
I have a nominal wattage of 990W of Sunpower panels on my RV roof and after 2.5 years I just measured 1,021 Watts again under pretty much ideal conditions. My circumstances are such that I can only mount the rather light flexible panels and so far I am very happy with them.
good luck with that warranty lol
What panels are you using?
The Sunpower flex panels many are complaining about.@@chuckb7176
@@chuckb7176 Sunpower panels.
Sunpower flexible solar panels from research are good quality but not the absolute best in the industry. I don't take everything Will Prowse says as gospel truth and there are always exceptions to quality of these panels.
Awesome information and advice. Thanks Will!
Will - take a look at the Sunflare Solar panels when you can. I think they look great! for a 2021 update. My camper has them.