Solar panel bargain...

Kit, Clothing, Tools, etc
Yorkshire Andy
Posts: 8778
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 4:06 pm

Solar panel bargain...

Post by Yorkshire Andy »

I've got 2 of these now and I wish I'd held off

Last year it was closed to £1 per watt £50 for a 50w panel for example


Well these

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ECO-WORTHY-120 ... 0_1_nped_t

£50 for a 120w panel you really can't complain at all decent quality too
If your roughing it, Your doing it wrong ;)

Lack of planning on your part doesn't make it an emergency on mine
User avatar
pseudonym
Posts: 4578
Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2011 10:11 am
Location: East Midlands

Re: Solar panel bargain...

Post by pseudonym »

Nice find, great way to build up a panel array.
Two is one and one is none, but three is even better.
Peter
Posts: 77
Joined: Wed Mar 01, 2023 4:21 pm
Location: West Midlands

Re: Solar panel bargain...

Post by Peter »

When I bought my setup last year, 2 x 120w panels with charge controller leads and brackets it was £249.
I think i’ll get another 2.
User avatar
korolev
Posts: 607
Joined: Thu Jul 06, 2017 2:18 am
Location: Land of the South Saxons

Re: Solar panel bargain...

Post by korolev »

All we need now is for this bleedin' rain to stop and it might be some use.
jennyjj01
Posts: 3469
Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2017 11:09 pm

Re: Solar panel bargain...

Post by jennyjj01 »

Does anyone here use Micro-Inverters like these ?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/403087824719

Probably not legal to just use plug and play in the UK.
Graceful Degradation! Prepping's objective summed up in two words. Turning Disaster into Mild Inconvenience by the power of fore-thought

Not Feeling Optimistic. Let me be wrong
Arzosah
Posts: 6338
Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2012 4:20 pm

Re: Solar panel bargain...

Post by Arzosah »

I've been doing a bit of reading because of this thread, about adding in a solar panel bought later - it sounds like the new panel has to be the same wattage as the existing panel. It *can* be different, but that needs extra care etc etc taken, and it seems much simpler to just get a panel at the same wattage I bought a few months ago. That's *only* 100W, but I'd rather have the setup simpler than something I just won't use.

Am I thinking right about this, or am I losing the plot?
jansman
Posts: 13668
Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 7:16 pm

Re: Solar panel bargain...

Post by jansman »

Arzosah wrote: Mon Mar 11, 2024 10:07 am I've been doing a bit of reading because of this thread, about adding in a solar panel bought later - it sounds like the new panel has to be the same wattage as the existing panel. It *can* be different, but that needs extra care etc etc taken, and it seems much simpler to just get a panel at the same wattage I bought a few months ago. That's *only* 100W, but I'd rather have the setup simpler than something I just won't use.

Am I thinking right about this, or am I losing the plot?
I understand. Our roof because of situation and sunlight won’t make roof panels any good. Instead I have folding ,portable panels which charge batteries and power packs. These can then be passed on to phones,tablets LIGHTING :D ,radios etc. Therefore nice and portable for emergencies,and lighting particularly is important . A bit different to the cra* paraffin light we had all those years ago here!
I even have power pack fluffy jacket and shoulder blanket to avoid switching heating on. It’s rather effectively charged via portable solar and is effectively cost free when charged that way.
In three words I can sum up everything I have learned about life: It goes on.

Robert Frost.

Covid 19: After that level of weirdness ,any situation is certainly possible.

Me.
Arzosah
Posts: 6338
Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2012 4:20 pm

Re: Solar panel bargain...

Post by Arzosah »

Hi jansman, yes, the 100W one I've got is portable, though not bendy :) and comes in its own little carrying case. I have a modern power bank, with new cable, I've just bought, so it can be used to charge that (though it looks like twilight at the moment, at 11am, its so overcast!) I was wondering about connecting them up in whatever way is advised to load up a solar generator of some description, but actually, a second powerbank and a second, bigger panel, might not be such a bad way to go. Certainly more flexible - and I wouldn't need it for heating, your list there (phones, tablets, lighting, radios) is exactly what I was thinking of.

It hadn't occurred to me to do a bit of heating via those electrical blankets! I'll have to investigate that.
Yorkshire Andy
Posts: 8778
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 4:06 pm

Re: Solar panel bargain...

Post by Yorkshire Andy »

jansman wrote: Mon Mar 11, 2024 10:17 am
I even have power pack fluffy jacket and shoulder blanket to avoid switching heating on. It’s rather effectively charged via portable solar and is effectively cost free when charged that way.
Can just see you on a sunny day plugged in to the panel making the most of the free heat
images.jpeg
images.jpeg (17.13 KiB) Viewed 178 times
:mrgreen:
If your roughing it, Your doing it wrong ;)

Lack of planning on your part doesn't make it an emergency on mine
Yorkshire Andy
Posts: 8778
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 4:06 pm

Re: Solar panel bargain...

Post by Yorkshire Andy »

Arzosah wrote: Mon Mar 11, 2024 10:53 am Hi jansman, yes, the 100W one I've got is portable, though not bendy :) and comes in its own little carrying case. I have a modern power bank, with new cable, I've just bought, so it can be used to charge that (though it looks like twilight at the moment, at 11am, its so overcast!) I was wondering about connecting them up in whatever way is advised to load up a solar generator of some description, but actually, a second powerbank and a second, bigger panel, might not be such a bad way to go. Certainly more flexible - and I wouldn't need it for heating, your list there (phones, tablets, lighting, radios) is exactly what I was thinking of.

It hadn't occurred to me to do a bit of heating via those electrical blankets! I'll have to investigate that.

Have a read of that

https://energyconnections.net.au/pages/ ... erformance.

Then buy a set of these assumption that you got a mc4 adapter lead for your panel

https://www.amazon.co.uk/connector-bran ... d66e268d4c
If your roughing it, Your doing it wrong ;)

Lack of planning on your part doesn't make it an emergency on mine