Sternwake renogy review

[sternwake]

I've been pretty gentle with it when moving it.
I've seen no signs that the corners are flexing or separating.

I stopped using the flex panel as a portable. The wind could get behind it easier and flip ot over, or repeatedly flex it.

I think something hit one of the cells when it was in my workshop putting a slight, but sharp dent in it. Output seems unaffected. I am not sure when i will get around to mounting it to my roof.

When i was drilling riveting the Windynation panels on the couple's van, nearer the corners of the dual wall sides of the panel frames, there was solid aluminum inbetween the two walls in what i believe to be a 3/16 inch thick Aluminum L bracket that reinforces the corners.

I've not put the calipers on the Renogy frame but I assume it too is dual walled, with similar corner reinforcement.

My Kyocera panel, back in 2007, I attached some clevis pins with aluminum angle and rivets to act as hinge points for tilting and locking. I recall being able to separate the corners a bit easier but ultimately riveted the underside of the corrners of this panel.

Seems I am unable to void panel warranties nearly instantly.

[sternwake]

Today, was cool, temperature wise. Mid 50's. Very sunny, but with the occassional quickly passing cumulus cloud.

At 11am, I aimed the overnight cold 100 watt framed panel at sun and the wattmeter at the panel open circuit voltage was up near 22.0v

Spec'd for 20v

I then hooked it to the charge controller over long the 18 -3 gauge extension cord, and was getting slightly over 100 watts at the panel, and the Renogy controller was reading as high as 7.2 amps. This soon got my old flooded G31 workshop battery from 12.6v to 14.7v, and amps started tapering.

I slid over the slightly depleted and New Crown1 AGM G31 at overnight rested cold(12.87v, full is 13.00v), with an old flooded G31 USbattery with a wattmeter in between, and hooked them together over 8 gauge A powerpole and more alligator clamps.

The New battery sucked up over 18 amps from the Old battery, which was @14.7v, but these tapered fairly quickly.


Checked wattmeter at renogy 100 watt framed panel, 104.2w !?!!
Distant Renogy controller was bouncing between 6.9 and 7.1amps into the two batteries.

Soon was back up at 14.7v on both batteries and amps began tapering.

I Knew when cold it would perform better, but was not expecting getting over 100 watts from it, this time of year.

I would say the wattmeter is 96% accurate in this area, as I have checked it in the past against other ammeters and wattmeters

Kind of impressed that a considerable amount of amperage is getting through the long undersized 18-3 extension cord. It might be 16-3. There is about 6 inches of 12Awg from charge controller, going through a powerpole connector, going about 2 feet of 8AWG, then alligator clamps on battery posts. None of these connections are optimized.

I did not expect this performance with a PWM controller either. If you believe the marketing hype, only MPPTs controllers will allow one to extract the full panel wattage rating.

Granted it was cold, and both batteries were not depleted very much and their voltage was pretty quickly brought upto 14.7v , but I was getting more than the panel rating through a long extension cord between panel and PWM charge controller into the batteries.


Perhaps the long extension cord kept 14.5+ battery voltage from dragging down the 22v panel voltage too far.

batteries depleted to the 12.2v range would no doubt affect these results.

I try to not disconnect the panel under load.

I just left it alone, and began to make some dust.

[sternwake]

The Renogy Voyager charge controller found a new Home in a Foreign travelling couple's Chevy conversion Van.

Before i clicked place order with my gift certificate, I had them order components on Amazon for their build, and the charge controller was some 20 amp PWM controller which might be the worst piece of Electrical equipment i have yet come across.

As the rest of what i built them was highly capable, I felt they could not leave with a solar controller which had very little capability to do the right thing, so I installed the Voyager in place of the Oh so incredibly cheezzy Mohoo controller.

Simce Renogy was offering their original version of the traveller 30 amps solar controller, for 20$, though their 'fire sale' through the end of February, I ordered one of those to replace the waterproof Voyager.

So I will have some basis for comparison. My basis so far is the renogy charge controller is easily worth the 70$ price tag, compared to the 18$ Mohoo POS controller not worth the bubble wrap it shipped within, an y'all will get my impression of the original 'TRAVELLER' Renogy controller, once it arrives and I get to play with it for a bit.

[Ballenxj]

The Renogy Voyager charge controller found a new Home in a Foreign travelling couple's Chevy conversion Van.
<-------->
As the rest of what i built them was highly capable, I felt they could not leave with a solar controller which had very little capability to do the right thing, so I installed the Voyager in place of the Oh so incredibly cheezzy Mohoo controller.

 That seems to have been the right thing to do. That should make their travels a bit more seamless and trouble free. 

[Blacktank]

hows that flex panel holding up?

[sternwake]

A few months ago:
The Sunpower 100watt Flex panel On my windshield made 87 watts
The flex panel behind my windshield @ same angle no shadows, made 43 watts.

Since I consider these panels bendable rather than infinitely flexible,
I made a thin wood frame for it, perhaps not allowing for enough temperature related expansion, but it did not appreciate being slightly bent to the windshield radius when inside the windshield and there is a crease between a line of cells. This does not seem to affect performance, but appears to be permanent slight kink in between those cells.

I've got plans to allow for easier expansion contraction around the wood frame but other projects came first and I am at the moment 2500 miles away from it, having chose to not bring it with me, knowing I could plug in to the grid, and have meanwell power supply hold battery at a temperature compensated absorption or float voltage of my choosing.

I have taken steps to prevent scratches nd wipe it occassionally with Aerospace 303 to clean it and make it all slippery to dust. This 'UV protectant' does not seem to affect output in the slightest, at least not with my available measuring tools.