Solar Panel Sources

[barfwinkle]

GE to all

I am in the market for a solar panel (and the fixins) and have always consider Norther Arizona Wind & Sun a nice and informative site, but have never dealt with them, until today. I have never ordered anything from them BUT my dealings with a salesperson today DID NOT imbue me with an over abundance of consumer confidence.

That being said where have others purchased their panels/systems?

TIA and fair winds.

[moctrams]

I got my solar panels from Amazon. Also the controller.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004OZ ... UTF8&psc=1

[Jim Davis]

Another good source is AltE. Friendly, knowledgeable, helpful and prompt. They carry a wide range and can help tailor to your needs.
My contacts have been with Amy.

http://www.altestore.com/store/

1(877) 878-4060

330 Codman Hill Road
Boxborough, MA 01719

Standard disclaimer, I'm just a happy customer.

[hilbert]

I purchased a 200 watt panel from http://sunelec.com/ in 2011. The panel was of German manufacture and passed the salt mist corrosion test.
Transaction and shipping went smoothly. For a controller, I would consider Maine Sails post, http://capedory.org/board/viewtopic.php ... 5&p=176809

[Maine Sail]

Another good source is AltE. Friendly, knowledgeable, helpful and prompt. They carry a wide range and can help tailor to your needs.
My contacts have been with Amy.

http://www.altestore.com/store/

1(877) 878-4060

330 Codman Hill Road
Boxborough, MA 01719

Standard disclaimer, I'm just a happy customer.

AltE is perhaps my #1 supplier of all things solar. My wholesale rep lives in So Portland and telecommutes and he has even been known to drop stuff off at my shop if I needed it in a hurry. They also do a lot for the industry from trade shows to technical seminars.

I also buy from eMarine and get my Solbian & Genasun stuff from Bruce Schwab Energy. I do a lot of solar and wind systems, one solar installation and one wind installations last week alone, and Alt E has not failed me yet. They even get me in on beta testing for new products. I had the new Midnite KID MPPT controller 7 months before it was even on the street. AltE is top notch and well connected in the industry.

[s2sailorlis]

Just purchased mine at defender.com. They have a large selection. I have yet to find a good site with good (unbiased) information. Perhaps someone with deep photovoltaic expertise can chime in...

GE to all

I am in the market for a solar panel (and the fixins) and have always consider Norther Arizona Wind & Sun a nice and informative site, but have never dealt with them, until today. I have never ordered anything from them BUT my dealings with a salesperson today DID NOT imbue me with an over abundance of consumer confidence.

That being said where have others purchased their panels/systems?

TIA and fair winds.

[rorik]

http://brjsolutions.com/

[joemerchant]

I have been very happy with Renogy. Can purchase direct, Amazon or even Ebay, I have heard. They are very helpful helping you craft a solution based upon your requirements and mounting real estate.

https://www.renogy-store.com/default.asp

[Maine Sail]

I have been very happy with Renogy. Can purchase direct, Amazon or even Ebay, I have heard. They are very helpful helping you craft a solution based upon your requirements and mounting real estate.

https://www.renogy-store.com/default.asp

Be aware that the frames on some of these panels are extremely flimsy. I have a customer who has one mounted with Gemini mounts and the frame is all bent and distorted at the Gemini points of contact.. A Kyocera or other quality brand has a frame that is about twice as thick..

[joemerchant]

I have been very happy with Renogy. Can purchase direct, Amazon or even Ebay, I have heard. They are very helpful helping you craft a solution based upon your requirements and mounting real estate.

https://www.renogy-store.com/default.asp

Be aware that the frames on some of these panels are extremely flimsy. I have a customer who has one mounted with Gemini mounts and the frame is all bent and distorted at the Gemini points of contact.. A Kyocera or other quality brand has a frame that is about twice as thick..

You get what you pay for... I had a problem with one panel that was outputting below the other three, but still within spec. (others were actually higher than spec) Instead of giving me the run around, they bench tested and sent another panel next day air and paid for return postage on the questionable one. The flex panels look like they will take a beating and the hard panels look like they will hold up just fine. Call me old fashioned, but my computer is a Dell and try and buy things from American tax paying companies with the exception of automobiles, which are now ironically opposite with Japanese built in the US and US built in Canada and Mexico - thanks NAFTA. Yes, I know the parts all come from overseas, but as long as someone here is standing behind it and paying taxes on their revenues, better than it all going overseas in my opinion.

The issue with the less expensive panels as well is warranty. Even though the other companies claim to have the same warranty, renogy backs it up with their Kemper Insurance Policy, so if they go out of business next year we know Kemper probably wont. So, the guy with the bad frames really only needs to get on the phone with renogy and I bet they would make it right with him.

[Larry DeMers]

I have used Kyocera for my first 80 Watt panel, and then Sunsource for the second 85 watt panel. I bought a Victron Energy 15Amp MPPT controller and with that combination I get from 9-11 Amps out of the controller. This is in NW Wisconsin, on Lake Superior, where it is COLD, even now, and the sun is not as it is down in Florida. We are able to cover a 35-50 AH daily use budget in about 6 hours of charging if the sun and winds are 'running'.

The prices have dropped considerably, due to Chinese panels being 'dumped' on the market. This is the time to buy if you can.

A word about MPPT controllers. There are a ton and a half of fakes out there, and Ebay is full of them. Generally, the give-away is the price. If the controller costs under $100, it is fake, cheap and not worth your time. In my case, the Victron Energy MPPT controller ran $109 from Kennedy Yacht Services out east. That is about the least expensive controller that I could find, that still was a genuine MPPT type controller.
My first "Mppt" controller was a cheap Chinese P.O.S. that used a 'fake' device that was supposed to make you think that it was actually an integrated circuit that was running the MPPT algorithm..but upon dissection, proved to be a simple resistor ladder circuit potted in epoxy.
Just a word to the wise...

Cheers,

Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
CD30c -Sailing Lake Superior

[Maine Sail]

A word about MPPT controllers. There are a ton and a half of fakes out there, and Ebay is full of them. Generally, the give-away is the price. If the controller costs under $100, it is fake, cheap and not worth your time. In my case, the Victron Energy MPPT controller ran $109 from Kennedy Yacht Services out east. That is about the least expensive controller that I could find, that still was a genuine MPPT type controller.
My first "Mppt" controller was a cheap Chinese P.O.S. that used a 'fake' device that was supposed to make you think that it was actually an integrated circuit that was running the MPPT algorithm..but upon dissection, proved to be a simple resistor ladder circuit potted in epoxy.
Just a word to the wise...

Cheers,

Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
CD30c -Sailing Lake Superior

Bingo lots of fakes and lots of poor performing MPPT's. With MPPT it is all about the speed and algorithm. The faster an MPPT can track small changes in the array voltage the more current goes into the batteries. Some MPPT's are so bad they are beaten by simple PWM's...

Right now Genasun, MidNite, Outback and Morningstar have the fastest controllers I know of. Watch out for Blue Sky as they will be launching some new stuff within the next year that will be amazing (sorry I can't disclose more)..

Still even the best MPPT controllers only represent a 15-18% +/- when averaged......

The easiest way to determine if you got a Chinese fake is to simply place your DVM leads on the Solar + & - input terminals to the controller then do the same on the + & - output terminals to the battery. If the voltages are the same you have a fake..

I have come across at least half a dozen fake MPPT's over the last few years. Most all of them from eBay or disreputable Chinese suppliers claiming to be American companies...

How to tell if you have a poor performing controller? This is a LOT more complicated so just buy a known good one.........