Solar Cynergy experience? (1 Viewer)

[spressomon]

Looking at these and seem almost too good to be true (i.e. "cheap"): Solarblvd

Anyone have anything good or bad to say about Solar Cynergy PV panels?

 

[kowalski]

Looking at these and seem almost too good to be true (i.e. "cheap"): Solarblvd

Anyone have anything good or bad to say about Solar Cynergy PV panels?

That seems like a reasonable price. I just picked up 4 x 100 watt mono crystal 12vDC flexible panels for $122usd per and they seem to work just fine. I got mine off amazon, branded ALEKO

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Great price on that panel. It's a buy until they run out.

Anything under $1 per watt is good.

 

[spressomon]

Finally pulled trigger on two Solar Cynergy 120w flexible/bendable panels from Solar Blvd.

 

[titanpat57]

Finally pulled trigger on two Solar Cynergy 120w flexible/bendable panels from Solar Blvd.

Linky plz....

Looking for something I can use on top of the Foxwing (just lay up there)

 

[spressomon]

^ Solar Blvd link in Post #1 (Solarblvd)

Best prices I've found. Checked first with my SIL who's in the commercial/industrial solar business and she gave Solar Blvd & Solar Cynergy a thumbs up FWIW.

FWIW I also added a Bogart/Trimetric controller and battery monitor system (TM-2030 and SC-2030) from Northern Arizona Wind & Sun: Solar Electric Power Systems For On & Off Grid | Panels and More | NAWS

 

[SanDiegoCruiser]

I ordered this foldable 160w kit. Can't beat this price! Includes a controller.
Solarblvd

 

[e9999]

Spresso, that panel (OP) has a very low efficiency (14.7%) for monocrystalline cells -although the shape of the cells looks right- which makes me wonder.

 

[spressomon]

^ what are you comparing it to?

 

[Cruiserdrew]

In a way, who cares what the efficiency is? It's still 160 watts of power. Other 12 volt panels get to about the 17% range, and thus are slightly smaller for the same power rating, but it makes no difference in an application like ours. Isn't the record for the highest efficiency in conventional panels right around 20%? So it isn't like it's 14.7 out of 100, it's 14.7 out of 20 possible. But the very high efficiency panels cost 10X what the ones that @spressomon originally referred to.

 

[e9999]

nope. Fairly standard mono panels get around 20% now. The really good ones 25%. Good poly ones can get above 20% nowadays.
14.7% is more like standard polycrystalline ones.
The low effiiciency is likely the reason for the low price.
Sure, if space and weight are no object, then the low efficiency is no problem. You could even go thin film then. Even cheaper.

 

[fireball]

Lots of chatter on wander the west about those panels and lots of success stories.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

nope. Fairly standard mono panels get around 20% now. The really good ones 25%. Good poly ones can get above 20% nowadays.
14.7% is more like standard polycrystalline ones.
The low effiiciency is likely the reason for the low price.
Sure, if space and weight are no object, then the low efficiency is no problem. You could even go thin film then. Even cheaper.

But Eric-Those are the big 250+ watt home install type panels. Not what you'd install on a truck. Most that we are going to use are "12 volt" panels which are not really 12 volts but for use in 12 volt systems with pwm controllers. I did see that Renogy was putting out a smaller more efficient panel for 12 volt use, but at a premium price over thier normal panels.

Thin film and even flex panels are too delicate for our uses. The fabric based ones are super cool for several reasons, but way too much money in my view.

This got my attention on the solar blvd site:

Solarblvd

Way more panel than we need but the price if you pick it up is unbelievable. That and an MPPT controller and you could run fridges on several trucks. At the same time.

 

[spressomon]

FWIW I've been doing some mods on the TT trailer at my storage bay. No utility pushed electricty there so I've been powering tools (Makita 1/2" drill, hot air gun for wiring shrink tubing, etc.,) with the lithium PO4 battery while using the 2-120w flexible/bendable Solar Cynergy panels controlled by the Bogart/Trimetric controller and monitor and couldn't be happier. I think published efficiency is greater or equal to 18% +/-3%. I haven't measured what's getting to the battery yet ... soon though

 

[spressomon]

I should add: The only reason for my set-up, is for getting my goofy espresso fix when the trailer is in tow; It quickens the line awaiting their morning get-go juice

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Cheap solar panels = bueno in my book. No need for very expensive cutting edge ones to run a fridge in a Land Cruiser. But when those Gallium Arsenide panels get down under $1 per watt, I'm buying one.

I've got the 160 watt panel on top of my 80 for a blast off tomorrow morning to Death Valley. The solar opens up so many options, I'm thinking about a second small to medium fridge. Fridge room always seems tight at the start of a trip, and a second fridge used as a freezer would let you go out for weeks at a time.

 

[spressomon]

I miss the little Waeco 37 I used to have for either more fridge or frozen foods for extended forays. Maybe I can talk Ali into selling it back to me for 1/2

 

[Cruiserdrew]

I should add: The only reason for such a set-up, is for getting my goofy espresso fix when the trailer is in tow; It quickens the line awaiting their morning get-go juice

Boiling water or making steam with electricity almost doesn't make sense off the grid. But if 320 watt panels are going to cost $100 you could think about it. You'd need a big battery bank though. Maybe 2 of those costco golf cart batteries in series and a really good inverter and you could pull it off. Or a big Lithium system. But then you're spending real money to solve a small problem.

 

[spressomon]

Its all relative

And I wish it was a small problem

Related: Get that 2nd fridge to use for dedicated ice cream storage and we'll team up for afternoon affogatos out in the middle of nowhere!

 

[spressomon]

Update: After just a few uses one of the two flexible/bendable panels had at least 2 if not more cells that shorted out and burned through the panel. This happened in the driveway with them mounted to a trip-pod; completely open to air on both sides.

Solar Blvd is not being responsive to performing under their warranty so beware of doing business with them.