why is this system so expensive?

A farm has this in their Amazon wishlist.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015398OU/?coliid=I3MXNUVYETPZX6

Why is it so expensive?
Is the purpose to charge a regular auto battery?

exit8 said:

Why is it so expensive?

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1- UL listed
2 - all in one package. convenience = $$
3 - you start priceing all the parts and its likely half or more the cost
4 - likely has customer support. IE you can call an number and talk to someone about why it wont work when you didnt read the directions right and hooked it up wrong
5 - profit

Is the purpose to charge a regular auto battery?

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Unlikely. It includes a inverter for 120v AC output. you say it was on a Farm wishlist? Likely for an outbuilding/shed. This is something you can throw on the roof and have insta power in the shed for low consumption items (LED lights, automatic chicken doors, wifi hubs for cameras etc)

So, while the sun is out, the inverter converts the 12V from the solar panel to AC ?

Would it make more sense for solar panel + solar "generator" such as Jackery + power inverter to have power even at night?

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exit8 said:

So, while the sun is out, the inverter converts the 12V from the solar panel to AC ?

Would it make more sense for solar panel + solar "generator" such as Jackery + power inverter to have power even at night?

.

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It needs a deep cycle battery (adding to the cost) . It will not work without a battery. All in in one's usually cost more than individual components like this kit, but sometimes the convenience is worth it. Until one component dies, and the whole thing becomes unusable. Pros and cons to each option.

SolarQueen said:

All in in one's usually cost more than individual components like this kit, but sometimes the convenience is worth it.

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I am surprised by how expensive the kit is and it doesn't come with the battery!

exit8 said:

So, while the sun is out, the inverter converts the 12V from the solar panel to AC ?

Would it make more sense for solar panel + solar "generator" such as Jackery + power inverter to have power even at night

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A Jackery includes an inverter and is a limited expensive option vs build your own system.

MBR said:

A Jackery includes an inverter and is a limited expensive option vs build your own system.

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But it isn't a build your own system since it is a kit.
It has a foot in both camps and seems rather overpriced.

Oh, well, I will have to do my own calculations.

.

exit8 said:

But it isn't a build your own system since it is a kit.
It has a foot in both camps and seems rather overpriced.

Oh, well, I will have to do my own calculations

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Why are you surprised that there are overpriced items on Amazon?

I am simply trying to understand if I am not understanding something since I am new at this.

190W solar panel
+
3000W pure sine wave inverter
+
solar controller
+
miscellaneous hardware
for $1644

Interesting enough, this kit being sold on Amazon must be custom.
It isn't listed in the linked Specification Sheet.

I am wrong.

The kit includes:
190W solar panel
+
1500W pure sine wave inverter
+
solar controller
+
miscellaneous hardware
for $1644

exit8 said:

I am wrong.

The kit includes:
190W solar panel
+
1500W pure sine wave inverter
+
solar controller
+
miscellaneous hardware
for $1644

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Yikes, that is a lot of dough for a near-useless system. Only one 190W panel?

The ultimate answer to the question is: People that don't know any better will pay the price demanded.

gnubie said:

The ultimate answer to the question is: People that don't know any better will pay the price demanded.

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Well, it took how many posts here before Trukinbear actually confirmed that the price is outrageous?
I thought at least the system came with a battery before I actually looked at the parts list.

Trukinbear said:

Yikes, that is a lot of dough for a near-useless system. Only one 190W panel?

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Yes, just one 190W panel.
https://gpelectric.com/products/weekender-isw-solar-charging-system/


.

FINE, you're right - great deal, you should buy one, or TWO in case you want to charge your toothbrush.

Trukinbear said:

FINE, you're right - great deal, you should buy one, or TWO in case you want to charge your toothbrush.

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I am guessing you are responding to me.
I appreciated your straightforward honesty that the kit is way overpriced unlike the others.


.

To be fair you asked why it was so expensive. You didn't ask if I thought it was a good deal.

If you were looking to drop $1500 on a solar system there are much less expensive options. The solar generators mentioned are a start, but if you dont need it to be portable there are still much less expensive options that result in better performance.

schmism said:

To be fair you asked why it was so expensive. You didn't ask if I thought it was a good deal.

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Since I am new to this, I was hoping that the experts would be able to explain why the kit was so expensive.
In other words, is there something that this kit is providing that makes it of value that I as a newbie was not "seeing".

The parts are probably about $700 ?

Anyway, I have reached out to the farm a non-profit to ask them their intentions for using the kit.

160W solar panel maybe $100 (I paid $150 for 330W panels)
1500W pure sine wave inverter with remote maybe $150 (I paid less for a 2000W PSW inverter)
PWM (not very efficient) charge controller $25
Transfer switch - this system doesn't need a transfers switch, you aren't going to plug this in to power your home.
I don't see more than $300 there

This kit is marketed as a solar upgrade kit for an RV or Vanlife van. GoPower is the big "name brand" in RV solar and is working deals with most of the major RV manufacturers to get "solar prep" packages, design to be used with their components, pre-wired into new RVs.
That is probably about a $200 panel, tops, but they put the list price on that Panel at about $450 Comparable PSW inverters are no more than $300, but the GoPower version goes for $480.
Yes they are a bit behind the times with the PMW charge controller, but they know they are only working with 12V systems and 12V Panels, so it is not as big of a compromise as it would be in a more varied application. To be fair the $25 unit that you are comparing to does not likely have a remote control panel with integrated shunt based battery status, charging profiles for 4 types of batteries and Bluetooth support with a mainstream app from a company you can reach out to for help, but I get that it's a huge premium for a bunch of fanciness that doesn't add up to more kWh.
The bottom line is it's a name brand complete package that is marketed towards DIY weekend warriors that do not want to spend time learning, doing their own design, ordering from alibaba etc. Some people are willing to pay a price for convenience and support and are most comfortable going with the big name brand. Others of us spend a bunch of time on here and get a lot more kWh for our $$$

" From our beginnings as a small Canadian distributor of solar energy products, Go Power! has grown to become one of North America’s leading suppliers of recreational and business solar solutions."

Never heard of them, but then I've only owned 6 RV's and 9 semi-tractors.

Doesn't look convenient to me, looks like a pile of cheap (very overpriced) parts.

You want convenient systems that are easy(er) to install - look to MidNite Solar.

You don't have to buy junk from Alibaba to beat those prices!

I know, I'm just jealous I can't make a 3000% markup.

Great.
I will pass along the information to the farm.

I'm in the wrong business - I need to sell 'kits.'

My stuff is all name brand - designed by a real company (MidNite Solar) in the USA that answers the phone.

Without my battery or generators, my system costs $1.42/watt and powers two households and two businesses. and includes all the mounts cables and accessories you'd need.

This 'Go Power' system is $8.65/watt (holy crap!) and might charge a toothbrush.

I'll take SMA Solar and Midnite solar over some 'off-brand' any day of the year.

?????? Read and research. Marketing hype has many victims. That's what they get paid for.
Do your homework, ask questions here and educate yourself before handing over your bucks ?????? ✌

I looked at the MidNite website, and maybe I'm missing something, but I didn't see much that would be useful in adding solar to a travel trailer or a van conversion. It looks like MidNite is all about residential solar and I didn't see many pieces that looked like the building blocks of an economical, mobile/portable system. I would say that MidNite and GoPower have about 0% in common in their main target market. I'm not sticking up for GoPower, just pointing out that they are going after a different customer set than MidNite.
I'm not sure it's fair to compare cost per watt between stationary and mobile solutions. I can go down the street and buy residential panels for less that 20 cents per watt, but they don't fit very well on the roof of my RV, they may not be durable travelling down the road at 65 mph, and they aren't really the easiest panels to work with in 12V DC systems. The panels that work best for most mobile applications, charging 12V batteries start at about 80 cents per watt.
If somebody approached me about adding Solar to their RV, I would point them towards something like this, if they only wanted 200W, but I'd strongly encourage them to step up to something like this to give them more room for expansion. If they did have room for residential panels, this kit is probably an even better value in terms of $ per watt.
To get to a package somewhat comparable to the Go Power kit would need an inverter like the Giandel units that Will recommends (about $300), a shunt base battery monitor like the AiLi unit (about $50), a transfer switch, several lengths of various gauges of welding cable/wire, crimp connectors, fuses, breakers and perhaps buss bars. It all adds up, but it could be done for a good bit less than the GoPower kit on amazon.