Cheap flexible 100W panel DOA

[Roger Rosthwaite]

Brand: Hoysicy
Price: $70
https://a.co/d/8w00KnN

Outputs max 0.33V in full sun. I ordered a replacement that should arrive tomorrow. No big deal. Cheap and free returns on Amazon prime.

The diode looks fine but I found some solder splatter on the panel, not sure if that could be the problem (I'm not familiar with internal panel connections).

Thought I'd share here. I'm mounting flexible panels on my apartment balcony's railing, and I'm using flexible simply because of the weight. I'm not too concerned about longevity since price is dropping so quickly on these panels and my whole system is a fluid work in progress.

 

[MrNatural22]

Yep, I've got a couple Amazon flexible panels that are now wall decorations or window curtains after six months of use.
Put a frame around them hang em up as a reminder of what you could have bought instead.
Waste of money...................................

 

[Roger Rosthwaite]

Well, I figured out the problem:

The diode was wired backwards

I didn't think much when I discovered the MC4 connectors had reverse polarity, but then it hit me about the diode.
Currently pulling in 54 W in early morning sun on the second to last day of winter.

I've got another panel coming today. Might order two more, give it the 30 day return period and see how things shake out. Like I said, realistically I'm not looking for these to last more than a few years.

 

[soylentgreen]

You can get a much better SunPower 100w flexible for $150. Why waste time on cheap stuff?

https://www.amazon.com/SunPower-Flexible-Monocrystalline-Solar-Panel/dp/B077H45H3F

 

[Roger Rosthwaite]

You can get a much better SunPower 100w flexible for $150. Why waste time on cheap stuff?

The simple answer is expense. Expense is a huge factor for me.
This project is a journey and I don't always expect to have expense as the number one consideration, but at the moment it is. The panels I'm getting are less than half the price of the SunPower panels.

I took a leap and bought the cells (EVE) and BMS (OverkillSolar) for a 280ah LiFePO4 battery and after that, I'm looking to get up and running in the cheapest way possible. The battery will last decades, the panels will not. They're cheap and work for now.

I'm thinking of posting the build for this project on the Show and Tell forum, but briefly I've been running 250W of rigid panels on an MPPT controller going into a 75ah lead acid with a 1000W Renogy inverter. The LiFePO4 was the first major upgrade, and I just sold the rigid panels to help cover the expense of lightweight flexible panels for mounting on an apartment balcony railing.

 

[Rednecktek]

I've always been a fan of the cheap WallyWorld batteries for the same reason. If you think you might destroy a component, destroy a CHEAP component!

 

[soylentgreen]

There is "inexpensive" and then there's "cheap" - there are quite a few good LiFePO batteries that are 1/2 (or less) of the cost of the premier brands, any numerous reviews say "not perfect, but for the money this is a great product".

I don't think you see the same pattern with flexible solar panels, where most of the reviews of the cheap models say "avoid like the plague!"

I may be wrong - does anyone know of a non-name-brand flexible solar panel that is actually OK for the money?

 

[wiseacre]

Is weight that critical?
How many panels are you considering to use?
A 100w solid frame is about 10 lbs. more per panel than a flexible one.
10 panels - 40 Lbs. vs 140 Lbs. doesn't seem like too much for a balcony railing
(if it is, I wouldn't trust leaning against it)

 

[Roger Rosthwaite]

Is weight that critical?
How many panels are you considering to use?
A 100w solid frame is about 10 lbs. more per panel than a flexible one.
10 panels - 40 Lbs. vs 140 Lbs. doesn't seem like too much for a balcony railing
(if it is, I wouldn't trust leaning against it)

More important than weight is the rotational force the panels put on the railing.
And there is a bolt that would take a lot of this stress (see sketch). The bolt seems mostly alright, as far as I can tell, but I don't want to put too much trust in it.

A 14 lb. 100W panel + 3 lbs. of support structure would equal 17 lbs. per panel.
Multiplied by 6 (the amount I plan on mounting) would be 102 lbs.
A 3 lb. flexible panel + 3 lbs. of support would equal 6 lbs. per panel, making it 36 lbs. total.
102 pounds vs 36 pounds is significant in my opinion when taking into account this rotational force.