Flexible panel choice

[Tomthumb62]

I installed option 1, the renogy black division panels about a week ago. Had some trouble with initial panels arriving with scratches, maybe just cosmetic, but ultimately it all got sorted. Not enough time to give much of a user review, fingers crossed I get get some years out of them, hard panels wouldn't have really worked for my use case.

Thanks for the update. Was considering the same Renogy panels but we’re going to go with the Sunpower ones instead.

If you haven’t watched them yet, do check out RV with Tito on YouTube, he has a couple videos on installing flexible solar panels in a way that allows for some air flow underneath.

 

[curiouscarbon]

I've read a little about them. I haven't found many that will work for my space.

I had looked at the Rich Solar 160W CIG panel. I think I could fit two, although it would be very tight. I wasn't confident the CIG advantage was worth the extra cost, and I don't think they offer much of a warranty. Open to being educated.

avoid rich solar if you can.

all four of the CIGS panels they sold me for a high price have delaminated from the front material, and have been rendered unusable by normal weather within half a year.

no manufacturing changes, they just tell people to put tape along the edges ?

they are definitely not weatherproof as advertised.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

all four of the CIGS panels they sold me for a high price have delaminated from the front

That’s too bad.
I have a number of their ‘hard’ panels and they’ve been good whatever country they get them made in.

I’m not a flex panel fan anyways. I’m not a marketing sociology guy so I never say, “use case,” either. But in my situation I’d just always find a way to use standard rigid panels.

 

[Pele'22]

avoid rich solar if you can.

all four of the CIGS panels they sold me for a high price have delaminated from the front material, and have been rendered unusable by normal weather within half a year.

no manufacturing changes, they just tell people to put tape along the edges ?

they are definitely not weatherproof as advertised.

Thanks for adding your experience.

 

[Renogy Solar]

Thank you for liking our products. Our 100W flexible components are suitable for use in caravans. You can choose the right number of PVs to install depending on the size of your car roof. If it is convenient, you can tell us the daily electricity consumption of your caravan system and we can recommend a kit for you

 

[curiouscarbon]

What is the water resistance rating of the 100W renogy flexible solar panel?

 

[Simon@HG-GROUP]

I fully appreciate the disadvantages of flexible panels, yet that is my favored option for mounting to the top of my truck pop top camper for weight and clearance concerns.

The three options I've identified based on size available;

1. 2 x Renogy 100 Watt 12 Volt Black Division Lightweight Monocrystalline Solar Panel, $135
2. 2 x Renogy 100 Watt 12 Volt Flexible Monocrystalline Solar Panel $145
3. 2 x Overlander™ 130 Watt ETFE Semi-Flexible Solar Panel https://www.overlandsolar.com/colle...ander-130-watt-etfe-semi-flexible-solar-panel $377

Renogy has the advantage of a good warranty (Performance Warranty: 5 year 95% output warranty 10 year 90% output warranty 25 year 80% output warranty).

The Overlander panels tout their usage of Sunpower Maxeon Generation III cells, but are more than double the price, and although an extra 60W would be nice, they do not have any warranty.

Any thoughts

Why renogy? their panels are just too expensive cuz they spent a lot on ads. I'm also flexible solar panel manufacturer, if you're interested, click our web page for more info about how flexible solar panel are applied on various senarios.

 

[soylentgreen]

Those HG group panels look nice. Are they for sale? Where can I buy them from the USA in small quantities? (1, 2, 3...)

 

[Tomthumb62]

Those HG group panels look nice. Are they for sale? Where can I buy them from the USA in small quantities? (1, 2, 3...)

The best flexible panels I’ve found are made by Maxeon, sold under the Sunpower brand. Solar powered yachts dot com sell them. Rvwithtito code gives you a nice discount. No affiliation just a happy customer.

 

[0truck0]

Besides trying talk u outta these flex panels,
You HAVE TO ventilate them underneath, do not place them directly onto the surface. it gets very hot under there, and did burn (severly discolor) my fiberglass roof.
There are ways to vent them and have them still pretty flat and curved, but I hate flex panels so much that I wont bother... good luck

 

[Tomthumb62]

Besides trying talk u outta these flex panels,
You HAVE TO ventilate them underneath, do not place them directly onto the surface. it gets very hot under there, and did burn (severly discolor) my fiberglass roof.
There are ways to vent them and have them still pretty flat and curved, but I hate flex panels so much that I wont bother... good luck

It depends where you live or travel. In the northern USA, mounted flat directly on a wood and canvas roof in 90-105F at the hottest, but more like 80-90F in summer, we have had zero hot spot or burning issues.

Were we in hotter climates like Texas or Arizona or inland Southern California, it would probably be a different story.

Where are you located where you’re getting such burning?

 

[0truck0]

Southeast. It is not the location or the temp so much, but that there is no ventilation under.
Also, the panels will lose efficiency when they get this hot.
I would not use the method of looking for burn spots to determine how hot the panel gets.
It will get hot! Ventilate it!

 

[Tomthumb62]

Southeast. It is not the location or the temp so much, but that there is no ventilation under.
Also, the panels will lose efficiency when they get this hot.
I would not use the method of looking for burn spots to determine how hot the panel gets.
It will get hot! Ventilate it!

We have no ventilation under our panels. No hot spots, panels work flawlessly even 5 years later. Maybe we are lucky or maybe there are other mitigating factors like the ones I mentioned above that account for this. I don't know, but that's my best guess.

This forum is very anti-flex panels. For all good reasons. But I think often the baby gets thrown out with the bathwater. Few will acknowledge they can be used for long service life, if used appropriately. Not letting them get too hot is a big part, as you point out. How and why they get hot I think has more to do than just a ventilation issue. For example, the surface they are mounted on matters. Mounting on a metal roof? Hell ya those are gonna burn. Mounting on a wood roof? Wood is a natural insulator, so it won't get as hot as metal or as quickly. Metal conducts heat quickly instead of insulate from heat. If it's 100F outside, then it might be 130-140F inside the vehicle. There might be a bit of insulation in the roof, but not much and a metal roof is not only going to conduct heat from the ambient air, but from the heat inside the vehicle, too.

It's all a matter of context - each use case is going to have pros and cons. Flex panels are a horrible idea if one thinks they make good portable panels, to be unloaded from the back of a car and deployed every day on the road, but properly mounted panels in a fixed location (proper is a relative term here, depends upon the context of the use case) can last a good while.

 

[0truck0]

Good luck.
Flex do have higher failure rates, glad you are not in that fail group, count yourself lucky.
No comment

 

[Tomthumb62]

Good luck.
Flex do have higher failure rates, glad you are not in that fail group, count yourself lucky.
No comment

When I read the stories of failed flexible panels, most of them were being abused. Such as using them as portable panels in and out in the back of a car(since they’re lighter weight and plastic instead of glass so harder to break mechanically). Or installing them on a metal RV roof and then traveling to really hot climates.

If the cheapo ones from WindyNation last 10 years, I’ll be happy and then I’ll replace them with Sunpower ones.

“But that’ll cost more!” Yep it will, but sometimes you gotta do what makes the wife happy. On top of our 14’ home made by my wife’s dad who was a master woodworker, you can’t see the flexibles. That wouldn’t be the case with rigid panels.

“But don’t you want to travel to hot climates in summer?” Nope. We have no air conditioning in the trailer (but do in the truck) and aren’t interested in adding some. So we plan our travels around the summer weather - stay further north in peak summer heat. We happen to also live in such a climate, so traveling south would be a longer trip.

The whole point that you and others make about flexible panels not lasting as long, you’re probably right. But I don’t care enough to switch to rigid, it would destroy the craftsman look of this trailer.

“You’re doing it for LOOKS?!” Yep.

 

[wme]

Well this isn't going to be much help but... I did cheap Chinese flex solar, after all Amazon wouldn't sell junk, right!, and they lasted 1 summer.
I have just installed a new Bouge 200w CIGS, we will see what it does.
Side note Bouge now guarantees this panel for 10 years.
This is the panel that Dr. Hobo (Hobotech) shot 5 rounds of 9mm through and then ran over it with an ATV. Still made 165w out of 175w for a new panel

 

[Mercedes Adventure Pug]

Wish I had ran across this info a year ago, from our experience over the last year I would say the CIG panels are the worst product ever.
Attached are Photos from our 2 RICH Solar 160 CIG panels with a little over a year on them.
Also the email thread with RICH Solar. Buyer beware ! ! !

From: Rich Solar Support <support@richsolar.com>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 2:45 PM
To: Dennis Wolf <dwolf@ddfzone.com>
Subject: RE: The absolute worst product ever
Hi Dennis,
Thank you for your email.
Unfortunately, the discount is the only thing we can do to assist you.
We can no longer assist you with an exchange or replacement since the item is already out of warranty.
Kindly refer to this link for more info - https://richsolar.com/pages/warranty
Sincerely,
Jerome V.
Customer Support Lead | RICH SOLAR
jerome@richsolar.com
800 831 9889
5550 Jurupa St, Ontario, CA 91761
richsolar.com



On Thu, Dec 28, 2023 at 12:56 PM, Dennis Wolf <dwolf@ddfzone.com> wrote:
Dear Rich Solar Support Team,
Thanks for the response back, the “goodwill gesture” might cover the poor service, but not the fact that we have $1,100 dollars’ worth of useless delaminating solar panels.
For $500 a panel, one would hope that the warranty is longer than a year, especially when the other panels have a 25 year warranty.
Also, after a little research came across other folks that have had similar issues.
https://diysolarforum.com/threads/delaminated-cigs-is-it-dangerous.60054/
https://diysolarforum.com/threads/why-not-cigs.30865/page-4#post-615979
We are not asking for a refund, but an exchange would go along way to regain our trust in RICH Solar.
Looking forward to a positive response so we can move forward and start 2024 of on a positive note?
Dennis, Jennifer and Sadie the Adventure Pug


From: Rich Solar Support <support@richsolar.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 27, 2023 11:44 AM
To: Dennis Wolf <dwolf@ddfzone.com>
Subject: Re: The absolute worst product ever
Hi Dennis,
Thank you for your email.
We are so sorry to hear that your experience with our company has not met your expectations.
Customer satisfaction is our top priority, and we are truly sorry that wasn't demonstrated to you.
While we'd love the opportunity to regain your trust, we understand how frustrated you must be. My deepest apologies for any inconvenience we have caused you.
As a goodwill gesture we can provide you a 35% discount if your going to purchase our 200 watt rigid panels.
Kind regards,
Jerome V.
Customer Support Lead | RICH SOLAR
jerome@richsolar.com
800 831 9889
5550 Jurupa St, Ontario, CA 91761
richsolar.com


On Sun, Dec 24, 2023 at 12:09 AM, Dennis Wolf <dwolf@ddfzone.com> wrote:
Dear support team at Rich Solar,
Thought we would reach out by email and attempt to get a resolution on what we are classifying as the absolute worst product ever.
We purchased 2 RICH SOLAR MEGA 160 Watt CIGS Flexible Solar Panels on November/December of 2021.
11/30/2021 RICH SOLAR HTTPSRICHSOLACA -1100.75 2 Solar Panels
We installed them around August/September of 2022.
7/2/2022 METAL SUPERMARKETS -467.98 Metal for Roof Solar
We noticed some discoloration on the tail end about 6 months ago and thought it a bit strange.
About a month ago I called in to ask about it and was told that the panels only have a year warranty for any issues.
During that call, all I was talking about was the discoloration of the panels that I had noticed,
and the support person stated that the only remedy was to “tape” the edges to stop the discoloration which I thought was a bit odd.
Fast forward to last week, when I was starting to install a new vent on the roof and discovered why the comment about tapping the sides.
Both panels are completely delaminating all three layers. Pictures are attached. The only good thing out of this story is, I decided for some reason to install them on separate stainless steel panels, then mount them to 80/20 on the roof rack.
So glad I did, rather than mounting them directly to the roof of the sprinter. Really feel sorry for anyone who has bought these panels and mounted them directly to the roof of their van or motor home and then this happens.
Even before all these physical issues, the performance of the panels are pathetic to say the least so we were looking to possibly use the CIG panels for some other projects and try your 200 watt RV panels.
But with the very poor customer service we received on our initial phone call and the fact that RICH Solar is selling such a poor product, not sure I would trust your 200 watt RV panels even with your 25 year warranty.
Let us know what your remedy is to make it right with the worst product we have ever purchased.
Dennis, Jennifer and Sadie the Adventure Pug

 

[wme]

Bouge RV has 100w and 200w CIGS. I have the 200w and it will be installed in the spring time and we will see about things. HOBOTECH did a brutal review and thought well of it.
Bouge also has semi flexible fiberglass reinforced 100w panels for much less than CIGS panels. Don't have any so can't even forecast quality.
Both have a 10 year warranty, if ordered direct from Bouge they have a 12 year warranty

 

[12VoltInstalls]

For $500 a panel, one would hope that the warranty is longer than a year,

But that one year was the terms you had from day one and you knew that if you read the literature or instructions.

Hoping for more isn’t realistic.

 

[littleharbor2]

Wish I had ran across this info a year ago, from our experience over the last year I would say the CIG panels are the worst product ever.
Attached are Photos from our 2 RICH Solar 160 CIG panels with a little over a year on them.
Also the email thread with RICH Solar. Buyer beware ! ! !

From: Rich Solar Support <support@richsolar.com>
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2023 2:45 PM
To: Dennis Wolf <dwolf@ddfzone.com>
Subject: RE: The absolute worst product ever
Hi Dennis,
Thank you for your email.
Unfortunately, the discount is the only thing we can do to assist you.
We can no longer assist you with an exchange or replacement since the item is already out of warranty.
Kindly refer to this link for more info - https://richsolar.com/pages/warranty
Sincerely,
Jerome V.
Customer Support Lead | RICH SOLAR
jerome@richsolar.com
800 831 9889
5550 Jurupa St, Ontario, CA 91761
richsolar.com



On Thu, Dec 28, 2023 at 12:56 PM, Dennis Wolf <dwolf@ddfzone.com> wrote:
Dear Rich Solar Support Team,
Thanks for the response back, the “goodwill gesture” might cover the poor service, but not the fact that we have $1,100 dollars’ worth of useless delaminating solar panels.
For $500 a panel, one would hope that the warranty is longer than a year, especially when the other panels have a 25 year warranty.
Also, after a little research came across other folks that have had similar issues.
https://diysolarforum.com/threads/delaminated-cigs-is-it-dangerous.60054/
https://diysolarforum.com/threads/why-not-cigs.30865/page-4#post-615979
We are not asking for a refund, but an exchange would go along way to regain our trust in RICH Solar.
Looking forward to a positive response so we can move forward and start 2024 of on a positive note?
Dennis, Jennifer and Sadie the Adventure Pug


From: Rich Solar Support <support@richsolar.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 27, 2023 11:44 AM
To: Dennis Wolf <dwolf@ddfzone.com>
Subject: Re: The absolute worst product ever
Hi Dennis,
Thank you for your email.
We are so sorry to hear that your experience with our company has not met your expectations.
Customer satisfaction is our top priority, and we are truly sorry that wasn't demonstrated to you.
While we'd love the opportunity to regain your trust, we understand how frustrated you must be. My deepest apologies for any inconvenience we have caused you.
As a goodwill gesture we can provide you a 35% discount if your going to purchase our 200 watt rigid panels.
Kind regards,
Jerome V.
Customer Support Lead | RICH SOLAR
jerome@richsolar.com
800 831 9889
5550 Jurupa St, Ontario, CA 91761
richsolar.com


On Sun, Dec 24, 2023 at 12:09 AM, Dennis Wolf <dwolf@ddfzone.com> wrote:
Dear support team at Rich Solar,
Thought we would reach out by email and attempt to get a resolution on what we are classifying as the absolute worst product ever.
We purchased 2 RICH SOLAR MEGA 160 Watt CIGS Flexible Solar Panels on November/December of 2021.
11/30/2021 RICH SOLAR HTTPSRICHSOLACA -1100.75 2 Solar Panels
We installed them around August/September of 2022.
7/2/2022 METAL SUPERMARKETS -467.98 Metal for Roof Solar
We noticed some discoloration on the tail end about 6 months ago and thought it a bit strange.
About a month ago I called in to ask about it and was told that the panels only have a year warranty for any issues.
During that call, all I was talking about was the discoloration of the panels that I had noticed,
and the support person stated that the only remedy was to “tape” the edges to stop the discoloration which I thought was a bit odd.
Fast forward to last week, when I was starting to install a new vent on the roof and discovered why the comment about tapping the sides.
Both panels are completely delaminating all three layers. Pictures are attached. The only good thing out of this story is, I decided for some reason to install them on separate stainless steel panels, then mount them to 80/20 on the roof rack.
So glad I did, rather than mounting them directly to the roof of the sprinter. Really feel sorry for anyone who has bought these panels and mounted them directly to the roof of their van or motor home and then this happens.
Even before all these physical issues, the performance of the panels are pathetic to say the least so we were looking to possibly use the CIG panels for some other projects and try your 200 watt RV panels.
But with the very poor customer service we received on our initial phone call and the fact that RICH Solar is selling such a poor product, not sure I would trust your 200 watt RV panels even with your 25 year warranty.
Let us know what your remedy is to make it right with the worst product we have ever purchased.
Dennis, Jennifer and Sadie the Adventure Pug

While your pictures show a nice looking mounting method, I think the use of heavy stainless steel was a mistake. That must get incredibly hot in the summer. Rigid fiberglass board would be considerably cooler and may have avoided the delamination problem, maybe...