Is my panel defective?

[aussiesam]

I purchased a brand new Rich Solar 200watt panel for a small power station (ecoflow river1) that takes up to 200 watts, I made sure the VOC and amperage fell into the acceptable range and even watched several videos to confirm that there was no funny sweet spot to reach the 200 watts, every thing matched. Waited a few weeks to receive the panel, I'm in a VERY sunny area close to the equator, almost no clouds, no grey skies, everything is bright sunny, hot days. My panel hits 135 watts max at peak hours and gets between 90-124watts most of the day. I'm really disappointed as I was expecting 160-180 based on other reviews. I never, not even once got a single reading above 140. I tried cleaning it, I tried angle-ing it, I tried raising it to cool it, nothing works.
My question is, is this a normal range for my weather conditions? and if not, how can I inspect it to find the fault? I'm getting VOC 20.4V-20.8V

 

[12VoltInstalls]

Temperature above 77*F is going to knock your watts down some anyways. Plus maybe the egoflow doesn’t “want” more watts for the SOC?

 

[aussiesam]

Temperature above 77*F is going to knock your watts down some anyways. Plus maybe the egoflow doesn’t “want” more watts for the SOC?

It is pretty hot but within normal operating range. On the days tested it was 90 degrees outside and the panel is elevated from the surface to offer sufficient ventilation. I expected a reduction in output, but I don't know if 40% is normal.. I compared it with a video from HoboTech youtube channel, he was able to get a stable 200 watts on his ecoflow using similar voltage.. Unfortunately I'm unable to test the amperage, as my multimeter has a 10Amp fuse and the panel is rated for short circuit 10.2A

 

[12VoltInstalls]

multimeter has a 10Amp fuse and the panel is rated for short circuit 10.2A

Get an extra fuse or two; the panel in operation is <10A by spec and it should not blow the fuse in a short brief test of current. (Short was the wrong word to use here lol)

 

[MisterSandals]

for a small power station (ecoflow river1) that takes up to 200 watts,

This sounds like a poor way to test a 200W solar panel's output.

 

[Doggydogworld]

I'm getting VOC 20.4V-20.8V

Spec is 24.3Voc, so 20.4-20.8 sounds like something is wrong. If you measure 20.x in full morning sun before the panel has a chance to heat up it should get within a few percent of spec.

 

[MisterSandals]

I'm getting VOC 20.4V-20.8V

Just wanted to confirm that you are measuring this, with a volt meter, with the solar panel completely disconnected from everything?

 

[aussiesam]

Just wanted to confirm that you are measuring this, with a volt meter, with the solar panel completely disconnected from everything?

yes, that is correct

 

[12VoltInstalls]

So I contacted Rich Solar through amazon and they sent me a number and email, the email got removed by amazon and the number just goes to voicemail every time I call, so I haven't been able to get any tech support to troubleshoot it.

If it’s within 30 days return the blessed thing and order a new one

 

[mikefitz]

never, not even once got a single reading above 140

I think your panel is OK and the issue lies with the solar controller in the EcoRiver. A poor quality solar controller would give a maximum power reading of 120 to 140 watts.
Suggest you use your multimeter on the 10 amp range to test the panel Isc, it will need a much higher current than 10.2 amps to blow the meter fuse.

(The specification for the EcoRiver with a 288 watt battery suggests that with two 110 watt panels, it will take 3 hours to charge, this agrees with your results)

Mike

 

[aussiesam]

It seems that it is a heat issue. It has been raining the last few days and when the clouds pass, the wattage spikes, I have finally seen spikes up to 160watts, which would suggest it is capable of performing at those ranges. Unfortunately it doesn't hold at those levels for long and will drop back to 130 when the panel heats up. But the mere fact that it gets up there is enough for me to believe that the capacity is there and that weather conditions just aren't permitting full output.