Costco coleman 100w

"This is what I want. I especially like your stand, though not sure if there's room in the back of our truck"

The stand has parts that I assemble --only takes a few minutes-- so it is easy to store in the trailer here and there. The panels go behind the couch, but could go in the bedroom.

You need a big weight on the bottom or the wind can flip it. I use a chunk of concrete. The wind also twirls it. If the wind is that strong, I add bungee cords to tent pegs to hold it as aimed.

I have another configuration for the same stand so it takes my single 255w panel, but that panel is more awkward to lug in and out of the trailer. Doesn't matter much when we stay in that one spot for a week or three at a time, but would be if RVing down the road, stopping every day in a different place.

I would go for a roof mount in that case since the sunlight would mostly be when on the road. No point setting up solar for night-time. :)

Tilting is to be up higher for morning and evening when the sun is lower. This is backwards from a stand that stays aimed South all day. In that case the panel is kept lower than optimal for high noon so it can catch more sun earlier and later.

BFL13 wrote:
I have one of those Coleman 100w and two others very similar for a 300w array. Each panel gets its Isc value of about 6.2a aimed at full sun. I get 18.6 amps that way with a basic 30a PWM controller (Solar30)

I get about the same amps with an MPPT controller with them in series or parallel (makes no difference in full sun)

With each panel being so easy to handle, it makes for a nice portable set-up. This contraption tilts and twirls by hand, so I can keep it aimed all day when I am around to operate it.

This is what I want. I especially like your stand, though not sure if there's room in the back of our truck...

But I keep putting it all off cause 12V panels are so much more expensive than 24V. And 24V panels are too big and heavy for portable.

The Home Depot sale price of US$99 for 100W for Grape Solar panels is tempting (we're not Costco members). And 1020x670x35mm and only 19.7# per panel is definitely doable. Maybe on our way south this winter, when in the States and if the sale is still ongoing ...

101 + 17 to the border + off the freeway to the store. Then a round trip.

80% of my business is within softball lobbing distance of "The Wall". Your visit to the hotel put you within 1-1/2 miles.

Anyway is my distance "workup" reasonable?

Forty bucks worth of gasoline. And no way in hades I can do a round trip in one day - so it's another $70 stay at the Flea Farm. 415 miles and two border crossings, traversing Tijuana. I wish it was easier. Jeezo from the rental just to San Ysidro and back consumes 6-1/2 hours. San Ysidro is the border. I must arise at dawn for a 1:00 PM medical appointment.

BTW thumbs up on the S4

I have one of those Coleman 100w and two others very similar for a 300w array. Each panel gets its Isc value of about 6.2a aimed at full sun. I get 18.6 amps that way with a basic 30a PWM controller (Solar30)

I get about the same amps with an MPPT controller with them in series or parallel (makes no difference in full sun)

With each panel being so easy to handle, it makes for a nice portable set-up. This contraption tilts and twirls by hand, so I can keep it aimed all day when I am around to operate it.

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
That free shipping is attractive. i.e. the only way I could benefit from Solar Blvd's great prices is to drive 250 miles further into the USA.

Norco is 101 miles north of San Diego.

Costco usually sells only quality products and what is good is unbeatable warranty.
So with few $ difference, I would go with Costco.
I just bought new refrigerator from Costco.
$2399 white glove delivery (sale price) v/s $3,031 from Home Depot with standard delivery.
HD has price match guarantee, but they will not match Costco Club.

I suspect these are polycrystalline panels which are a bit less efficient than monocrystalline panels. Costco does not state what they are, it only says they are "crystalline" solar panels. Their literature does say the panels have built in blocking diodes to prevent battery discharge back through the panels at night. What you don't have are mounting brackets, cables, junctions for joining the wires, waterproof plugs, and a better solar controller to handle the 300 watts. It's these little extras that nickel and dime you. If this isn't a system you will be depending upon, then you probably won't worry about having disconnect switches, meters to monitor the output from the panels or the discharge from the batteries. I did worry about that stuff, AFTER I had installed a basic system and discovered I wanted to know more about what was gong on in the system. That added more cost because of the rewiring I had to do to add electrical shunts into my circuits for the meters, extra crimp connectors, uprating the hookup wire from 10 AWG to 8 AWG, etc., etc., etc. So, I agree with kerrlakeRoo, start out with a better system that provides more stuff you are going to need to make the panels a complete system. Think through what your objectives are for the system, and plan it correctly the first time... I actually rewired my entire battery system 3 times before I got it right, and wasted about $100 in wires, plugs, connectors, a disconnect switch, plus about 20 hours of my time in labor.

Also remember, if you have a 12 V converter, the converter and solar controller will both be trying to charge your batteries, sometimes at the same time. (Note: most wiring diagrams only show the solar panels controlling the batteries like they are an isolated and independent system). I have read that it is okay to simply let the two systems operate simultaneously, and I note my Progressive Dynamics PD2545 and my Wanderer PWM solar controller seem to get along fine. But, to be safe, I wired a switch into the 110V input to the PD2545 so I can shut it off except when I may need additional 12V at night when I have a hookup.

Good luck with your project-
Steve

starcraft69 wrote:
Are these good panels?

Hard to say... I would only judge good by whether they had bypass diodes or how much they cost.

WindyNation 100 watt panels are $116 each with free shipping.

100 watters delivered to home depot $99. or shipped free.

Get the grape 40A CC with BT delivered there also.