Roll Up Solar Panels / Ogre MPPT Controller
I would LOVE to get 10-12 amperes of 12 volt grade charging for my new group 31 Lifeline. But I have a motor-scooter size toad, that forces me to the roll-up kind of solar panel, and woe is me, the...
Forum Discussion
I have the Renogy bendables previously mentioned and they're phenomenal but very pricey--roughly double per watt. And the rollables you're looking at have 1/2 the power output per square foot of hard panels; so while the prices are low, you're going to take up twice the roof space for the same power.
IMO, follow Jim/Denver's lead on DIY portable panels and cheap PWM controller. As long as there is space to stow them, there's no downside versus the thin flexible/rollable panels.
Each day I read more reports about cheap MPPT conrollers and I grow more skeptical about the whole idea. I have an expensive MPPT controller (FlexMax 80) and it is more or less a museum piece. My solar power is overwhelmingly harvested by nominal 12v panels and a cheap PWM controller (dirt cheap).
It's easy to obsess on the idea of a PWM controler "throwing away" the voltage overhead, but in practice there is usually enough voltage loss in the system anyway that the pickup from MPPT is rather small unless your panels are significantly higher voltage.
IMO, follow Jim/Denver's lead on DIY portable panels and cheap PWM controller. As long as there is space to stow them, there's no downside versus the thin flexible/rollable panels.
Each day I read more reports about cheap MPPT conrollers and I grow more skeptical about the whole idea. I have an expensive MPPT controller (FlexMax 80) and it is more or less a museum piece. My solar power is overwhelmingly harvested by nominal 12v panels and a cheap PWM controller (dirt cheap).
It's easy to obsess on the idea of a PWM controler "throwing away" the voltage overhead, but in practice there is usually enough voltage loss in the system anyway that the pickup from MPPT is rather small unless your panels are significantly higher voltage.
