Small scale solar panels

[Disabled Preppers]

Ok folks this is going to be a sort of review of a panel kit i just got to be fitted o nte the garage roof on a frame i will make and then get fitted by the nephew lol ypu they do come in handy as you get older , we got a 200W kit of the ebay i will put the fully details up later and some pictures for others just in case anyone else wahts to try it .
The main reason for going to a kit that will be we do not have to run in and out when the rain comes ,we have folding panels right now to charge our power stations and any other bits andb obs but likei say if it is out and the rain comes we have to get them in so i was going to use the polytuneel as a house for it during bad weather but the nephew said he had fitted a small sacle kit to his home office and never really uses electric in there now , so we went for a small kit to start and see if it works out ok because again it will be on the garage roof and that wat these panels are weather hardy and then the wires can come into the garage work bench we will be able to plug in to the USB slots on the planel controler but also run wires to either batteries or to the power stations to top them up daily .
We are just getting in to the solar side of power really but did not want to go the full 12K home system .

Ok well i hope it helps others and the kit i have plumpt to start off is .I hope it is ok to putthe link to the one we went for .

Dokio 100w 200w 400w Mono Solar Panel Z Bracket Kit for Home/Caravan/RV/Camper | eBay

Dokio 100w 200w 300w Portable Solar Panel for Car battery/Caravan/Camping.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[Disabled Preppers]

Ok folks we ahve started working out the fitting of the panels and that was where we came up against the first hiccup shall i call it , we got a full kit as we thought but you need to also buy the mountings and we have gone for the tilting type that are a solid frame they can be mounted on any flat surface so rv boats and garage roofs so the project is on hold until they arrive now we have to sort them first , we are looking at using and old ladder to botlthem on so they can then be placed on th garage roof and with a set bag of cement as ballast to hold the ladder down , ok well just a quick update as i say we now need the moutnings so when you get a kit it is best to check you get the mountings or to order tham at the same time .

 

[Woody girl]

My, those are a good price! I paid almost £200for the jackery pannel that won't hold up to being outside in the rain, so have to keep an eye out all the time and rush to bring it in if things look dodgy. As the weather gets more wintery, this looks like a great option at an amazing price. Was thinking of renology myself as an option, never heard of this brand, intrigued as to how they work out. Keep us posted!
Ps, which power banks do you have? I have the smallest jackery, so may need an alternative connector, any advise?

 

[Decacraft]

The jackery uses an mc4- dc 8mm lead, I have one from amazon that works fine.

I use the renogy panels year round with no issues at all, they are now fixed on my shed roof and I have the cable run through the wall in a weatherproof box so I can charge the jackery in the shed.

I'm eventually going to put some panels on the house roof for the ecoflow, keep it in the attic and run a ring main for use from that. Eventually I may invest in some additional batteries for the ecoflow so I can further increase the potential for the system and run more from it, reducing my electric bill and having a failsafe for any outages

 

[Disabled Preppers]

@Woody girl i will be sure to let you the group know , they appear well made and the final word will go to my nephew who does all this sort of stuff he will know but they feel well made and the cabled feel over kill shall i say they are super thick not like some the thin ones .
I have 3 power stations we have the 2 300w ones we use for basic light and then we have a 600 w that is for more charging things , i wanted to go for a much larger power station but waiting to see if they come donw a chunk in the amazon sales .I will have to find the names off the stations but the 2 small are what i call non branded but have been great .

We also have the fold out panels we have 2 sets of them and like you they say they can be out in the rain but i have never tried it , i was going to build a small fram to slide up in the roof of the polytunnle for the fold outs for winter use so we could put the panels in there and thenb just have a garden table in the middle and pop the power stations on there each morning , but he nephew said what about a small scale set up in the garage that can be left there year on year so hence going o try that , i have also gone for an upgrade on the kit i got as i have gone for a different panel because the panel that came with it does not have a straight plkug in for the chargering you hard wire in the bottom , the new one is the same but also has 2 sockets to just plug the power stations on , i will let you know how we go .

@Decacraft the trouble for me with putting things on the main roof would be i would have to get a company in to do it safely abd then that means i might as well go full on boots and braces solar , i would love to but to invest say 10 to 14 k on a top nothch system well i would rather build a large extension first .
I would love you to do a report on how you get on fitting to the main house roof and how you wire in , we are still looking for a sparks to come fit a manual switch gear to switch the house to the gennie well we have 2 genniesl ol and yup a man thing looking at a much large one but then it attracts attention so the 2kw will do for now as i can pop them in the garage which is fairly sound proof unless ear to the door i can then pop the exhaust out the back door .

Ok well loving all the help and info people have on here being some what of a solar novice , loving it thank you

 

[Woody girl]

Thanks, so, let this technophobe get this right..
I can use the renology panel and plug it straight into the jackery without an adaptor?
I had read that I'd need an adaptor to be able to use the renology panel with the jackery unit.
I know I need a mc4 8mm but I wasn't sure if that came with the ren panel, or if I'd need to order it in addition.

I rarely order online, and I have to ask a friend to do it for me , so I want to make sure I don't have to go back and ask yet another favour.
Thanks.

 

[Decacraft]

Thanks, so, let this technophobe get this right..
I can use the renology panel and plug it straight into the jackery without an adaptor?
I had read that I'd need an adaptor to be able to use the renology panel with the jackery unit.
I know I need a mc4 8mm but I wasn't sure if that came with the ren panel, or if I'd need to order it in addition.

I rarely order online, and I have to ask a friend to do it for me , so I want to make sure I don't have to go back and ask yet another favour.
Thanks.

That's exactly what you need! Just checked amazon and there about £10, the renogy panel has the mc4 connectors, and the adapter plugs straight in(I say adaptor but all it is an mc4-dc lead)

I had mine setup last year into a wham storage box, the larger one from home bargains. I drilled a hole in it, and used a grommet and some sealant so it was waterproof, and put the jackery into the storage box then to charge if the weather wasn't good.

I believe yours is the 240 model? A 100w panel is all it will take and its good to go.

 

[Decacraft]

@Woody girl i will be sure to let you the group know , they appear well made and the final word will go to my nephew who does all this sort of stuff he will know but they feel well made and the cabled feel over kill shall i say they are super thick not like some the thin ones .
I have 3 power stations we have the 2 300w ones we use for basic light and then we have a 600 w that is for more charging things , i wanted to go for a much larger power station but waiting to see if they come donw a chunk in the amazon sales .I will have to find the names off the stations but the 2 small are what i call non branded but have been great .

We also have the fold out panels we have 2 sets of them and like you they say they can be out in the rain but i have never tried it , i was going to build a small fram to slide up in the roof of the polytunnle for the fold outs for winter use so we could put the panels in there and thenb just have a garden table in the middle and pop the power stations on there each morning , but he nephew said what about a small scale set up in the garage that can be left there year on year so hence going o try that , i have also gone for an upgrade on the kit i got as i have gone for a different panel because the panel that came with it does not have a straight plkug in for the chargering you hard wire in the bottom , the new one is the same but also has 2 sockets to just plug the power stations on , i will let you know how we go .

@Decacraft the trouble for me with putting things on the main roof would be i would have to get a company in to do it safely abd then that means i might as well go full on boots and braces solar , i would love to but to invest say 10 to 14 k on a top nothch system well i would rather build a large extension first .
I would love you to do a report on how you get on fitting to the main house roof and how you wire in , we are still looking for a sparks to come fit a manual switch gear to switch the house to the gennie well we have 2 genniesl ol and yup a man thing looking at a much large one but then it attracts attention so the 2kw will do for now as i can pop them in the garage which is fairly sound proof unless ear to the door i can then pop the exhaust out the back door .

Ok well loving all the help and info people have on here being some what of a solar novice , loving it thank you

Once it's up I'll make sure to do a post.

I have been buying panels when I can afford them and now have a few to go on.

I have bought the rails and accessories, and all I need is a roofer to install the rails and panels then. Luckily I have a friend who can do this for me to keep costs down.

If I went full grid tied, battery banks and inverters it would be a lot more cost, but for everything I have so far, and the fitting costs it will be around £4k or less. I will expand as I can afford it then, hopefully within 2 years have around 12kw of storage ability

I'm going to run the ring main myself, so all it will cost me is time and materials.

 

[Disabled Preppers]

@Decacraft are you a qulaified sparks just wondering because if so i could find you some jobs lol but if not watch out if you do the electrics yourself that you do not fall foul of the law mate , i had friends when in the building trade did stupid things move a gas mains move electrics themselves to cut down o nthe cost and we are talking 80's and 90's but when the law chabnged well yup not such a clever idea.
Ok look forward to your full on system , i just am not brave enough to go that way without having a company do it nd that would cost to much for us

 

[Decacraft]

@Decacraft are you a qulaified sparks just wondering because if so i could find you some jobs lol but if not watch out if you do the electrics yourself that you do not fall foul of the law mate , i had friends when in the building trade did stupid things move a gas mains move electrics themselves to cut down o nthe cost and we are talking 80's and 90's but when the law chabnged well yup not such a clever idea.
Ok look forward to your full on system , i just am not brave enough to go that way without having a company do it nd that would cost to much for us

I am indeed ,I can carry out most trade related repairs/builds and tend to do so on my own home. Being a homeowner I tend to do most of the work myself to save money, and have some friends who work in different fields so I can get them to carry out any gas work needed and anything else out of my comfort zone.