RICH SOLAR 200 Watt 12 Volt Moncrystalline Solar Panel High Efficiency Solar Module for RV Trailer Camper Marine Off Grid
$239.99
Description
- 【Standard】 Size: 58.7” x 26.8” x 1.4”, 3′ cable with connectors, generate 9.8 amp power, charge 12 volt battery. Industry standard, quick connect cables, work in series or in parallel.
- 【Performance】 Excellent low light performance on cloudy days, mornings and evenings. Certified to withstand challenging environmental conditions.
- 【Durable】 Built with strong high transmission anti-reflective coated tempered glass and anodized aluminum frame.
- 【Installation】 Fast and easy installation. 14 pre-drilled holes compatible with ground mounts, Z-brackets, side pole mounts and tilt mounts.
- 【Warranty】 25-year limited power output; 5-year material and workmanship.
, RICH SOLAR 200 Watt 12 Volt Moncrystalline Solar Panel High Efficiency Solar Module for RV Trailer Camper Marine Off Grid, 199.99, USD,
Additional information
| Product Dimensions | 58.3 x 26.2 x 1.4 inches |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 26.5 pounds |
| Manufacturer | RICH SOLAR |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
English
Chris –
Purchased 10 panels. All panels output at far below rated. At best, with all 10, 170w mono panels in parallel, I have seen an instantaneous reading of no more than 650w at controller output. I purchased a monitor to put between the panels and controller and it uses about 10% to convert output to 120VAC. While the panels don’t make their rated power, they do make some. From their appearance, I believe that multiple internal failures is likely on all panels. I initially believed that the issues were due to shading of the array and weather. Having tested them over months and relocating the array to verify, I would not recommend these panels as useful for anyone. All panels were received in apparently good condition.
welder314 –
This review is for the 200W panels. I am using multiple panels in an off-grid system.
They were delivered in super sturdy boxes with nice heavy foam protection. Panel build quality is very good, no visual cell defects, excellent mechanical construction, edges line up, etc. Sealant is used where required; quality and application of sealant is good. The aluminum frame has multiple mounting holes, and there’s ample room to drill more if required without affecting frame integrity. The glass appears to be good grade; it has a slight random pattern texture on the exterior surface.
Junction box and connectors are good quality. Box is sealed with an o-ring. Although they are plastic, and obviously of ‘foreign origin,’ they seemed to be solid and well made. Soldering and component attachments were good. Lead wires are 3 feet, 12 AWG aluminum. Yes, aluminum, not tinned copper. I did a chemical test to confirm. Does it make a difference? Well, compared to 10 AWG copper, these will see a loss of about 1.2 watts per panel. Not significant in my opinion.
Now for the numbers. I’m at about 33 N latitude, ~700 ft elevation, date is around April 20; we’re on DST so the max solar elevation is right around 12:45 pm. Load is a discharged AGM bank in good condition, charge controller is an Outback FlexMax 60.
In cloudless skies, output stayed about 180W per panel from about 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with a peak of 188W. Power at 1.5 hrs post-sunrise and pre-sunset was 140W. These are all on an azimuth tracking mount.
For some other numbers….. On a partly cloudy day, low white clouds with breaks, output was 220W at 4pm. This is typical of the conditions, because the low clouds reflect back some of the light. And because the light is so scattered, I still got 200W even when the panel was only aligned for elevation.
On a fully cloudy day, with zero sun, output was a solid 50 watts, which is about what to expect.
About 20 minutes before sunset, on a cloudy day, output was 10 watts, still enough to keep a float charge going. Not terribly useful, but just an interesting data point.
There was a fair difference in output when alignment was less than optimal. In an Elevation-Only alignment, total output was about 800 watts from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and 1080 watts fully aligned. If you add the “after hours” power, it makes an even bigger difference. This is a higher than expected difference, and I suspect that it’s due to the lack of anti-reflective coating on the glass.
Bottom line: great panels at a good price, nice for smaller projects that don’t need the large full size panels. I would definitely buy these again.
Update 8/26/20: So I actually did buy 2 more. However, my experience was a bit less than 5 stars. The 2 panels I received were packaged in old looking boxes, without the protection of the original 8 that I bought. They were not damaged though, except for some dings on the frame. They had a different cell style, and different junction box, but had the same product label and were marked as ‘200 watts.’ In operation, they only would produce about 190 watts under test conditions (I used simulated lighting and loads for a fair comparison). In real world operation, I was able to get about 185 watts. I contacted Rich Solar, and they were quick to respond with a partial refund, and to keep the panels. In this case, I was actually ok with keeping the panels, so I accepted their offer. So what I ended up with is 190 W panels at a slight discount. I may buy again, but I will contact Rich Solar before purchasing to verify what I’m getting.
Guss –
I bought this 200 watt solar panel and I am only receiving at 12PM full sun a max of 70 watts, as you see in the picture 57 Watts at noon. I am using a Victron 100/30 charge controller and compared it in the last few days and it has never even reached 100 watts, very dessapointed . I’m sending this panel back 🙁