13-06-2016, 03:52 PM
I've been following this thread for a while to see how you're going with the cheap solar panels.
Gotta say "you get what you pay for" is true when it comes to solar panels.
Those amorphous panels are terrible, you'd be lucky if you get half the rated power from them new let alone after 6 months of exposure to sun.
Would be much better off investing in a good quality polycrystalline panel that's fully water-proofed and comes with a 20+ year guarantee. It'll use half to quarter of the space as a bunch of cheap panels (better "amps per square metre") - search around and I'm sure you'll get them at a decent price.
I went with some "UniSolar" brand panels (made by Canon in Mexico) 15 years ago, they still deliver above their rating and have 5 years warranty left.
Sorta a cross between polymorphous & polycrystalline cells - the silicon is chemically bonded to stainless stell plate then coated with shatterproof polymer goop.
They've stood upto nasty hail storms that shattereed neighbors windscreens and no visible sign of deterioration.
You'll definately need some sorta battery & charger setup as even the best of panels won't continuously run anything as the sun comes & goes. (clouds etc)
Best of luck with the wireless camera project! :-)
Gotta say "you get what you pay for" is true when it comes to solar panels.
Those amorphous panels are terrible, you'd be lucky if you get half the rated power from them new let alone after 6 months of exposure to sun.
Would be much better off investing in a good quality polycrystalline panel that's fully water-proofed and comes with a 20+ year guarantee. It'll use half to quarter of the space as a bunch of cheap panels (better "amps per square metre") - search around and I'm sure you'll get them at a decent price.
I went with some "UniSolar" brand panels (made by Canon in Mexico) 15 years ago, they still deliver above their rating and have 5 years warranty left.
Sorta a cross between polymorphous & polycrystalline cells - the silicon is chemically bonded to stainless stell plate then coated with shatterproof polymer goop.
They've stood upto nasty hail storms that shattereed neighbors windscreens and no visible sign of deterioration.
You'll definately need some sorta battery & charger setup as even the best of panels won't continuously run anything as the sun comes & goes. (clouds etc)
Best of luck with the wireless camera project! :-)
“If you want to find out who your real friends are, sink the ship. The first ones to jump aren't your friends.”
“Most of the world's problems could be avoided if people just said what they fucking meant.”
“I've always believed that a person is smart. It's people that are stupid.”
-Marilyn Manson
“Most of the world's problems could be avoided if people just said what they fucking meant.”
“I've always believed that a person is smart. It's people that are stupid.”
-Marilyn Manson