Solar Panel Buying Guide
Solar Panel Buying Guide
It is not a secret that recreational vehicle appliances can consume an incredible amount of energy. Thankfully, because these vehicles spend so much time parked in the sun, they are prime candidates for solar panel installation. Here are the types of RV solar panels that will help power your devices and make your RV appliances run smoother than ever before!
The first type of recreational vehicle solar panel we will look at are called flexible or thin-film photovoltaic. One of the biggest advantages of flexible solar panels is that they can fit to vehicles with a curved roof, including caravans, campervans, RVs and even yachts. They are also very lightweight and thin, meaning they will not take up much weight allowance from your articulated trailer mass (ATM).
The other type is glass crystalline solar panels, which are heavier than the thin-film photovoltaic. However, they do produce quite a bit of power in comparison to the flexi cell designs which means the benefit exceeds the weight disadvantage.
Each of these solar panel types have their own benefits and disadvantages and it is up to you to decide which one is the most suitable for your needs.
Suncoast Caravan Service supports local Australian supplier of solar panels, Enerdrive. Enerdrive has a range of monocrystalline and polycrystalline solar panels that range from 10 to 200watts.
Enerdrive solar panels are typically around 20+vdc open circuit and are well suited to 12V installations, they are also light and thin, making them perfect for use on a recreational vehicle or caravan. Enerdrive solar panels will come with a fly lead cable for easy connection of the 10 and 20w panels while the larger panels have MC4 compatible solar cable connectors included.
Enerdrive 80W Fixed Mono – SP-EN80W
780mm x 676mm x 35mm
MAX POWER PM (W) – 80
POWER TOLERANCE % – ± 3%
MAX POWER VOLTAGE VM (V) – 17.99
MAX POWER CURRENT IM (A)- 4.45
OPEN CIRCUIT VOLTAGE VOC (V) – 22.19
SHORT CIRCUIT CURRENT ISC (A) – 4.85
MAX SYSTEM VOLTAGE (VDC) – 1000
TEST CONDITIONS – 1000W/m² , AM1.5 , 25°C
Enerdrive 55W Fixed Mono – SP-EN55W
840mm x 541mm x 35mm
MAX POWER PM (W) – 55
POWER TOLERANCE % – ± 3%
MAX POWER VOLTAGE VM (V) – 18
MAX POWER CURRENT IM (A)- 3.05
OPEN CIRCUIT VOLTAGE VOC (V) – 22.29
SHORT CIRCUIT CURRENT ISC (A) – 3.73
MAX SYSTEM VOLTAGE (VDC) – 1000
TEST CONDITIONS – 1000W/m² , AM1.5 , 25°C
Enerdrive 100W Fixed Mono – SP-EN100W
1578mm x 541mm x 35mm
MAX POWER PM (W) – 100
POWER TOLERANCE % – 1% ∼ + 3%
MAX POWER VOLTAGE VM (V) – 18
MAX POWER CURRENT IM (A) – 5.56
OPEN CIRCUIT VOLTAGE VOC (V) – 22
SHORT CIRCUIT CURRENT ISC (A) – 6.34
MAX SYSTEM VOLTAGE (VDC) – 1000
TEST CONDITIONS – 1000W/m² , AM1.5 , 25°C
Enerdrive 120W Poly Slim – SP-EN120W-S
1578mm x 541mm x 35mm
MAX POWER PM (W) – 120
POWER TOLERANCE % – 1% ∼ + 3%
MAX POWER VOLTAGE VM (V) – 17.7
MAX POWER CURRENT IM (A) – 6.78
OPEN CIRCUIT VOLTAGE VOC (V) – 22.5
SHORT CIRCUIT CURRENT ISC (A) – 7.45
MAX SYSTEM VOLTAGE (VDC) – 1000
TEST CONDITIONS – 1000W/m² , AM1.5 , 25°C
Enerdrive 180W Fixed Mono – SP-EN180W
Max Power Pm(W) 180
Power Tolerance -1% – ±3%
Max Power Voltage Vm(V)19.3
Max Power Current Im(A) 9.33
Open Circuit Voltage Voc(V) 24.2
Short Circuit Current Isc(A) 9.98
Max System Voltage (VDC) 1000
Weight (kg) 11.7000
Test Conditions 1000W/m² , AM1.5 , 25°C
DISCLAIMER* Please note, this advice is general in nature, and we strongly recommend consulting the product manual and where relevant, a professional installer.
