Sunforce 50044 60-Watt Solar Charging Kit
Filed under Solar power for home, solar power for the home
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10 Responses to “Sunforce 50044 60-Watt Solar Charging Kit”Speak Your Mind
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The panels are installed on my garage roof, wired in to a battery bank and inverter which primarily functions as a very large (4KW) uninterruptible power supply for the house. So far, everything is working fine. They keep the batteries topped off without using power from the grid.
Like most manufacturer’s specs, the 60 watt claim is hard to realize. The panels’ current output is about 3.2 amps under bright sun, which yields only about 45 watts into a 12 volt gel cell battery at 14.2 volts. The panels can output about 20 volts which would indeed yield 60 watts, but not while connected with the included charge controller. A MPPT controller would achieve 60 watts, however.
The included controller is acceptable in that it works as advertised. One good thing about it is that it does not shunt the panels when the battery is charged, it actually opens the circuit, which means the excess panel output would be available for other uses. I intend to build another device for charging another set of batteries after the primary set is charged.
The included inverter works, but I did not use it in the system. Instead, I’ll just keep it around for a portable inverter.
Also, I did not use the PVC pipe stand included with the system, instead mounting the panels directly to the roof.
The kit did include a variety of connectors allowing use with cigarette lighter plugs and jacks, alligator clips, and hardwire, but the charge controller is only usable if hardwired. I strongly recommend the charge controller be used, as the panels can easily overcharge most any 12 volt battery if a charge controller is not wired in.
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All you need is a battery, it comes with PVP stand, one leg was miss labeled and I put in on backward at first but it was an easy fix, has been charging well thru the winter , can’t wait to see how well it does in the summer. Wish it had more watts but good deal with stand,inverter,cables and charge controller.
Update 06/24/09 Still working great, even got hailed on. I did notice when moving them to put on a gazebo to run pump for pond that the bolts that it came with are rusting. You may want to buy different bolts, otherwise still happy.
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shipped promptly & installed in may 2008 and so far it’s been flawless, working on upgrading storage capacity now to see full benefits.AS
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I really purchased these panels to experiment with solar power and it was cheaper per panel to buy this kit. I was very surprised how rugged and well built these panels really were. I had this unit charging a large car battery that would power a small DC water pump for my kids water slide and it worked very well. I am now going to install some LED lighting in my house and have this system run them. Since we only need lighting at night the panels can charge the battery all day for our use at night. Any how, great product, well made, good price!
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We bought this a few months ago. We live in Phoenix, AZ (“Valley of the Sun”), so this has plenty of opportunity to work. We have it plugged into 2 marine batteries (like car batteries, but bigger), and we have an inverter connected to those. The inverter is in the house, and the batteries are outside. The wire goes through the wall. We plug things into the inverter.
This was easy to put together. You have to buy the batteries, but this came with everything else.
I can run my laptop all day, as well as recharge the cell phones and Wii remotes. My husband can also run his laptop. If we only get on the laptops after work, we can run them well into the night. I’ve had to switch to grid power a couple of times if I’ve used my laptop all day, but I’ve never had to switch over if I’ve only used it during the evening. (This doesn’t count the few rainy days we’ve had. Yes, once in a while it rains in Phoenix.)
This is not the most efficient solar panel set, but it’s very good for starting out and learning about solar power. It’s inexpensive enough to set up and charge all your rechargeable stuff whenever you need it, as long as you live in a fairly sunny area.
Oh, as an experiment, I plugged the vacuum cleaner into the inverter, which promptly started screaming for help. (The inverter has an alarm, apparently.) This whole set-up CANNOT handle this kind of power draw. You have to unplug everything and turn the inverter off and let it just sit a while and reset before plugging in your lower power things again.
You’re not going off the grid with this set-up, but you’ll save yourself a few bucks a month. And you get to be smug whenever anyone talks about going green. “Well of course, our solar array has lowered our carbon footprint considerabley. Shall we go for an organic smoothie now?”
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My goal with this product was to take as many devices in my home off the grid as possible. I bought an electric mower for my 1/3 of an acre of lawn and an electric weed whacker and leaf blower. All of these items are charged from these panels. I also use it for my rechargeable vacuum, cell phone, bluetooth headset and laptop. I’m amazed how easy it is.
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My husband and I don’t like the noise of generators….nor do we want to store gasoline….With all of the hurricanes that blow thru here every year….as well as the FPL power outages that occur (even during regular storms)….we decided to put together a simple battery backup system to power a few items….This solar panel setup along with a few batteries does the job well….
The one thing we would like to change is the design of the two legs….We would prefer that they fold under the panels for storage purposes….They do not do that….They are fixed….
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I bought three of these kits kits for a total of twelve panels. I use them to charge two 115 amp hour marine batteries. The panels seem to bring the batteries up to full charge (green light on) even though the panels are only in direct sunlight for about two hours a day. There are plenty of different connecters for a varity of hookups. The only thing I didn’t like was the cheap plastic stand that comes with it. I threw mine out and made a good one out of 1 1/2″ angle iron that is 14′ long with twelve panels in a row, looks impressive too. Now I’m wondering what I could do with another twelve panels, these things are addictive!
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I describe myself as a non-impulse buyer. I studied solar panels for about 2 months before I purchased this unit. In my application it works great. I have a cabin that runs off-grid with batteries and a generator. I spend every weekend at the the cabin and enjoy most of the luxuries of home (lights, tv, and microwave). I use this panel mainly for TV and lights without compromising my comfort. The only way I can do this is by having ample batteries. After all my studying and research that is the key, having enough energy storage.
This panel or panels are great, simply put. Buy a large inverter and a good bank of batteries, you will be very happy.
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This was sort of an experiment for me. I have a remote pond that I wanted to run a small pump in and there was no way I was about to string cable almost 2000 ft. So I did some quick math and figured with a timer I could run that pump about 8 hours a day with this setup and a car battery (it’s only a small Beckett pump). If I got more or less time, it was no big deal – I figured something was better than nothing. So when this setup went on sale, I thought I’d give it a whirl. Certainly more reliable than wind for me. Unlike others, packaging seemed pretty good (Each cell wrapped in bubble wrap first, then surrounded individually with styrofoam). But I can still imagine the box getting dropped/kicked/etc and something breaking. So.. your mileage may vary. But aside from the shipping, this was an easy setup. I would have liked a more rigid metal frame, but the PCV is acceptable considering the cost. I may still craft something myself down the road. The inverter is cheap – but I’m not trying to run a table saw here so it serves my need. The specs are well stated in the previous review and product description and I found similar results so far. I was impressed that even in heavy shade, it was still charging at about 20mA (I used an inline meter). In direct sun, the charge controller is pushing the full 7A. I’m curious if a larger charge controller can do more – that might be a test down the road for me. Note: It helps if you have basic electrical skills. The install guide is cheezy at best and I could picture somebody with no clue doing something completely backwards. Luckily, most of the connectors are polarized so you can’t go “too” wrong. Go slow – read – make sure you undertand – and you’ll be fine. Based on what I see so far, I like it – a lot. I’ll try to remind myself to do a follow up review to let everyone know how much and how long I can actually run that pump. I think this is going to be ideal for my situation.