I am looking at purchasing a Solar Blanket (not panel) and looking for recommendations of make. Not sure what size as yet just looking for recommendations for Make and Quality at this stage.
As everyone knows there are the good old cheap ones so thought I would save myself a lot of time by asking those who have one already.
__________________
Cheers
Col
(Picture of my beloved Molly (2003 - 2016) who loved the travels as much as I do. RIP old girl. Gone but never forgotten).
I looked long and hard at solar blankets a few months past and came to the conclusion that I did not trust any of the suppliers claimed wattages, I also discovered that some (all?) solar blankets will not tolerate rain over the longer term (months) as it corrodes their internal connections.
On top of that, they are difficult to locate except flat on the ground or on a car windscreen both of which are far from satisfactory. I'm going for two 175W panels which are a pain to carry but do everything else I require.
__________________
"I beseech you in the bowels of Christ think it possible you may be mistaken"
Oliver Cromwell, 3rd August 1650 - in a letter to the General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland
I reckon that if you did a search for solar blanket and read all the reviews and collated all the info youd probably come up with a firm why bother ?. I got one and for a few months it was OK, not great but OK. Now my whiz bang 250W blanket is flat out producing 75W on a bright sunny Newman day at noon. Meanwhile my ancient folding panels can produce their claimed 100W from about eleven to about two pm in good sun.
My advice would come under the heading of why bother ?
I am interested in the comments, so thanks All. I have a 250w folding panel that weighs a ton and is a bit of job to handle. It works very well, but is unwieldy. I looked at blankets and could not convince myself that they would be any great benefit. Some comments on this post confirm that, so I will soldier on and build my upper core strength lugging the bugger into position.
__________________
2008 Landcruiser single cab chassis, 2.7m tray. (Sad to part with the 2005 Isuzu, tho)
Thank you for the replies so far. I have already moved away from "blanket" and now researching portable folding panels. One well known company has them with attachable pegs/arms which will hold the panels at the required angle to the sun. They consist of up to 8 panels (180w) which fold up to the size of one panel and come with a carry bag. These seem to be a better option. Any thoughts from anyone who have this type would be appreciated.
__________________
Cheers
Col
(Picture of my beloved Molly (2003 - 2016) who loved the travels as much as I do. RIP old girl. Gone but never forgotten).
I am interested in the comments, so thanks All. I have a 250w folding panel that weighs a ton and is a bit of job to handle. It works very well, but is unwieldy. I looked at blankets and could not convince myself that they would be any great benefit. Some comments on this post confirm that, so I will soldier on and build my upper core strength lugging the bugger into position.
Hi Garry
My suggestion and something that I did for myself when I had folding portable panels. Remove the hinges and separate the panels and fit a cable and plug so you can handle them separately. Much easier.
I think people should look carefully at the combined weight of these panels. If you are not young and fit they become a burden putting them out regularly and then dragging them in through a small door and up steps. I ended up back then with 4x80W panels with short cables plugging into a common big cable and regulator at the battery as it should be. And I made a handy spot on the top of the gear box to store them for travel with some straps and wood spacers. What an improvement.
Jaahn
PS the wood spacers could be used as legs to set up the panels at an angle too.
-- Edited by Jaahn on Thursday 9th of September 2021 09:48:29 AM
-- Edited by Jaahn on Thursday 9th of September 2021 09:50:10 AM
My experience is to be very cautious of the claimed output wattage of *most* manufacturer's solar panels: this a post I recently made to the tech section but it got lost in the noise:
----
As ETFE flexible panels are a new thing to me I thought I'd take a deeper look at this new and expensive technology... and my initial comment is "Let the buyer beware".
Suppliers are selling ETFE panels at significantly different prices and I suspect claims as to output power should, usually, be take with a shovel of salt. Solar panel efficiency is a goal chased by all and top of the market panels are currently around 23% so we can get some idea as to the truth of a sellers claims for power output by calculating the panel area and dividing that into the claimed watts in order to arrive at a figure of watts per meter squared for that particular panel.
As a base measure I did the calculation for six Victron standard mono panels ranging from 55W to 360W and arrived at an average of 177 w/m2 - Victron are a quality supplier with a good track record and reputation so their panels are likely to be at the top end.
Next I calculated the w/m2 figure for a random selection of Googled and Ebay panels: as one may expect they all, except one, produced a figure of up to double that of Victron with one Ebay supplier claiming 311 w/m2 and a Kogan panel claiming 308 w/m2, remarkable!
In consequence I suggest you calculate the w/m2 of the panel you propose to buy and if it's much above 177 look elsewhere.
----
Agree, with a couple of variations.
My suggestion is to ignore the quoted watts, and caclulate the expected watts based on size, and use that to determine suitability and value. Also remember, a cheap quality panel is not likely to be as efficient as a quality panel. So 177 watts per square metre is probably on the optimistic side for the cheaper ones.
But maybe the difference in quality is more than just watts. They have diodes internally, and I highly doubt cheap ones are going to last like a Victron or brand name panel. If it fails after the first year or two (let alone 6 months), will you be able to claim under warranty?
My calculations lead me to believe that (give or take) the best panels on the consumer market currently are producing around 177W per square metre so if an Ebay special at half the price of a SunPower panel is claiming 250W/m2 it's lying.
__________________
"I beseech you in the bowels of Christ think it possible you may be mistaken"
Oliver Cromwell, 3rd August 1650 - in a letter to the General Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland
Looking at LG 330 watt panel: 192 watts per square metre.
Once one of those miracle chinese panels states more than 150 watts per square metre. I would run!
Some people don't believe what I squeeze out of my setup and its 133 watts per square metre. They are small panels, but that is the point, small panels have a high percentage of non cell real estate.
__________________
Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!
50L custom fuel rack 6x20W 100/20mppt 4x26Ah gel 28L super insulated fridge TPMS 3 ARB compressors heatsink fan cooled 4L tank aftercooler Air/water OCD cleaning 4 stage car acoustic insulation.
My calculations lead me to believe that (give or take) the best panels on the consumer market currently are producing around 177W per square metre so if an Ebay special at half the price of a SunPower panel is claiming 250W/m2 it's lying.
Are you referring to my comment?
I thought you did make it clear and I was agreeing with you. As you said, the calculated 177W per square metre for Victron is unlikely to be matched by a cheap quality panel. So, even a panel quoted at a calculated 200 watts per square metre is highly likely to be overstated.
My experience is to be very cautious of the claimed output wattage of *most* manufacturer's solar panels: this a post I recently made to the tech section but it got lost in the noise:
----
As ETFE flexible panels are a new thing to me I thought I'd take a deeper look at this new and expensive technology... and my initial comment is "Let the buyer beware".
Suppliers are selling ETFE panels at significantly different prices and I suspect claims as to output power should, usually, be take with a shovel of salt. Solar panel efficiency is a goal chased by all and top of the market panels are currently around 23% so we can get some idea as to the truth of a sellers claims for power output by calculating the panel area and dividing that into the claimed watts in order to arrive at a figure of watts per meter squared for that particular panel.
As a base measure I did the calculation for six Victron standard mono panels ranging from 55W to 360W and arrived at an average of 177 w/m2 - Victron are a quality supplier with a good track record and reputation so their panels are likely to be at the top end.
Next I calculated the w/m2 figure for a random selection of Googled and Ebay panels: as one may expect they all, except one, produced a figure of up to double that of Victron with one Ebay supplier claiming 311 w/m2 and a Kogan panel claiming 308 w/m2, remarkable!
who produced a figure of 154 w/m2 for their 100W panel which sounds very believable.
In consequence I suggest you calculate the w/m2 of the panel you propose to buy and if it's much above 177 look elsewhere.
----
Mike,
I would add Redarc and AustralianDirect to the list of suppliers of RV or 12v panels who have realistic claims for the output, but not surprisingly their panels are two or three times the price of the Ebay cheapies.
Everything in van life has at least two uses. If you get a blanket, it will charge ya batteries and as well even you could use it as a blanket to super charge yourself for other activities.
Keep safe mate, especially if you use it as a blanket to keep you warm. Three uses.
__________________
Live Life On Your Terms
DOUGChief One Feather (Losing feathers with age)
TUG.......2014 Holden LT Colorado Twin Cab Ute with Canopy
DEN....... 2014 "Chief" Arrow CV (with some changes)
When I looked at setting up my 120 watt system (120 to 160 watt I was looking at) I simply couldn't find any trueful information with solar blankets. They were all a bag of lies at best.
I needed a compact panel as we only have a car. We do not have the sheer luxury of the space of a larger vehicle, let alone a caravan.
So I looked for the best compact panel money could buy that would fit my space. It was a custom built 6 x 20 watt panel setup.
Which performed better, was cheaper & fitted the space & better quality than the crap basically that everyone flogs off.
__________________
Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!
50L custom fuel rack 6x20W 100/20mppt 4x26Ah gel 28L super insulated fridge TPMS 3 ARB compressors heatsink fan cooled 4L tank aftercooler Air/water OCD cleaning 4 stage car acoustic insulation.
I ended up back then with 4x80W panels with short cables plugging into a common big cable and regulator at the battery as it should be. And I made a handy spot on the top of the gear box to store them for travel with some straps and wood spacers. What an improvement. 
