Sunforce 50048 60-Watt Solar Charging Kit

 

Sunforce 50048 60-Watt Solar Charging Kit

 

Item Characteristics

• Amorphous solar charging kit supplies up to 60 watts of clean, free, renewable power
• Created for RVs, cabins, properties, boats, back-up and remote power use
• Weatherproof, durable solar panels can withstand impacts from hailstones travelling 50 miles-per-hour
• Built-in blocking diode assists shield against battery discharge at night
• Full kit contains 4 15W amorphous solar panels, a PVC mounting frame, a 7-amp charge controller, 200-watt inverter, and wiring/connection cables

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 54 x 12 x 42.2 inches ; 59.8 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 61.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B000CIADLG
• Item model number: 50048
  

By : Sunforce
Price : $279.95
You Save : $320.04 (53%)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description
The Sunforce 50048 60-Watt Solar Charging Kit provides you a number of much more factors to appreciate the sun. It offers the power you want, even though helping you save cash and shield the environment. This kit is perfect for cabins, recreational automobiles, remote power, back-up power, and 12-volt battery charging. It comes with every little thing you need to get started producing up to 60 Watts/4 Amps of clean, free of charge power in all weather circumstances.
Sunforce kits are painless to set up and operate. Handy Power That Helps You Save Income and Protect the Environment The Sunforce 50048 60-Watt Solar Charging Kit lets you harness the power of the sun, the most powerful and plentiful source of energy offered to us. This inexhaustible provide of power is freely obtainable wherever the sun shines, and gives users the freedom to power their homes, RVs, boats, batteries, and electronic gear far from civilization or right in town. Solar power can help cut your energy bills by reducing your dependence on the primary electrical grid, and can also produce back-up power in the course of outages. Unlike nuclear and fossil fuels, solar power systems are clean and pollution-no cost, and they call for especially little maintenance to operate.
Sunforce Solar Panels are effective in regions of each high and lowersun exposure, generating them ideal for use in the United States. View Larger Anything You Will need to Power Up The Sunforce 50048 60-Watt Solar Charging Kit has almost everything you have to have to start off creating power. It includes 4 (four) 15-Watt amorphous solar panels with durable mounting frames, a 200-Watt modified sine wave power inverter, a 7-Amp solar charge controller, and a wiring kit with accessories for hassle-free installation. With built-in blocking diode technologies, this solar charging kit is designed to safeguard against battery discharge at night. You can also use this kit to preserve the charge on any 12-Volt battery for clean, silent operation of various electronics, such as deer feeders and landscaping pumps. You can also use this kit to keep the charge on any 12-Volt battery for clean, silent operation of varied electronics, such as deer feeders and landscaping pumps and is a outstanding choice for automobiles, recreational automobiles, tractors, all-terrain vehicles, boats, electric fences, telemetry and much more. About Amorphous Solar Power Amorphous solar panels are produced by spraying silicon on to glass in especially thin layers, and are frequently known as thin film solar panels. This process will allow them to be improved at producing electricity in all lighting circumstances, including cloudy or shady environments. Sunforce amorphous solar panels are weatherproof and suitable for outdoor use. They have a maximum operating temperature range of -40 to 176-degrees Fahrenheit, call for virtually no maintenance, and are also useful on cloudy days. They can even withstand impacts from 1-inch hailstones at 50 miles-per-hour. Solar panels convert sunlight into an electric present, they do not store power. Sunforce Solar Charging Kits are mainly utilised to recharge 12-Volt batteries (not included), which retailer and supply usable power. The included 200-Watt power inverter will allow you to use classic 110-Volt appliances with this method. The included Sunforce 7-Amp Solar Charge Controller have to be installed to prevent any connected batteries from overcharging. As soon as completely charged, it is usual for the charge controller LED to turn off and on as the battery voltage fluctuates from the discharge/recharge cycle. Product Dimensions Shipping Box: 41" x 13 1/4" x 16 1/4", 62.four lbs Person Panel: 42.five" x 1.5" x 16", 11 lbs
The Sunforce 60-Watt Solar Charging Kit provides you a few far more factors to adore the sun. Perfect for cabins, recreational automobiles, remote power, back-up power, 12V battery charging and way more, this kit comes with almost everything you need to start out creating up to 60 watts/four amps of clean, free of charge power in all weather conditions. It is also a superb option for clean and silent operation of a number of electronics, like deer feeders and landscaping pumps. Made of durable ABS plastic and amorphous solar cells, the solar panels will charge in all daylight circumstances, even on cloudy days. With built-in blocking diode technologies, this charger kit is designed to guard against battery discharge at night. This kit consists of: 4 15W amorphous solar panels ,a PVC mounting frame, 7 -amp charge controller, 200 Watt inverter, and wiring/connection cables. The maximum temperature range is -40 to 176-degrees Fahrenheit. The Sunforce 60 Watt Solar Charging Kit is the excellent resolution for providing the power you need to have, although helping you save dollars and shield the environment.

Item Characteristics

• Amorphous solar charging kit supplies up to 60 watts of clean, free, renewable power
• Created for RVs, cabins, properties, boats, back-up and remote power use
• Weatherproof, durable solar panels can withstand impacts from hailstones travelling 50 miles-per-hour
• Built-in blocking diode assists shield against battery discharge at night
• Full kit contains 4 15W amorphous solar panels, a PVC mounting frame, a 7-amp charge controller, 200-watt inverter, and wiring/connection cables

Client Evaluations

Update 6-2010, while my original panels are still running strong so extended as I hose them down once a month, I've noticed that the PVC pipe provided to hold them in location has turn into brittle with sun exposure, hence I would now in 20/20 hindsight suggest a coat of Krylon Fusion Dover White Plastic Satin Spray Paint on the PVC parts to stop UV cracking later in life. I do not assume the Krylon Fusion product was readily available when I initial setup my initial panels but UV cracking of the support structure could lead to panel damage in years 2 and 3.
Meanwhile Amazon got their hands on some obsolete discontinued Sharp panels (12.5% efficiency vs the new 13.1% efficiency) - if you are significant about needing lots of solar power in a modest space, this is a huge kit - you can view it right here: Sunforce 39126 246-Watt High-Efficiency Polycrystalline Solar Power Kit
My only concern about the kit is that due to the new panels becoming greater efficiency means it will be complicated to match panels if you find you nonetheless have to have a great deal more power later on. The other con on that process is it's value -- $1300+ but you get the wattage, along with a low-priced charge controller and inverter, each of which could be upgraded for superior technique overall performance. It really is just an additional solar system to contemplate in the $5/watt or less pricepoint for DIYers.
Update 9-18-2008 - Still going robust. I am pretty pleased with the summer power output of these panels. I wash them with a hose 1x/mo to preserve the output current up. Measured ahead of washing and after washing the panel efficiency is clearly a aspect of how significantly dirt is on them. No issues extended term on a roof although!
Update 2-20-2008 - goes with graph "photograph" three above - pink line is power and blue line is amps from the panel x ten to share the graph. The X axis is panel voltage. Information was acquired making use of an Agilent dummy load with programmable voltage in 1V steps from 1V to 22V (open circuit voltage on the panel) on a partially cloudy day in winter sun. Expectations are for two-3 instances performace in summer sun provided the panels do not get also hot. These are on my home roof laying flat on a three/12 pitch facing due south which is suboptimal but effortless for me to do. Be certain to read the photo notes. Sorry about the colors excel defaulted to!
This is a MPPT chart (maximum power point tracking) - you can see that the panels are optimized for charging a 12V wet cell appropriate out of the box. Charge present turns on when battery voltage drops down to 13. VDC and turns off at 14.two VDC with the supplied charge controller in the kit.
The only other interesting fact in 2 months is to maintain your panels clean. My maximum present was 5. A on a cold morning with bright sun till it rained challenging and washed the panels clean. The existing went up to 7. A maximum correct immediately after the rainstorm. Beneath is the original critique - these panels have been operating continuous for 2 months now into three parallel deep cycle marine cells (315 AH) connected to the prosine inverter below to drain the power made.
When reading the power/present chart you really should maintain in mind the amps have been multiplied by 10 so they use the same Y axis (so 20A on the chart corresponds to 2. A panel present) Watts are actual voltsamps. This was taken in the winter with partial clouds - expectations are for a X3 improvement for the duration of summertime but its nevertheless february and I'm in the northern hemisphere so we'll have to wait and see. Basically an MPPT charger will not acquire but a couple of watts with this panel so it really is not a good investment unless you already have 1 laying around.
(Begin original assessment right after acquiring panels)
I in no way seem to be overwhelmed by the most up-to-date shipment of product from China, but this a single seems to show some promise and shows signs of superior cost engineering and a total style that can be set up easily by a single individual with incredibly small effort. I'd give it five stars if it were well packed, but my purchase turned into a shipping fiasco.
Most ALL solar installations are rated in $/watt substantially like new houses are rated in $/sq ft. We'll get to the sq ft bit later. Right here you are obtaining 60W for 320 dollars or about five.33 $/watt. Compared to a related wattage panel, the BP solar 365U rated at 65W and priced (street) at 399 or 6.13 $/watt the amazon package seems to be a very good deal when you think of it comes full much less battery (we'll hit that one particular later as well)
In truth, the amazon package deal contains a xantrex 175 watt inverter with a .15A "idle" existing created for solar systems exactly where present consumption need to be minimized. It even includes a easy diode/switch "charge regulator" with 2 leds to indicate panel voltage and battery is complete but lacks the potential to tell it what kind of battery you are applying (complete is defined at 14.2 volts give or take so it's for wet/flooded cells). Neither of these are large buck items, but they do set you up for a total tiny scale solar kit minus the battery out of the box, which is impressive.
Oh yes, the battery. I also ordered the duracell 480W inverter+28AH battery with this panel so I'd have a battery. Also produced by Xantrex, it really is a great piece to complete the method. I created the mistake of ordering it with the solar panels (read on)
So how does China create a complete kit for a lower $/watt price than expert solar suppliers like BP solar, GE, Kyocera, etc? Properly - it's the sq ft part we forgot about for a though. This utilizes four panels 15W every single to get up to 60 watts with a very simple parallel adapter included in the kit. The BP solar is a single panel about the size of 1 of these 15W panels, or put one other way, is 1/four the sq footage. So if you are planning on covering your roof with these, consider once more considering you'd will need a seriously huge residence and have lots of 7A charge diodes and 175W inverters kicking around when you are done. The reason for the 4:1 size difference is the China panels are created working with a silicon deposition on glass technique with a fairly thin film and correspondingly thin output, whilst other manufacturers use a silicon wafer production procedure that is roughly 4x a great deal more effective in location, and somewhat a great deal more pricey as a result.
Ok - now onto packaging. We have to have to get this from China to Amazon and lastly to the consumer. On the 1st attempt FEDX very carefully placed my fragile glass solar panels on the concrete then put 2ea 60lb batteries on top rated of them, cracking the glass on all four panels. Immediately after returning that to amazon, we tried again, this time with no the batteries and shipping the system by itself. FEDX once again noted shipment harm which wrecked 1 of the 4 panels, but operating on three/four panels it does function, just not with full output. Amazon has offered up for the reason that they will only ship and ruin a thing twice as an alternative of producing fedx spend up for piling 120 lbs of batteries on top rated of the glass panels and poking via the box styrofoam the second time so I am nonetheless in negotiation with them about the shipment, in spite of this the item does deserve mention although I have it.
Performance:
The style is truly pretty properly performed. You can make (with 4 panels) a 12V (actually 15V) x 4A system, or a 30V x 2A or a 60V x 1A configuration based on your power inverter and battery collection. For me, this will at all times be tied into a 12VDC bus so it is fine as shipped, but the flexibility is there if you have other voltages in use. There is no skimping on wire with 16 foot cords on each panel which helps to reduce power lost in the wire because each panel has its personal cordset going to the combiner, soon after which runs are kept short. On a cloudy day I was able to get 2 amps from three panels (30 W) - in full sun it peaked at five.91A with 3 panels, so the Chinese manufacturing has beneath-rated their output as 90W from a 1/four dead 60W panel in winter sun is carrying out pretty beneficial - I'd like to know how it performs in the summer!
As for mounting, a very clever program was designed to support the panels out of 1" PVC tubing with elbows and T's - all of this is assembled with a singular bolt/wingnut style and the pipes have slots milled into them to ensure that the panels will line up one way or one more without having breaking just after you get them. It has a prop-up leg system for use on the ground or can lay flat if placed on a roof that is already angled towards the sun. There isn't a provision for connecting various systems together, in spite of this you could make one particular out of sprinkler pipes you in all probability have.
All this extremely requirements to be a nicely developed solar kit is 1) far better packaging and two) a battery. Even with 25% of my panels broken and removed from the process, it nonetheless managed to charge a car battery in under 1 cloudy winter day.
I'm impressed with the item, then again disappointed with the shipper. I've also run up against Amazon's policy of two strikes and they are out which means they won't negotiate for repair or replacement as the shipper on my behalf. I can return it alltogether or spend 100% for 75% of a program so it is in all probability going back tomorrow (monday) - but my testing this weekend has shown that the product warrants consideration for many people who
A) Will need to maintain their starting batteries charged year round (2nd vehicles, generators, etc) outside exactly where AC power is not convenient.
B) Individuals lacking A/C power someplace and would like to run a compact refrigerator (buy a Xantrex Technologies Prosine 1,000 to 1,500-Watt Power Inverter 1000 True SINEWAVE power inverter to run any motor load without having harm) - for 12V refrigeration wants its greatest to Keep away from both... Read more›

The panels are installed on my garage roof, wired in to a battery bank and inverter which primarily functions as a rather massive (4KW) uninterruptible power supply for the residence. So far, anything is operating fine. They maintain the batteries topped off without working with power from the grid.
Like most manufacturer's specs, the 60 watt claim is difficult to comprehend. The panels' present output is about 3.2 amps beneath bright sun, which yields only about 45 watts into a 12 volt gel cell battery at 14.two volts. The panels can output about 20 volts which would indeed yield 60 watts, but not whilst connected with the included charge controller. A MPPT controller would accomplish 60 watts, nevertheless.
The included controller is acceptable in that it works as advertised. A single very good factor about it is that it does not shunt the panels when the battery is charged, it really opens the circuit, which means the excess panel output would be accessible for other utilizes. I intend to create a different device for charging a different set of batteries just after the primary set is charged.
The included inverter functions, but I did not use it in the technique. Instead, I'll just maintain it about for a portable inverter.
Also, I did not use the PVC pipe stand included with the method, rather mounting the panels straight to the roof.
The kit did incorporate a variety of connectors permitting 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 utilised, as the panels can readily overcharge most any 12 volt battery if a charge controller is not wired in.

Price : $279.95
You Save : $320.04 (53%)