Extremely cheap solar 18w solar panel. Worth it?

[Dagrip]

Sunsei 18 Watt Solar Panel and Controller $99.99 + $5 shipping
1 Sunsei SE-1200 18 Watt Solar Charger
1 Sunsei CC25000 25 Amp Charge Controller

http://sellout.woot.com/

We are about to make our first adventure to a music festival where we will have no power available to us for 5 days. We will be purchasing a Honda eu2000i but plan on using it sparingly due to noise and fuel availabitly. I came across this solar panel this morning and I am wondering if it would help keep our battery charged at all during the days or if it is just too small of a cell to even mess with.

Thoughts?

Scott

[[email protected]]

Sunsei 18 Watt Solar Panel and Controller $99.99 + $5 shipping
1 Sunsei SE-1200 18 Watt Solar Charger
1 Sunsei CC25000 25 Amp Charge Controller

http://sellout.woot.com/

We are about to make our first adventure to a music festival where we will have no power available to us for 5 days. We will be purchasing a Honda eu2000i but plan on using it sparingly due to noise and fuel availabitly. I came across this solar panel this morning and I am wondering if it would help keep our battery charged at all during the days or if it is just too small of a cell to even mess with.

Thoughts?

Scott
Panels of that size are designed to maintain a battery that is already charged. I doubt it would keep up with dry camping demands.

[Larry Gault]

I have to agree, that's only less than 1 1/2 amp charging rate. Might work to charge a computer battery.

[Dagrip]

Yea...I kind of figured it would be too small to be effective. Thanks guys!

[Bill]

Yes, this is way too small to be of any value. Most people who expect to do serious dry camping start with a pair of 80-watt panels, and most find that this is not sufficient. For example, RockyMtnRay ended up with 250 watts, if I recall correctly, and he camped alone (one person) in nearly ideal solar conditions in the high Rockies.

And regarding extremely cheap - this is actually extremely expensive on a per-watt basis. Sorry.

Bill

[[email protected]]

Yes, this is way too small to be of any value. Most people who expect to do serious dry camping start with a pair of 80-watt panels, and most find that this is not sufficient. For example, RockyMtnRay ended up with 250 watts, if I recall correctly, and he camped alone (one person) in nearly ideal solar conditions in the high Rockies.

And regarding extremely cheap - this is actually extremely expensive on a per-watt basis. Sorry.

Bill

Yep. I think you can get a 15w at walmart for around 50 bucks.

[rumbleweed]

Check the link below. Excellent info on Solar power capabilities and requirements. They are also a great source for Panels and controllers with good quality and excellent service. I have purchased several items from them.

http://www.windsun.com/

[Wavery]

Sunsei 18 Watt Solar Panel and Controller $99.99 + $5 shipping
1 Sunsei SE-1200 18 Watt Solar Charger
1 Sunsei CC25000 25 Amp Charge Controller

http://sellout.woot.com/

We are about to make our first adventure to a music festival where we will have no power available to us for 5 days. We will be purchasing a Honda eu2000i but plan on using it sparingly due to noise and fuel availabitly. I came across this solar panel this morning and I am wondering if it would help keep our battery charged at all during the days or if it is just too small of a cell to even mess with.

Thoughts?

Scott
If you want an extremely cheap solar panel that will do you some good on your camp-out, try this one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/100W-solar-panel-for-12V-DC-Low-Price-High-Efficiency_W0QQitemZ220548981752QQcmdZViewItemQQpt ZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3359be63f8

IMHO....You can't beat it for the price. $250 + free shipping. This is 6 times the panel that you were looking at for $100.

You don't have to buy a controller either. Just wire it directly to your battery and check the battery voltage once in awhile. If it reaches 13.8V keep a closer eye on it and disconnect the panel if it gets over 14V (which may be unlikely on an extended camp-out). If you are nervous about watching the battery voltage, you could get a cheap controller for 20.

I recently purchased 2- 80W panels from this seller and I am amazed at the quality. He has several different sizes and for your $100, you could get a 30W panel (I still think it would be a waste of $100).
http://shop.ebay.com/serpentlion2008/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p4340