Sunshine Solar semi flexible panels circa 55cm square

[dunedin]

Looking to renew a couple of 50W semi flexible solar panels on our sprayhood.

Photonics universe one’s been great but starting to have deterioration of the surface after over 6 years of year round abuse.
Unfortunately they no longer have any of the size we need - currently 540x560mm and absolute max we could squeeze on would be 600x670mm.

The only option I have found so far are these panels from Sunshine Solar - 50W 12V Sunshine Solar Flexible ETFE Range - Sunshine Solar Limited

Size seems good, but wondering about the aluminium backing rather than the plastic of the current ones.

Anybody got experience of the Sunshine Solar panels, ideally on a canvas mount (am sure they work well on a motor home roof)?

Or anybody else who supplies semi flexible panels of 50W plus within my restricted size limits?

Thanks

 

[Refueler]

I just bought this panel along with controller :

600W Watts Solar Panel Kit 100A 12V Battery Charger with Controller Caravan Boat | eBay

I do not believe the 200W claim though ... I already have a twin output controller of same design which I will use with the panel instead of the single output controller supplied.

 

[BabaYaga]

Or anybody else who supplies semi flexible panels of 50W plus within my restricted size limits?

SUNBEAM NORDIC Solar Panel / 54 W only 139,95 € | SVB

 

[NickRobinson]

I just bought this panel along with controller :

600W Watts Solar Panel Kit 100A 12V Battery Charger with Controller Caravan Boat | eBay

I do not believe the 200W claim though ... I already have a twin output controller of same design which I will use with the panel instead of the single output controller supplied.

Very true- 200w from a panel the size of two sheets of A4 paper? Ebay is full of this, as is Amazon

 

[dunedin]

SUNBEAM NORDIC Solar Panel / 54 W only 139,95 € | SVB

That looks ideal, and bought from SVB before ……… just shame that the UK shot ourselves through the foot with Brexit.
Buying 2 might be sufficiently expensive that they would be prepared to export the, albeit will be costly in import administration fees.

Wonder if I can find a UK supplier?

 

[BabaYaga]

Wonder if I can find a UK supplier?

If you do not, I guess you should be able to order ex German VAT from SVB, then pay the UK import VAT plus handling fee when receiving the goods.
I did the opposite transaction not so long ago, ordering from a British chandlery. It was smooth and the fee something like the equivalent of £6.

 

[Tranona]

That looks ideal, and bought from SVB before ……… just shame that the UK shot ourselves through the foot with Brexit.
Buying 2 might be sufficiently expensive that they would be prepared to export the, albeit will be costly in import administration fees.

Wonder if I can find a UK supplier?

Not difficult to buy from SVB. They ship ex German VAT and you pay shipping and UK VAT plus a clearing charge here. The mechanism to facilitate this was all put in place independent of Brexit (to regulate shipments from China primarily) but implementation got caught up in it at the time.

Get a quote from SVB

 

[rotrax]

Very true- 200w from a panel the size of two sheets of A4 paper? Ebay is full of this, as is Amazon

True.

Our 200W panels are one metre square.

They do deliver too. The excellent supplier was CraigSolar.

 

[William_H]

Interesting regarding solar panels in this case for domestic pV system. I got some old panels 10 or 15 years old large domestic things about 2 x1 m that are rated around 150w. for a 12v system at home. My 10year old domestic PV sytem has 8 panels totally claimed 1500w. or about 180w each.
Fine but now I find one local company extolling panels of I think similar physical size at 415 watts. Has panel efficiency really improved by 2.5 times in 15 years. ol'will

 

[coopec]

Interesting regarding solar panels in this case for domestic pV system. I got some old panels 10 or 15 years old large domestic things about 2 x1 m that are rated around 150w. for a 12v system at home. My 10year old domestic PV sytem has 8 panels totally claimed 1500w. or about 180w each.
Fine but now I find one local company extolling panels of I think similar physical size at 415 watts. Has panel efficiency really improved by 2.5 times in 15 years. ol'will

Cor lummy you are up early!

 

[iantomlinson]

Very true- 200w from a panel the size of two sheets of A4 paper? Ebay is full of this, as is Amazon

200w from hat size is prob bolls. ours are solid panels 5ft by 18inch and 100w each. careful with photonic universe with warranty. our flex delaminated after 14months and they didntwant to know.
If you an go for solid ones, they are so much better and more reliable.

 

[Refueler]

Very true- 200w from a panel the size of two sheets of A4 paper? Ebay is full of this, as is Amazon

It doesn't actually bother me that much about watts out - as long as the voltage is high enough to provide charge via the controller. My boat is Motor Sailer - so real use is to trickle maintain the dual Lead Acid bank I have on board.

I fully appreciated when buying that the rating would need a stadium floodlight directed on to the panel to even approach a fraction of it !!

I also bought a back-packers roll-up solar charger for mobile phones .... idea that maybe looping over main boom could provide a charge solution.

Having a limited boat for siting panels .... I am looking at possibility to mount a number of small panels to then parallel to create a greater charge capability. I have a new sprayhood to be made once winter ends and I can move boat round to Pavilosta down the coast. When that is mounted, I will be looking to see what panels could be used on it ... removable of course.

 

[dunedin]

SUNBEAM NORDIC Solar Panel / 54 W only 139,95 € | SVB

UPDATE: So in the end I couldn't find any UK supplier and ordered from SVB. On first impressions panels look great for this price point, and fitted precisely in the space available from the existing ones, so happy.

The ordering process from SVB was good (I have used them before). But the despatch packaging & delivery was poor.
(a) The package took nearly 2 weeks to arrive, and I had no access to any tracking information. It transpired they had changed the courier from what was listed, without telling me. And the courier claimed to be awaiting me to pay charges. but as I didn't know the courier nor have any reference number I was unaware of this. Eventually resolved by SVB after emails by me chasing them.
(b) The packaging by SVB for fragile solar panels was appalling - 2 panels in polythene bags shoved in a thin carboard sleeve twice the length - and hence the packaging was all damaged on arrival. Fortunately the Sunbeam panels seemed to have survived the treatment. (Massively less professional packaging than Photonics Universe by comparison)

So great panels and worth considering. SVB a useful supplier, but not as good service as previously.