Instapark® NEW All Black 100W Mono-crystalline Solar Panel, 100 Watt

Shipping was quick and hassle free. The panel itself is well buit and easy to hook up. (Make sure you buy the MC-4 connectors)

Best of all the thing puts out a lot of power! Even after sunset and in overcast conditions it continues to charge (Long after my old panels stopped working) I am able to run alot of electric equipment for a lot longer than my old panels.

Bottom line: It was quick, easy, and it works extremely well. I highly recomend this product.

I have no complaints. The panel arrived in a timely manner undamaged by fed ex (I was most surprised by this). I had to build a rack for the panel. Since it had mounting holes in the aluminum frame this was a peice of cake. The monocrystaline panel is productive way past the peak hours of solar production. I have found that if the sun is out, it produces around 14 volts. During peak hours you're looking at 15.5 to 16 volts constantly, that is until the sun wanes.

All in all I can't really find a downside to the Instapark product.

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It's refreshing to find a product that not only meets but exceeds all expectations. This panel works even in low light. Cloudy days don't keep it from operating. The frame is very sturdy which makes it easy to customize for challenging installations like mine. Combined with the MPPT controller the output is consistently high. Nice job.

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The Application: I bought this solar panel to power a pump to move water from a spring fed well to my pond. The complete setup includes this panel plus a 12 VDC pump (which draws 3.5 amps), a controller, a 40 Ampere hour 12 volt battery, and a float switch. The panel, battery, and pump connect to the controller which directs power from the panel to the battery and the pump. The float switch turns the pump on when the water level is high and off when it is low. The battery provides power when the panel does not produce sufficient power (e.g., at night). When the panel produces sufficient power the controller directs power to charge the battery and to the pump when it is running. When the pump is not running the controller directs panel power to charge the battery.

Shipping: With the free shipping option I received the panel in seven days. It was well packaged. The box had some shipping damage but the panel was OK.

Performance: The panel is well designed with solar cells packed densely so they produce 100 Watts of power with minimal overall panel dimensions. I set the panel in direct sun to test the no load voltage. (It was 8:00 AM local time.) The no load voltage with the cold panel was 21.6 volts. As the panel heated from the incident morning sun, the no load voltage dropped to 21.3 volts. This is to be expected. Later I moved the panel into my barn where it was not illuminated by the sun but only by light that scattered in from the barn door. I was surprised to see it still produced over 15 volts.

At 8:00 AM the next morning I connected the panel to the controller at the spring (with it laying flat on the ground). It produce sufficient power to charge the battery and run the pump. After sunset at 8:00 PM I checked the system and found the panel was still producing power sufficient to run the pump. I switched the pump off and the panel still produced charging power to the battery. So it is working better than I had expected.

If you buy this panel I recommend you also buy solar panel connectors and the connector disconnect tools which are also available on Amazon. Without the connectors you would have to cut the existing connectors off and replace them with other connectors. Obviously, this would void the warranty. The connectors are very difficult to disconnect without the tools. Together the connectors and tools cost about $25.00. Yes, its a ripoff, but best to pay it to avoid problems.

Conclusion: The panel works very well and produces more power at lower light levels than I expected. The only remaining question is how it performs after a long period of time. But based on these early results I whole heartedly recommend this panel.

Update 8/2/12: Have had this running the pump for a month now and is working perfectly. My recommendation still holds!

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Met Expecations:

The items was shipped well and had no damage when arrived. I have a bank of QTY 4 of 12V Deep Cycle Sealed Batteries that are constantly topped off. My charge controller handles the charging management and I can see the PV Array voltage and amperage from the charge controller digital diplay. I wouldn't necessarily put 100 of these panel on my roof but would puchase several for a decent array. I have had this panel for about 3 months and am looking to purchase another. Thank you.

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