I bought 3 of these to power 3 12v DC fans. This is my first experiment in using electric solar power. If I were to rebuy the collectors I would buy slightly larger ones for more power output. That is not a product issue. It is a my inexperience issue. The collectors do put out the power advertised. I could just use a bit more for more RPMs. My one manufacturer complaint is that they did not provide info about weatherability of the collectors and worse did not reply to my email requesting that information. I believe that I could increase power output by relocation but the panels would then be weather exposed.
I've only used ours a little (ok -~30 minutes) but in direct sun in July (Los Angeles), I was getting a bit over 21V from it.. This was good enough to hook up with patch cables to my truck's battery which was low due to a failed voltage regulator. Anyway, in about 30 minutes it brought the battery voltage from 12v up to 12.6v. The panel is constructed solidly and looks like it will last a good long time! I highly suggest using a charge controller with a panel like this such as the Morningstar Sun Keeper which is more than enough for this panel -using a charge controller will ensure that you do not overcharge your battery and will take care to reduce any charge effects by using PWM (3-stage) charge control. I'll be using ours to power a door motor on a chicken coop to let the birds out in the morning and lock them in, in the evening. This panel will work just fine for this purpose!
Buy Solartech SPM010P-D 10-Watt 12-Volt ES Polycrystalline PV Solar Panel Now
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