A Renogy solar panel provides you with a reliable way to turn sunlight into electrical light. These monocrystalline panels are both versatile and durable. Install them on your RV or on your roof at home to capture solar energy for your PV system.
Is Renogy a trustworthy company?
The Renogy company sell a variety of solar power products such as portable solar panels, solar panel kits and off-grid systems. The company prides itself on supplying high quality solar products for businesses, homes and recreational vehicles. Renogy products are manufactured according to good quality standards, thus it should provide great value for the consumer.
100 watt Renogy Solar Panel With Compact Design
Let us take a look at a 100-watt, 12-volt, monocrystalline Renogy solar panel with a compact design. It has a smaller footprint than a standard 100W Renogy solar panel: for that reason, it is more suitable for an RV or a camper. The solar panel has a junction box with both male and female solar panel connectors, thus it is easy to connect to more panels and to a controller.
A compact 100-watt Renogy solar panel has a few beneficial features that make it durable, reliable and versatile:
- good performance in low-light conditions due to bypass diodes that minimize power drops
- it can be used with either off-grid or on-grid inverters
- junction box is protected against water, wind and snow
- low iron-tempered glass is impact resistant, highly transparent and anti-reflective
- solar cells have good performance and a longer service life due to advanced materials
- the panel can last for decades due to its corrosion-resistant aluminum frame
- the solar panel can be placed on a ground, pole or tilted mount
In summary, this 100-watt Renogy solar panel might be a good fit for your RV or camper because of its slightly smaller footprint. The monocrystalline cells and bypass diodes seem to minimize power drops on cloudy days, although the amps might be a little low. This Renogy solar panel is sturdy, compact and affordable (check price on Amazon).
Comparison Between 100W Renogy Solar Panels
| SPECIFICATION | COMPACT 100W | STANDARD 100W |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions LxWxH | 42.4 x 20.0 x 1.38 in | 47.0 x 21.3 x 1.4 in |
| Junction Box | IP65 | IP65 |
| Maximum Power | 100W | 100W |
| Maximum Series Fuse Rating | 15A | 15A |
| Maximum System Voltage | 600V DC | 600V DC |
| Open-Circuit Voltage | 22.3V | 22.5V |
| Operating Temperature | -40°F to 176°F | -40°F to 176°F |
| Optimum Operating Current | 5.38A | 5.29A |
| Optimum Operating Voltage | 18.6V | 18.9V |
| Output Cables | 14 AWG | 14 AWG |
| Short-Circuit Current | 5.86A | 5.75A |
| Weight | 14.3 lb | 16.5 lb |
As noted above, the 100-watt Renogy solar panel with the compact design has a shorter length and width when compared to the standard 100 watt panel. Moreover, it weighs about two pounds less. The rest of the specifications are very similar.
Flexible Renogy Monocrystalline Solar Panels
If you are looking for more flexibility, then Renogy also offers flexible solar panels that can bend over backwards to satisfy your solar power needs.
It is a flexible solution for adding panels to an off-grid PV system where the rooftop of the RV or boat is slightly curved instead of perfectly flat. In particular, this type of panel can be flexed up to 248 degrees, although I would probably never bend it that far. The flexible panel is usually mounted using silicone structural adhesive that is applied on the rear of the panel. However, grommets might be used for non-mobile situations.
These flexible monocrystalline solar panels are thin, lightweight and durable because it is made from advanced polymer materials. For instance, a flexible monocrystalline solar panel might weigh up to 70% less than a standard inflexible panel. Indeed, it could be up to 95% thinner than a conventional panel. Specifically, a Renogy 100-watt flexible solar panel weighs only 4 pounds and is 0.08 inches thin.
The Renogy flexible monocrystalline solar panel is available in different sizes with various power outputs: 50W, 100W, 160W, 175W and 200W (shop now on Amazon).
175-Watt Renogy Solar Panel
The Renogy 175-watt solar panel has pre-drilled holes that are compatible with the various Renogy mounting systems. The holes make it easy and fast to install the solar panels. The aluminum frame is corrosion resistant and might last for decades. It can withstand wind, snow and rain.
One or more 175W solar panels can be installed on a rooftop of a house, the roof of an RV or even on a yacht so that you may enjoy the benefits of solar power.
These solar panels are versatile enough to be used with on-grid or off-grid inverter systems. The IP65 rated junction box on the back of the panel has male and female connector leads that makes further connections quite easy.
Hence, this 175-watt Renogy solar panel is a possible choice when it comes to setting up an off-grid PV solar power system.
200-Watt Renogy Solar Panel
A 200 watt monocrystalline solar panel is obviously going to be larger than a 100 watt panel. In fact, its dimensions are 63.8 x 25.9 x 1.4 inches, and it weighs about 25 pounds. That is almost 10 pounds heavier when compared to a 100W Renogy solar panel.
In brief, the increased size and weight of a 200W panel makes it better for the roof of your cabin in the woods than the roof of your camper or RV.
How does a Renogy solar panel work?
I am not going to go into any details here. The Renogy solar panel captures the solar energy and turns it into electrical current. The monocrystalline cells do a good job even in less than ideal conditions.
A solar power system needs more than just the panels to work. You connect the solar panels via the built-in panel lead connectors of the junction box and an adapter kit to a solar charge controller.
For example, the Renogy Rover Elite charge controller uses MPPT technology that has very high tracking and conversion efficiency (view it on Amazon). It also provides necessary protection against over-charging, over-discharging and extreme temperatures. In addition, it has a backlit LCD that shows you system information and possible error codes. The charge controller is compatible with these battery types: AGM, flooded, gel and lithium-iron phosphate.
You can connect a battery with some tray cables to charge it with the solar panels and controller. You may also take your PV system to the next level by adding a power inverter to convert DC current from the battery into AC current.
Conclusion
What do you call ten solar panels on top of your roof? A good start! This very brief overview of Renogy solar panels is obviously still incomplete, but at least it is a start. I might add more examples and models in the future.