【New Product】XTAR SP100 Solar Panel

[XTAR Light]

We just released this new portable &foldable 100W adjustable solar panel - SP100.

Check details on website. You can get $30 OFF on this SP100 now. More coupons online!
https://www.xtardirect.com/products/xtar-sp100-portable-foldable-100w-adjustable-solar-panel

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Main features of SP100:

*Use Sunpower silicon wafers, 23% of cell efficiency.
*Convenient kickstand, easy to place and provide adjustable angles 25° / 35° / 45°.
*With DC output, 17.6V/6.25A/100W, faster charging speed than others.
*4 output ports with our EU4S charger extended: one Type-C, max 15V 3A with PD3.0; one USB-A with 9V2A or 12V1.5A, QC3.0; two USB-A with 5V 2.4A.
*IP65 waterproof.
*Folded size: 62*53.6*3cm
*Optional 3 meter cable to let charge in the shade.
*DC7909 port, optional Y-type adapter to connect most of the different power devices.

Any ideas, comment freely!​

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Quite interesting. Would like to see a video showing panel folded and interconnects in action.
When the sun is at high noon, another option (of course) would be to have the panels laying flat.
Sounds like one foldable panel weighs ~10 lbs.

 

[lumen aeternum]

Does it have an aiming device that casts a shadow or a beam of light, in a manner that allows the user to
1) aim the panel directly at the sun in the horizontal direction
2) aim the panel to be perpendicular to the sun in the vertical direction?
So the user never has to look AT the sun.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Aiming device is unnecessary. It is easy to see the shadow cast from the frame, or place a finger in the sun's path to the edge of the panel and see where the finger's shadow lands. The idea here is to have some idea of how long it will be before the panel is adjusted again, and orient basically in the middle of where the sun is now, and where it will be when adjustment is planned. Straightforward.

Now the GoSun solar cooker can be had with a nifty solar aimer that somewhat resembles a circular bubble level where both vertical and horizontal angle can be seen. Once again though, it pays to aim where it will be unless you plan on adjusting it every half hour or so. (It does not have to be perfect either)

I have a small YouTube channel and would make a straight talking video of this unit. Send me a demo. [email protected]

 

[XTAR Light]

XTAR SP100 is a 100W portable solar panel for RV camping, home emergency preparedness, and off-road trips. Check more via this video:

 

[XTAR Light]

There is SP100 solar panel review by Gonagain:

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Having slogged through the entire (retiree) video, it is good to report that these panels do have 'grommet' holes to secure against wind gusts or mount on top of camper roofs, etc. DC power does not like long wire runs (line loss), and having more connections/adaptors will introduce more resistance (less power going to storage). The Gonagain video fellow spent a lot of time reporting how much watts the panel delivers to the sensor on his storage. Electronics in his storage unit will also lessen watt delivery. The sky there in that video also showed considerable moisture in the air (more photons scattered, less photons arriving on the cells), at least compared to the sunny southwest where we live, and some sunny days everywhere. That will affect performance.

A lot of folks here know this stuff but wanted to mention it for those less experienced.

The times when my home solar panels exceeded rated output was when the air was fairly low in moisture But there were plenty of cloud clusters. When the sun was shining with no obstruction by clouds yet sunlight reflected by the clouds also added light to the solar cells, the controller was almost beyond its rated threshold.

These panels are said to have a magnetic clasping function to help keep it from unfolding at the wrong time, and the face of the panels do not rub against each other when folded. Looks like the cord compartment on the back of the panel has a weather resistant zipper. Good stuff. This unit would power our portable refrigerator/freezer on sunny days. It would be interesting to see if it needed to be combined with our (golf cart sized) AGM battery as a buffer, and if it would perform without an inverter. Night time at our home when the battery voltage sags with use, the fridge will balk, but connect it to the inverter, and no problem.

Can you buy a cheaper portable solar panel? Yes, but this looks like good quality, and potentially more suited to durable portability.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

What are the connections at the panel; MC4 or round plug? Thank you!

EDIT: see next post

 

[KITROBASKIN]

OK I watched a decent quality video posted on the xtar website and it looks like an 8mm barrel plug is for connecting to some battery/inverters systems, with adapters for MC4 connections.

Because I have a 24 Volt inverter, my 2 series installed 12V batteries need to be supplied by my Victron charge controller (bare wire inputs) with two of these nice portable panel sets also in series. Does Xtar have some adapter to put these in series?

Could they conceivably work 4 in series for a 48V system?