100W Flexible Vs 100W Rigid Solar Panels | Don't Buy Until You Watch!

[@johnbarron4713]

Have both, but use the flexible for a temporary application. I hang them on the side of my minivan, when parked unattended at a trailhead. Never had anyone try to steal them.

[@joceallen6833]

I installed 7 flex panels on a camper and 5 of 7 failed within two years - this despite being stored undercover off season. Replaced everything & expanded with 10 rigids 5 years ago with zero failures since. The camper is normally insulated where the trailer in this video may not be. A good test would include roof insulation that'll further increase the ungapped flexibles temp but have lttle effect on elevated rigids.

[@brucemccreary769]

I had the same experience with failure of one brand of 100W flex panel (8 years ago- a flush car roof mount) A different, twice the price brand with a good warranty has held up. It's just very hard to judge quality of the various China made products, but if the installation is a lot of labor, best to buy from an established US dealer with good warranty, despite the price. They will have screened out the suppliers with poor QC/construction.

[@101perspective]

What is worse is you often see people gluing the flexible panels to their camper/van roofs. I can only imagine how hard it must be to replace those.

[@Gratefulwon]

I installed three 200 CIGS panels, peel and stick. They are a game changer, mounted flat in May, they peaked at 660 watts output.

[@DOO718]

I would say rigid but I tried the new BougeRV Arch 200 Watt Fiberglass Flexible panels and boy is it tough! You should check out some of the videos for them. I don't do my own videos but I had this panel on my boat and it takes a beating and still works great. I will probably put these on my 5th wheel soon.

[@everydaysolar]

Thanks for the feedback. Future plans would be to test all of these main brands and get as close to an apples-to-apples comparison as possible with the addition of some endurance testing where we see if they degrade over time.

[@DavidJSamko]

The flexible is considerably lighter. I use them for easy deployment in emergency charging situations. They can be easily hung outside of windows. They can be taken in less than five minutes. And placed in a similar amount of time. And a large advantage is that they can be handled by someone with a back injury as they weigh around 2.2 pounds. With a decent amount of output.

[@Sight-Beyond-Sight]

Also gotta figure the angling would boost energy generation by some 30% or better. Rigid seems to be the better option. Now if I were going to slap the flexible on an Airstream or similar surface, this would be nicer. I guess it just depends on the application.

[@everydaysolar]

💯 there are a lot of different applications out there so just locking in on one type isn't possible.

[@curtw8827]

Buy one of those bullseye plastic modules. Line up the bullseye dot and you are aimed for maximum power. After my power outage due to Milton, I just kept re-aiming my Renogy panel throughout the day.

[@upspincreek2210]

Great review, thanks so much!

[@everydaysolar]

You bet!

[@ytube777]

On a vehicle, the flat/flexible has potential to save on gas with less drag. Would be cool to see by how much. However, if the flexible has reduced durability and longevity I wouldn't choose that to begin with.

[@HAHA.GoodMeme]

mm yes, the 36 degree angle stick. Perfection.

[@peTeMelster]

Do flexible degrade so fast after 1-3 yrs only if you attach them flush mount to roof? What if I create a rack system and some edge reinforcements to give tons of air space underneath flexible panels (say 8-10" of airflow space underneath)? Would that make them last just as long as rigid panels?

[@hollywoood1989]

I'm thinking all because the ridged has glass is why the flex one produces more Watts, from light not reflecting away as much, but I didn't watch all the video because having to go to work

[@anthonygonzales129]

When will you be doing the trailer project. I’m planning on doing solar and batteries for an enclosed trailer using the EcoFlow batteries.

[@everydaysolar]

We are moving in the next 2 months. Once I get to the new location in Jan 2025 I will start the project. I plan on starting small and then scaling up with multiple different levels of capability. Ending setup should be able to charge my Cybertruck 😳. The first setup will most likely be less than 400W and a Delta 3 Plus.

[@brianblithe2271]

You did a video on plugging 4 solar panels into the house and its supposed to cut power bill ? it was 11 months ago, any updates on that ?

[@SonnyDarvishzadeh]

Huh interesting video you published as DHL is literally a few hours away to deliver an eco-worthy 130 watts (70 euros) to my address. I have large batteries and an MPPT sitting around, so I thought why not put them to use. Limited space, but I might be able to add one more panel to the balcony window if the first one was good.

[@everydaysolar]

Nice, best of luck getting the setup up and running 👍

[@TheFutureisTheFuture]

maybe I don't understand the comparison but isn't it like testing a 50w bulb and a 75w bulb and saying yes the 75w bulb is brighter? Doesn't it need to be 100w to 100w or 130 to 130? The tech changes as well as efficiency so really its comparing totally different efficiency and wattage. So that's not really apple to apple. 130w to 130w with same efficiency, that would be a legit test to compare because otherwise it pretty much means just get the highest wattage one that's on sale. Or if it needs to bend get the flexible🙂

[@rvvanlife]

I see a link for the spring Unistrut nuts but will there be a link for the aluminum Unistrut railings ?

[@everydaysolar]

I ordered 10' sections from Grainger www.grainger.com/product/Strut-Channel-Slotted-Aluminum-45YV54

[@Pillazo]

I appreciate the math!

[@everydaysolar]

You bet!

[@stevetrapp1095]

Fluke lite meter?

[@everydaysolar]

Yep, it also has panel temp, angle, and orientation. Pretty slick but a bit pricey for a DIYer amzn.to/4e4i1q5

[@Jamey_ETHZurich_TUe_Rulez]

Little off-topic - In general, why are rigid panels so rigid ? Would not be cheaper for "rigid" panels to have that aluminium frame thinner ? They will be mounted on another frame rigidly connected to roof. So there will be no excessive flexing anyway. Why are we paying for aluminium on those panels ? I want to pay for silicon.

[@Adante.]

Likely because they wouldn’t survive shipping as they would be more like large panes of glass vs a circuit board when it comes to fragility

[@charlesgates9814]

Flexible is not new. 30 years ago, unisolar was popular

[@richardwynkoop8059]

You never factored in the weight! RV's in particular are already very tall (much more so than you utility trailer) you are mounting those to the roof, all that extra weight on the roof, of an already tall non aerodynamic box, will make it even more top heavy and potentially unstable. For that reason, and the smoother airflow, I went with flexible panels on my RV roof, and and additional rigid "suitcase" style that I can set up on the ground.

[@CWK09]

Ear-adiance

[@HAHA.GoodMeme]

federal tax credit, aka robbing your neighbor to pay for new toys