Is more solar power always best - Portable solar panels compared

[@Jaw0lf]

Great to see all of the options you have out together. I would love to see how much energy they actually achieve and wether the larger ones are more efficient.

[@EVPuzzle]

Maybe I'll put them all out again 🤭

[@edwardpickering9006]

All you are missing for the first two minutes is the theme tune from Benny Hill!

[@EVPuzzle]

I did use that on a video once 🤭

[@hayabond893]

It’s a good job it wasn’t windy they would all b in that field behind U

[@EVPuzzle]

@@hayabond893 they're surprisingly robust but yes pegging them down would seem sensible but there aren't built in loops for that. I do intend to try one fixed permanently outside to see what happens

[@mossup-]

wow, I never realized how big the 400 watt panels were, it has made me think about changing my plans to using smaller panels instead, I just assumed that they would be way smaller.

[@EVPuzzle]

Heavier too

[@TrevorHa]

The 350w all black looks good. Looks like it stands better, more ridged. Good to know!

[@EVPuzzle]

@@TrevorHa it's my favourite the bluetti 350w

[@SabretoothBarnacle]

There's no excuse for the 400w panel being so expensive. I've just purchased new 450W trina panels for circa £80 each

[@EVPuzzle]

@@SabretoothBarnacle snap I paid 60 each for Trina 410w.. rigid panels seem to be made of more expensive materials too. Maybe the fabrics are expensive to sew and stay waterproof or maybe their volume of sales isn't higher enough to get prices down

[@FancyaBevMate]

Nice information matey, can i ask a question regarding your home storage ive seen its around 14kW how many rooms are you heating for your daily usage? we have a 2 bedroom bungalow so 6 rooms total. We're looking at changing over to a heat pump and storage to go along with our 4kW pv any suggestions on brands and storage size would be helpful nigel. Cheers

[@EVPuzzle]

Depends on your heating if course , heat pump etc Our a2a heating is covering lounge , hall, bedroom . 3 x bathrooms use immersion in radiators as towel rails . One bed uses infrared mirror as only occasional use, 1 x bed , kitchen and dining room not heated , door open , hall heat is adequate

[@Gary_UK]

Hopefully you are still happy with the MINI? It would be great if you could do a 'buyers guide' so those of us interested in getting a used one know what to look out for 👍

[@EVPuzzle]

I really am happy yes. I don't see enough minis to know what issues occur. The only ones I've observed is a rattle from the seat belt area behind the height adjustment cover. Loose wires or something . I've seen/heard several. Door rubbers catch and rub the paint on the painted door sill unless they're lubricated polished well Watch for water ingress on sunroofs, mould from condensation on sunroofs and water ingress in the lower boot compartment. Common F56 issues. EV wise beat to know how the owner charged it and drove it. Full every day, DC charging and drove it fast? Charging history in app can be checked and average efficiency over a long period helps An obvious thing is look for condition everywhere. Has it been cared for. There's lots out there so get a well cared for, low miler...like mine 👍

[@Gary_UK]

@@EVPuzzle Thanks if you did a short video with the MINI discussing those points I would watch it! 🙂

[@stevenbarrett7648]

We have a Bluetti 2-panel fold-out, I believe its supposed to be about 120 Watts, at best we only ever get 40ish Watts, quite disappointing. Generally I don't feel any panel gives its full output, it must be calculated the same as they do for car ranges, fingers crossed behind their backs !. Our best input comes from the boot of the Tesla, plug the Bluetti in to the 12V outlet go for a run around and come back with a full charge ready for another days use in the caravan

[@EVPuzzle]

When I charged my mini from a few of these I saw full power on a sunny day . Doesn't take much to lose some power but I've been happy with all of these . If conditions aren't perfect I expect a lot less of course but always good to have seen the max output at some point

[@theferreira8632]

Plz do a compare on cheap solid solar panels... that would be interesting

[@EVPuzzle]

@@theferreira8632 what type of criteria are you looking to compare ?

[@theferreira8632]

@EVPuzzle power to value ratio. Example: if space is not a issue, is it better value to have 4 x 100w solar panel costing £400 or a single 400w panel costing £600. Just a example. There will be people looking for panels with limited space theres loads of people who can sacrifice the space for the same power but cheaper budget.

[@EVPuzzle]

@@theferreira8632 I'll save you watching a video , 400w is 400w The only significant difference in fixed panels is the bigger ones with more cells split into two sections can really help with shading losses and bifacial can help a lot when ground mounted but still 400w is 400w. Forget efficiency numbers too. 400w is 400w Imo choosing panels is about size to fit your space to maximise output plus how it looks, all black or silver etc plus quality of materials. Will it last .

[@theferreira8632]

@@EVPuzzle got it. Thanks

[@roelvanes1711]

I'd assumed you'd compare the DC outputs too...

[@Richardincancale]

I was hoping having put them all side by side in the sun you would check the output of each one? Which gives most output per £ or per kg?

[@EVPuzzle]

Can't test everything ... I've tried most of them together in my video charging my mini from solar . They all hit the Max output indicated in perfect conditions

[@Pegaroo_]

Have you checked the output of the panels? Are they the wattage they say they are?

[@EVPuzzle]

See my video on charging my mini with them , they worked perfect

[@wajopek2679]

Does that large 400w panel have a micro inverter glued on the back of it?

[@EVPuzzle]

@@wajopek2679 nope that's just the wiring of the cables

[@NunoLeitaoTheEpiq]

Never understood the usability of portable solar panels. When would you guys use it or why to buy them?

[@TrevorHa]

For me camping. Small battery and a panel would meet my power need :-)

[@EVPuzzle]

@@NunoLeitaoTheEpiq when you want to move the panels easily and take it elsewhere . Camping, shows, garden room temporary install etc

[@KavanOBrien]

The 200watt panel how long does it take to charge a portable battery pack ? And how long would I get in the battery pack if I used a small fan heater, thinking about winter already. One more thing how much is a small portable battery pack ? Sorry another question would I be better off getting a small ATA heat pump rather than the solar panel and portable battery pack.

[@EVPuzzle]

How long to charge depends on how much sun , angle and battery size if course . 200w max so even if perfect 6 hours to fill 1kwh battery from empty ....10% loss A2A is a much simpler proper solution but portable battery and a small infrared panel would give you a portable effective heater. A2A isnt portable so it's all about how much portability do you need for that heater . If it's a serious heating solution you're after a2a. Portable stuff is a nice extra imo

[@KavanOBrien]

@@EVPuzzle I saw the price of the panels on your video, could you give me a price on a portable battery and a good one that would last rather than one that won’t last I suppose a reliable one is the word I’m looking for , only got the old age pension coming in so I need to be clever with the money, boiler broke two years back so the last two winters have had one fan heater which is costing a lot with electricity, so really after something that would give a bit more heat but more economical to run as far as the bills are concerned.

[@EVPuzzle]

@@KavanOBrien considering a decent fixed panel could cost £50 these days , portable panels are a luxury item. For best economy bargain rigid panels are the way to go but of course they're big and heavy Personally if cheaper warmth and comfort are the aim I'd say a smaller A2a system might be better or even infrared panels to provide directed hear directly to you, you'll feel warm even if the room isn't everywhere . A single panel head or there isn't going to save much money but a couple connected a battery could provide free heat if the sun shines or at least a few hours of cheap heat . Sadly the most reliable long lasting batteries are the most expensive Used batteries are of course better value

[@KavanOBrien]

@@EVPuzzle could you recommend a good portable battery I mean the product name and the power or I mean the identification = sorry not very knowledgeable hope you know what I mean , so I could check the price on EBay , I saw a gentleman install a Electriq mini split with one blower unit = he seemed quite pleased with the results, what’s your thoughts on Electriq products or you may have no experience with that company, so I would like to check out both scenarios, is it a stupid thing to say I was thinking about putting the small solar panel in the window inside = yes I know the the angle might not be correct but have the front of the house having three south facing windows along with front and back doors also south facing in my head it’s saying I could take advantage of that somehow, even making indoor blinds out of flexible solar panels link the wires from each panel somehow to generate more power , another crazy thought is to get a flexible panel for each window linked to a tiny portable battery for each room with a tiny heater = makes sense in my head but so does flat earth to some people , maybe the thought of another winter without heat is making me more crazy = just stop thinking maybe your answer.

[@ndudman8]

you got sent all of these right ?

[@EVPuzzle]

Came with battery mostly , package deal