Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks: Killer deal on Solar

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Killer deal on Solar

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Forum Name: Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
Forum Discription: Ask maintenance questions, share your podmods (modifications) and helpful tips
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=13171
Printed Date: 23 Jun 2025 at 12:28pm
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Topic: Killer deal on Solar

Posted By: GlueGuy
Subject: Killer deal on Solar
Date Posted: 12 Sep 2019 at 8:12pm

Just saw this on the intertubes. A 100 watt solar panel AND controller for the bargain price of $92! That's 92 cents per watt INCLUDING the charge controller. Almost too good!

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Nature-Power-100-Watt-Solar-Kit-with-11-Amp-Charge-Controller-50111/303026135 - https://www.homedepot.com/p/Nature-Power-100-Watt-Solar-Kit-with-11-Amp-Charge-Controller-50111/303026135

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bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River
2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost

Replies:

Posted By: podwerkz
Date Posted: 12 Sep 2019 at 8:44pm

I've bought several panels from Home Depot...all were good quality.

This seems like a really good price on this kit...

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r･pod 171 gone but not forgotten!

Posted By: Olddawgsrule
Date Posted: 13 Sep 2019 at 7:35am

Link now comes up at $179..

Well in my area anyway.

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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJduGeZNFgtptH67leItRFQ - Byways no Highways
2017 Tacoma
http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=72408 - Truck Camper Build
2004 F150 My Overlander

Posted By: JR
Date Posted: 13 Sep 2019 at 7:50am

Hit post reply too soon

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Jay

179/2019

Posted By: JR
Date Posted: 13 Sep 2019 at 7:52am

It must have been a special HD was running yesterday because the link now shows $179 in the Michigan area

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Jay

179/2019

Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 13 Sep 2019 at 9:29am

I think it was a one day sale. Still, at 18 cents per watt including the charge controller is not too bad.

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bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River
2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost

Posted By: Olddawgsrule
Date Posted: 13 Sep 2019 at 12:42pm

Originally posted by GlueGuy

I think it was a one day sale. Still, at 18 cents per watt including the charge controller is not too bad.

Move your decimal point.. $1.79 a watt.. LOL I do the same all the time.

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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJduGeZNFgtptH67leItRFQ - Byways no Highways
2017 Tacoma
http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=72408 - Truck Camper Build
2004 F150 My Overlander

Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 13 Sep 2019 at 2:38pm

Originally posted by Olddawgsrule

Originally posted by GlueGuy

I think it was a one day sale. Still, at 18 cents per watt including the charge controller is not too bad.

Move your decimal point.. $1.79 a watt.. LOL I do the same all the time.

LOL. Right. About twice what it was before. Buck eighty.

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bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River
2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost

Posted By: geewizard
Date Posted: 14 Sep 2019 at 9:05am

And what kind of solar panel are they? Reputable brand? Cheap Chinese junk?

Makes a difference.

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2021 Winnebago Micro Minnie 1708FB
2017 R-Pod 177 (Blue) HRE SOLD
2004 Outfitter Apex 8 camper
2014 Toyota Tundra DC

Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 14 Sep 2019 at 9:55am

Originally posted by geewizard

And what kind of solar panel are they? Reputable brand? Cheap Chinese junk?

Makes a difference.

I don't know that you can make a blanket statement like that. We have used both US-made and Chinese made solar panels. Newer Chinese products that we purchased have outperformed older US products. I think it's more of an evolutionary thing.

That said, https://www.naturepowerproducts.com/index.php - Nature Power seems to be a Chinese company (offices in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Georgia). All of the stuff I saw on their web site is 12V, which would be mostly oriented towward consumer solar.

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bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River
2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost

Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 14 Sep 2019 at 1:04pm

+1. You absolutely cannot categorize Chinese manufactured solar modules as “cheap junk”. About 60% of all PV modules made are manufactured in China. They are used in essentially all the large scale solar installations installed in the US and are considered bankable by the institutions financing these plants, which are expected to have lifetimes of 25-30 years or longer.

There are low quality consumer products being manufactured in China and other countries of course. As always, it is caveat emptor and many products are not designed to last longer than their warranty period. Things you can llook for in solar module construction are the solar cells uniformly laid out and not touching each other, good quality fastening and sealing of output wires, delaminations or bubbles in the encapsulant, and weak or poor fitting frames. Also of course make sure the module is making power. Measure it’s open circuit voltage, short circuit current, and current into a battery at full charge. Do this on a clear day with the module directly facing the sun and compare to the specs. Don’t expect a 100 watt module to ever make 100 watts though. About 80 is more like it under real world conditions.

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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Posted By: Olddawgsrule
Date Posted: 14 Sep 2019 at 1:24pm

Originally posted by offgrid

+1. You absolutely cannot categorize Chinese manufactured solar modules as “cheap junk”. About 60% of all PV modules made are manufactured in China.

+2 on that. My Chinese panels are 12 years old now and I figure have lost about 5% of power. Tested last year and figure with the curve of degrade usable for about 10-12 more.

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https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJduGeZNFgtptH67leItRFQ - Byways no Highways
2017 Tacoma
http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=72408 - Truck Camper Build
2004 F150 My Overlander

Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 14 Sep 2019 at 2:47pm

Yep, 1/2 percent loss of power per year is the industry standard expectation. So about 15% loss in 30 years. That's for glass front modules, don't expect that from "flexible" ones.

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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold