Reasonable Price Solar Panel 100W ? (1 Viewer)

[camcondor]

Just wondering what a reasonable price might be for a good quality 100w solar panel with controller, fully fitted to a decent standard?

Have had very wildly varying quotes and thought I would ask others who have had similar work done - input appreciated

 

[tonka]

I had an email off Autotrail recently... 100w panel plus an extra 100amp battery supply and fitted £449.....

Ebay, you will find 80w kits for around £120-£150
Even if you have to get it fitted I had 2 mobile engineers both quote £100..

Like many others I did mine DIY and no issues...:thumb:

 

[haganap]

I bought an 80w panel and fitted it myself with a controller and it cost me £120 all in. I then purchased a better controller adding another £40 ..

I understand though that the eu has put a stop to cheap Chinese imports or are taxing them heavily. This means that the prices are going up....

Techno100 fits them as do quite a few other funsters Cls ash dave newall etc etc.

I have seen prices as much as £500+

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[hilldweller]

Like many others I did mine DIY and no issues...:thumb:

Drill one or two holes on roof, feed wires, glue down, hook up to battery.

It's no big deal. And if you do it yourself you know it's done properly.

It's not as scary as a Gaslow filler. Biggest hole cutter I've ever used, better be in the right place !

 

[camcondor]

I had a £350 quote from a very good auto electrician who specialises in motorhomes and vw T4 vans, added advantage he will come to the van, so no need to get it to him. So it sounds about right as a ball park figure, Iguess.

My DIY is ok, but I prefer a more professional finish if possible especially when it comes to holes on the roof, however small!

Thanks for the info:thumb:

Hmmm, still thinking about the self install route but my MH roof is a pain to access, and I would need to have a very good idea what controller would be best, so any links would be appreciated.

 

[canopus]

Link Removed


Steca are one of the best and can be found for sale on all manner of websites. If you ever intend to add another panel in the future then better to get a controller which will cope with the increased amperage for not a great deal more initial outlay. Steca do 10A, 20A and 30A

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[Taran_Las]

For example I'm using this controller Link Removed. I currently have a 100 watt and a 50 watt panel installed. The controller I have fitted would allow an additional 50 watts. Also, I believe MPPT is more efficient than PWM.

Hope this helps.

 

[ivorantony]

I brought 3 100w. Semi flexible panels for my Adria vision and bonded them directly to the roof With silkaflex ,
they work very well through a MPPT controller,
It's a straight forward DIY job, but best left until warmer weather,
I still have space for another panel but will probably not bother as it would be a bit of a overkill,

 

[dave newell]

As you have an Adria motorhome you will probably have Schaudt electrical system installed so it would be best to use Schaudt's own LRS 1218 regulator connected directly to your EBL unit. An advantage of this setup is it also charges your engine battery from the solar panel. Not a cheap reg but they do work well.

D.

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[camcondor]

As you have an Adria motorhome you will probably have Schaudt electrical system installed so it would be best to use Schaudt's own LRS 1218 regulator connected directly to your EBL unit. An advantage of this setup is it also charges your engine battery from the solar panel. Not a cheap reg but they do work well.

D.

It is a Schaudt, Dave, I think a 220 or similar. What prices is one looking at fitted for that sort of set up? My luck its much pricier than those with their £120 ebay set ups!

Edit - quick look shows the controller at about £75 ish.

 

[camcondor]

I brought 3 100w. Semi flexible panels for my Adria vision and bonded them directly to the roof With silkaflex ,
they work very well through a MPPT controller,
It's a straight forward DIY job, but best left until warmer weather,
I still have space for another panel but will probably not bother as it would be a bit of a overkill,

Good taste in motorhomes:thumb: Did you still drill through the roof? I guess there is no other way even if you bond the panels with Sikaflex.
I have a Waeco habitation aircon and a Camos Dome on the roof already, so hope there is room for the panel, assume it will be ok.

 

[ivorantony]

Yes I have the same, well it's domestic aircon unit as well as a dome, plenty of space for the panels, again no problem using proper hooded gland seals going into the main wardrobe , the second one going into the space above the oven feeding to the third LB in the garage, it's very straight forward, the MPPT regulator is a bit pricey but extracts the most energy from the panel even with low light, ideal for our winters/summers
Only had our motor home a year but haven't found anything to touch it,
We visited the Dusseldorf show this year and were well chuffed to head back to the vision at the camping ground,

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[ivorantony]

Ware ever they have run the cable from the dome it's likely through into the wardrobe, then that would be the obvious way to feed your solar panel cable,

So just replace the single gland cover for a double and use the existing hole,
Very straightforward , in the bottom of the wardrobe is a plastic conduit that has cable marked as solar that runs to the schauts charger, so you could use that if you follow Dave's idea,

 

[camcondor]

We bought ours in 2007 -one of the first that Adria sent to the UK and have not found anything to better it yet, although the payload isn't great. We just try not to overload it! Only issues we had were that the selling dealer was total rubbish plus the Adria Concessionaires at the time in Long Melford were also useless and the Slovenian woman who came into the set up when the local lot went bust wasn't interested in anything that predated her tenure. Luckily and testament to the Renault Master and the build quality of the Adria, we have had no issues to bother about since, unlike the Swift's of the same vintage!
Will be happier once we can top up the engine battery via integrated solar panel as the van is now on a storage site, although we do visit regularly and plug it into our newly acquired Honda genny.

:thumb:

 

[Phill D]

i used the Schaudt LRS 1218 and a semi flexible 80W panel directly bonded to the roof.

a tube of sikaflex to bond the panel, the junction box bonded through the roof, took no more than 2 hours in total. the LRS 1218 is literally 2 screws and fit the pre wired mini looms from it to your main Schaudt unit. 2 wires from the panel to the LRS. job done.:thumb:

however, the 80W semi flexible panels are not as cheap as the std fit.

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[dave newell]

It is a Schaudt, Dave, I think a 220 or similar. What prices is one looking at fitted for that sort of set up? My luck its much pricier than those with their £120 ebay set ups!

Edit - quick look shows the controller at about £75 ish.

We can do a 100 Watt Victron Blue monocrystalline panel and Schaudt LR 1218 reg fully fitted for £500 inclusive, less your 5% funster discount.

D.