sunelec sale info w/ shipping

[birdhouse]

hey-
i almost feel weird posting this here, and maybe this is the wrong place, and i am not fond of the company's customer service, BUT, i just ordered the solar laminates 196w 30.5Vmp "modules".  they don't have aluminum, or j-box, but they were 147.00 each,  bought 6 of 'em.  shipping via freight was 450.00 from miami to portland, or.  for a grand total of $1.14 a watt.   i feel bad about all the petrol getting the panels from there to here! 

i have zero affiliation with sunelec.  in fact, i'd rather not do business with them, but when the price is right... 

thought some of you may be shopping for offgrid panels for a 24v system, and might be interested in the deal they have going. 

adam

[Volvo farmer]

30.5 VMP is a little iffy for a 24V system. Usually panels are in the 35 volt range. You want to absorb at 28.8 and when the panels get hot, I bet they get awfully close to not being able reach absorb voltage and equalizing with solar would be right out.

However, nice score. How are you planning to mount those panels with no frame or J box?

[birdhouse]

VF-
you may be right, but i think these will do just fine for my 24v bank.  the VOC is 37.  i understand this is falling off the curve, and very few amps are available the higher the voltage needed, but during absortion and equalize, very little power is needed.  i'll bet even after a diode drop these would equalize a battery bank so long as it isn't monstrous in size.  when i equalize my bank during average temps, it takes 3-5 amps to push 'em up to 30+ volts, then just an amp, sometimes two to maintain the equalize voltage for the duration of the equalization.  even if there were only two amps available in the 30-31 volt range, it would be plenty to equalize for me.  just might take a minute or two to allow the voltage to climb. 

plus with a Vmp of 29.5 (after diode drop) is far better matched to actual use during the hardest pushing bulk portions of the charge. 

i've got two 195 evergreens with a Vmp of 18.  they're wire in series for a total Vmp of 36.  i've never seen close to 390 watts out of them because i feel like i'm always hitting way to low on the voltage curve.  i guess my new and old panels will be perfect matches for each other, as one batch is a little high in voltage, and the other a little low in voltage. 

oh- and for mounting/wiring-  was planning on a PT frame with a dado to seat the panels with a bead of silicone.  then silicone a j-box on the back, add diodes if needed, and then mount in some fashion.  i'm not even sure where i'm gonna put these at this point.  running out of roof room on my tiny shed.   

adam

[BrianSmith]

Birdhouse,

I saw on the sunelec page you had to buy 10... did you split the order with someone or will they work a deal for less?  I would like to just get 2 or 4, but 10 is out of the price range. 

Brian

[birdhouse]

brian-
when i bought mine, there was a minimum of 2 i think per order.  the modules i got aren't on their site anymore.  it seems like they are constantly shifting pricing/minimums/products/ect. around.   last time my order didn't go through, because the order a few ahead of me bought ALL their laminates (60k worth). 

as a follow up to the buying process from sunelec:    the "laminates" are tempered glass, eva, cells, eva, then backing.  you can tell, they put a j-box on them, but then tore it off and tore the electrical exits up a bit in the removal.  still gobs of silicone where the j-box was removed.  just two wire tabs?  if that what you call that flat type wiring?  i think they remove the j-boxes for ease of shipping and packing to be able to offer the laminates at such a low price. 

mine came from miami to portland, or.  hopefully you live nearish to florida, and can get better pricing on shipping then i had to pay!  though, it was still a good deal at $1.14 a watt delivered!

adam

[BrianSmith]

Thanks for the info.  I'll have to keep a closer eye on that site I guess.   

[Tritium]

Keep in mind they have a warehouse in Phoenix also. It's inventory is listed separately.

Thurmond

[WindriderNM]

I used metal picture framing for mine