what Wattage do i have

[dakka1]

gday all. was just talking to a mate and we were comparing sizes.........of solar panals.

my panal of 1mx1.2m is suposobly 200w but yet my dimensions are bigger then my mates who has a 240w panal. im sure I have read somewhere that the diamentions are a way to tell what size output a panel is.

[threedogs]

Are they both mono crystaline panel
amphorus panels are bigger with smaller out put

[dakka1]

all I know is there both the black panel. from the very little I know about them ive only seen blue and black faced panels I hope this helps

[threedogs]

Is it like this I'll put a pic
200 watt panel on ebay is 1.5 x .8mtr

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-200-Watt-12v-Monocrystalline-Solar-Panel-200W-/331321294468?pt=AU_Solar&hash=item4d2449be84

[dakka1]

yes mate. both of them are like that

[threedogs]

are they off a house I couldn't find a 240 watt job

[dakka1]

nah bud there 12v camping ones

[dakka1]

I remember seeing something that said along the lines that 1mx1m of panal = a certain output and that's how they get the diff size wattage panals etc

[threedogs]

that's a monster panel not to be folded, no stickers on the back
My 80 watt panel has 36 squares like above on it, work on that

[megatexture]

There's 36 cells in a 12v and 72 in a 24v I thought, but that won't tell you how many watt it is. Count the cells to determine volts and use a multimeter to measure amps in full sun then convert it to watts, that may give you a indication.

[Cuppa]

Comparing your size to sizes of panels on ebay yours looks to be in the ball park for 200w. I expect that panel sizes for a nominal wattage will vary a little, depending upon manufacturer , panel type & panel efficiency.

200w 1460mm x 940mm = 1373400 sq mm
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/200W-SOLAR-ENERGY-PANEL-MONOCRYSTALLINE-Power-Generator-Battery-Charging-Caravan-/371145460286?pt=AU_Solar&hash=item5669fe4a3e

200w Your panel
1200 x 1000 = 1200000 sq mm

200w 1320 x 990 = 1306800 sq mm
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/200W-Mono-Crystalline-Solar-Panel-for-Home-Camping-and-Caravan-/281448945253?pt=AU_Solar&hash=item4187aa1665

It is possible your panel is either more efficient or a bit less than 200w

Also possible that your mates 250w is not 250w.

There have been panels sold on ebay & elsewhere that are lower wattage than advertised.

Only real way to check is to set up both panels, connected to a discharged battery & measure the amps being fed into the battery. Needs to be done at the same time so sun condition is the same for both. This will tell who’s panel is putting out the most. 200w should be capable of around 11.6 amps & a 250w around 14.5 amps (both figures + or minus a bit).

[dakka1]

cheers guys

[Cuppa]

cheers guys

Ah but you’re not getting away with that, we wanna know the outcome of the two panel shootout. ;) LOL

[dakka1]

so far the out come is his is a 240 watt but its actually a fold away panal both measuring 1 meter giving him 2m over all. surely that's gotta be more then 240w if mines supposed to be 200w at 1.1x1.2??

[MudRunnerTD]

So to add to this debate.

Allot of guys are running 120w panels and a few running 180w setups which seem to be ideal. I am keen on a 180w setup. On the Simpson trip AB had a 180w setup he setup for 1 day at Dalhousie. He was running 2 fridges and one of those as a freezer. He ran his travel buddy oven a few times and he had Sh1t loads of power.

200w to 240w I would have thought was plenty Plenty and more than enough for pretty well everyone. I reckon your mate wins who's is better just because his is a fold away so more compact to travel with. Has his got more power???? Your both over 200w so who cares I reckon.

[AB]

So to add to this debate.

Allot of guys are running 120w panels and a few running 180w setups which seem to be ideal. I am keen on a 180w setup. On the Simpson trip AB had a 180w setup he setup for 1 day at Dalhousie. He was running 2 fridges and one of those as a freezer. He ran his travel buddy oven a few times and he had Sh1t loads of power.

200w to 240w I would have thought was plenty Plenty and more than enough for pretty well everyone. I reckon your mate wins who's is better just because his is a fold away so more compact to travel with. Has his got more power???? Your both over 200w so who cares I reckon.

That was the Bosch panel that cuppa suggested a while back on Ebay.

Since the Simpson I have used it to run ovens, blenders, multiple fridges and charging all sorts of batteries on my brothers property for tractors, etc.

It's one of the best investments I have bought!

[sooty_10]

That was the Bosch panel that cuppa suggested a while back on Ebay.

Since the Simpson I have used it to run ovens, blenders, multiple fridges and charging all sorts of batteries on my brothers property for tractors, etc.

It's one of the best investments I have bought!

Any links you can throw up for the one you got AB? Does the Bosch cells really make much difference in the efficiency? Or is it more in the way the cells are connected etc?

[megatexture]

That was the Bosch panel that cuppa suggested a while back on Ebay.

Since the Simpson I have used it to run ovens, blenders, multiple fridges and charging all sorts of batteries on my brothers property for tractors, etc.

It's one of the best investments I have bought!

Has your panel got this symbol on the cells ?

[megatexture]

Any links you can throw up for the one you got AB? Does the Bosch cells really make much difference in the efficiency? Or is it more in the way the cells are connected etc?

There are differences in a quality cell compared to a cheaply made one, my mates panel has a difference of little under 2amp less compared to mine and they are both 120w and that's using the same reg for the comparison.