Want to purchase a Solar Panel

[Joe Loiacono]

I am interested in buying a solar panel and controler for boondocking. I am thinking of about 60 to 85 watts and was wondering if someone could suggest the best place to get the best deal in the Toronto area.

I am looking for a good quality product. Any suggestions would be great.

Thank you,
Joe

[Roy in TO]

You can check out http://www.ontariobattery.com/
They are knowledgeable with good products. Not sure if you will get the best price in town. Finding all 3 (quality, service and price) in one place is rare.

[kevin61]

I am interested in buying a solar panel and controler for boondocking. I am thinking of about 60 to 85 watts and was wondering if someone could suggest the best place to get the best deal in the Toronto area.

I am looking for a good quality product. Any suggestions would be great.

Thank you,
Joe

I purchased mine from RenewCanada in New Brunswick.

http://www.renewcanada.com/

They have a supplier in Barrie. I purchased two AEE 80-HE panels and a Moringstar MPPT controller. The dimensions of one panel are approx. 21"x42". NOTE: the specs that AEE has on their spec sheet are incorrect. They state a Vmp of 17.6v when they are actually 16.7v

In the end, I kept the panels as their physical dimensions is what counted in order to fit on top of the Boler.

You can see photos of my installation to date.

http://flickr.com/photos/76boler/set...7613488933155/


NOTE: this setup has not been road tested and it has been brought to my attention that the fibreglass roof may not withstand the forces of the wind on the panels at highway speeds. I probably won't be doing a road test until April.

Here is a link to a posting I placed on a Solar discussion forum to get an understanding of Solar. You may be needing to have some of the same questions answered.

http://www.wind-sun.com/ForumVB/showthread...4419&page=2

[Joe Loiacono]

You can check out http://www.ontariobattery.com/
They are knowledgeable with good products. Not sure if you will get the best price in town. Finding all 3 (quality, service and price) in one place is rare.

Thanks Roy,
I will check these guys out for sure. I do think though, the cost is coming down every year.

[Joe Loiacono]

I purchased mine from RenewCanada in New Brunswick.

http://www.renewcanada.com/

They have a supplier in Barrie. I purchased two AEE 80-HE panels and a Moringstar MPPT controller. The dimensions of one panel are approx. 21"x42". NOTE: the specs that AEE has on their spec sheet are incorrect. They state a Vmp of 17.6v when they are actually 16.7v

In the end, I kept the panels as their physical dimensions is what counted in order to fit on top of the Boler.

You can see photos of my installation to date.

http://flickr.com/photos/76boler/set...7613488933155/


NOTE: this setup has not been road tested and it has been brought to my attention that the fibreglass roof may not withstand the forces of the wind on the panels at highway speeds. I probably won't be doing a road test until April.

Here is a link to a posting I placed on a Solar discussion forum to get an understanding of Solar. You may be needing to have some of the same questions answered.

http://www.wind-sun.com/ForumVB/showthread...4419&page=2

Thanks for the info Kevin. I am really looking for something I can set up independently on a stand. I figure in the winter I can power some batteries to run things in the house and reduce the carbon footprint also. I think it is the way of the future and I am very interested in this technology.

[Roy in TO]

Thanks Roy

Your are welcome Joe,

Forgot to mention I got my phocos solar controller through these guys <span style="font-family:Arial">in the Kitchener / Guelph area:
</span>www.npp.ca

I was communicating with phocos directly who said they were the closest dealer that had stock. A simple phone purchase with delivery

What I learnt was that it is very inexpensive to upgrade when purchasing a controller to a model that will handle larger loads (future considerations)

The phocos controller not only handles charging currents but also loads. It has options for remote display monitoring and will connect to a laptop to download the data for better monitoring by those who want to track everything. It's all geek to me.

[peterh]

. . . I figure in the winter I can power some batteries to run things in the house and reduce the carbon footprint also. I think it is the way of the future and I am very interested in this technology.

I'm with you on that, buddy! I'm waiting, however, for the next wave of solar panel technology before I convert the roof of my house over to solar panels. The technology used in today's "affordable" (as in affordable if you're well off) silicon-based solar panels capture up to about 18% of the solar energy that hit them. Newer solar technologies that are based on the photosynthesis of plants look like they'll capture closer to 30% of the sun's energy and will cost less to produce. Since the break-even cost of a solar system is currently around 50 years I figure it's worth the wait to see if this new breed of solar is just pie-in-the-sky technology that only works in the lab or whether it's real, usable technology that can turn roof-tops into a sustainable power supply.

Sustainable, that is, as long as there's no snow up there on the roof.

[Joe Loiacono]

Your are welcome Joe,

Forgot to mention I got my phocos solar controller through these guys <span style="font-family:Arial">in the Kitchener / Guelph area:
</span>www.npp.ca

I was communicating with phocos directly who said they were the closest dealer that had stock. A simple phone purchase with delivery

What I learnt was that it is very inexpensive to upgrade when purchasing a controller to a model that will handle larger loads (future considerations)

The phocos controller not only handles charging currents but also loads. It has options for remote display monitoring and will connect to a laptop to download the data for better monitoring by those who want to track everything. It's all geek to me.

Hey Kevin,
That is great advise. You know what they say, (Go Big or Go Home). I would definately buy a controler for future growth. I will contact Phocos for sure. Great lead...thank you again.