100W Ultralight Semi-Flexible Solar Panel Kit (Monocrystalline)

Get yourself a 100-Watt, ultralight, semi-flexible solar panel, as well as adhesive bonding agent to secure the panel in place, five meters of cable and a twin charging controller.

This money-saving bundle kit will give you all the parts you need to hook up your camper, motorhome or caravan with a full solar charging system and the gear to install and run it.

Solar energy is an incredible way to ensure that your vehicle battery and leisure battery is kept fully topped up, allowing you to run your electrical accessories like fridges, sinks, and lights without worrying that you’ll drain and damage your battery.

At a glance:

• The kit includes the solar panel, cables, dual battery charge controller and bonding agent,

• Gives you everything you need to install a complete solar charging system,

• The monocrystalline solar panel is super-efficient, giving you loads of power to your batteries,

• Easy to install and set up, and can be mounted on your vehicle’s roof,

• A great way to ensure your batteries – and the accessories they’re powering – never run out of juice!

The panel has a 'hidden' outlet, which means that the cable leading from the solar panel to your battery is located underneath the panel, and will go straight down through your roof. This will mean that you'll need to install a hole in your roof for the cable access point, but this kit comes with a tube of sealant to ensure you're free of any leaks. You can also get a waterproof cable entry box to mount over the cable access hole in the roof, if you need one, see J43145. We’re big fans of solar systems here at JK, and we’ve written a blog to help you understand the benefits, how they work and what system you would best suit you. You can read our blog here: https://www.justkampers.com/jkblog/power-up-demystifying-solar-panels-210/

The solar panel:

In simple terms, each solar panel is full of solar cells, which turn the energy from sunlight into electrical energy. This then flows into your vehicle battery and/or leisure battery, and then on into your fridge, phone, lights and anything else you’ve got plugged in. The key component of this bundle kit is the 100-Watt, monocrystalline, semi-flexible solar panel. What does that actually mean, you ask? Well:

100-Watt

In simple terms, without going into the mind-bending scientific formulae, it means your solar panel will be giving you 100-Watt hours (100wh) of power for each hour of sunlight it gets. This will, of course, be more useful in the summer, or in warmer climes, but your solar panel will still produce energy during the day if it’s overcast or cloudy, just not as much. A 100-Watt solar panel is ideal for running smaller electrical devices like lights, phone chargers etc., and should certainly be enough to handle applinces like a fridge, depending on its energy demands.

Monocrystalline

Solar panels made using monocrystalline designs use many small, efficient solar cells, rather than fewer larger ones. Each solar cell is made from high-purity silicon, and cut into octagons, so that lots of them can fit together across the surface of the solar panel. Monocrystalline solar panels are ideal for use on your campervan or caravan:

• Designed for a larger surface area on each solar cell, to absorb and convert more energy,

• Reduced reflectivity, so more energy is captured by the panel and less is reflected away,

• More efficient than other types of solar panel,

• Lifespan of up to 30 years, with proper care and maintenance.

Semi-flexible

Because the solar cells which make up the panel are so thin, they give the panel the ability to flex and bend. This makes them ideal for mounting on the roof of your vehicle, where they can follow the curves and shape of the roof, rather than laying flat. Not only does this make them look better and less obvious, it also means they won’t jut out anywhere or create little ledges where water or dirt or grime could collect. The same properties which make the panel semi-flexible also makes it really light. This panel weighs less than 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs), so it won’t be a hassle to light up and install, and won’t weigh your vehicle down, either. Solar panel dimensions: Height: 1150 mm, Width: 535 mm, Depth: 2.5 mm, Weight: 2.3 kg.

The dual charge unit:

If you’ve got a leisure battery in addition to your normal vehicle battery, then this kit will let you set which (if either) battery is being charged up by your solar panel, or set it to charge them both at the same time. It’s easy to add into your solar charging system, and comes with full instructions, which should be followed carefully. Having a dual battery charge controller means that you won’t end up accidentally damaging your battery or reducing its lifecycle by drawing too much power from the batteries or putting too much energy into them. The unit also self-diagnoses any issues, and will direct you on how to resolve them, and also has built-in electronic protection so power surges or other issues don’t damage the system.

The cable:

There are two, five-meter MC4 solar panel cables included in the kit, ideal for connecting your panel to the battery and dual charge unit. MC4 cables (or Multi-Contact, 4 millimetre cables) are a standard cable used with solar panels. These cables are the correct size to handle the power generated by the solar panel in this kit, and will be more than long enough to connect everything that needs connecting. The cables are TÜV certified, with water-proof and weather-proof rubber seals, to ensure that they aren’t affected by the elements.

The bonding agent:

To attach your new solar panel to the roof of your vehicle, this kit also includes a tube of adhesive bonding agent. Quick and easy to use, you won’t need a caulking gun or anything. Just apply to the surfaces you want to bond, and it will cure when exposed to the moisture in the air. The adhesive doesn’t include any solvents or other unpleasant chemicals, and won’t crack or shrink once it’s set.

The dual battery charge controller:

• Reverse current protection, against voltage drops and the leakage current,

• Unique dual battery charging function, to charge either or both batteries,

• Efficient Series PWM charging, increases battery lifetime and improves solar system performance,

• Works on 12-volt or 24-volt power, with automatic recognition,

• Overload protection, against a running overcurrent which would cause overheating,

• Open circuit protection, against dangerously high voltages,

• Lightning surge protection, so sudden spikes in voltage won’t ruin the system,

• Deep discharge protection, so the batteries won’t be damaged by being drained,

• Charge current protection up to 20A.

Charge current protection is only required for advanced applications when there are some radio emitting devices powered by the same batteries and where the solar controller creates interference in the circuit. In such cases the charging frequency can be changed to stop interference. In all other cases this parameter should be kept at pre-set 25Hz. Change of charging frequency has almost no impact on the efficiency of charging.