ALLPOWERS 100W 18V ETFE Flexible Solar Panel

ALLPOWERS 100W 18V ETFE Flexible Solar Panel is lightweight and durable solar panel that features extra tough ETFE (Ethylene-Tetra-Fluoro-Ethylene) layer, decreasing maintenance tasks and allowing the solar panel to bend and adjust itself to the mounting surface.

ALLPOWERS 100W 18V ETFE Flexible Solar Panel may be mounted on the boat, cabin, RV, tent, roof and other similar iregular surfaces.

Published: September 30, 2019.

ALLPOWERS 100W 18V ETFE Flexible Solar Panel Features and Specifications

ALLPOWERS 100W 18V ETFE Flexible Solar Panel physical dimensions are 50.8 x 20.1 x 0.09 inches (129 x 51 x 0.25 cm) and it weighs 4.45 pounds (~2 kg) - this solar panel is very thin and lightweight, especially when compared with glass framed solar panels.

Note: ETFE stands for Ethylene Tetra Fluoro Ethylene, which is very durable and tough material with great features like:

- tear, corrosion and fire resistance,

- long life, environment friendly and recyclable,

- low weight and self-cleaning.

Thanks to the ETFE layer and plastic back sheet, ALLPOWERS 100W 18V ETFE Flexible Solar Panel can be bent up to 30° in order to adjust to the mounting surfaces and features wide operating temperature range from -40°F to 185°F (from -40°C to 85°C).

Maximum power in optimal conditions (P_max) is ~100 watts, working voltage (V_mp) is 18 volts, and working current (I_mp) is 5.56 Amps.

Open circuit voltage (V_oc) is 20 volts and the short circuit current (I_sc) is ~5.8 Amps.

One of the interesting features of these solar panels is bumpy surface, which increases the light absorption even during cloudy weather.

ALLPOWERS 100W 18V ETFE Flexible Solar Panel comes with the MC4 connectors with cables 35 inches (90 cm) long (70 inches, 180 cm, total cables length).

Junction box features safety diodes, while 6 built-in holes help with the quick and easy mounting.

Thanks to the standard MC4 connectors, ALLPOWERS 100W 18V ETFE Flexible Solar Panel may be connected in parallel and series, as required - more solar panels in parallel ensure stronger charging currents, while 2 or more solar panels ensure larger charging voltages.

Note: solar panels are a lot like batteries - connect them in parallel only if they are of the same voltage (preferably from the same brand, type and even manufacturing series) and connect them in series only if they share the same current features (again, preferably from the same brand, type and even manufacturing series).

Wiring diagram of ALLPOWERS 100W 18V ETFE Flexible Solar Panel is very similar to wiring diagram of other similar solar modules.

Solar panel is connected to Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) charging controller, which is than connected to 12V battery that is being charged. Optionally, if required, power inverter may be connected to the battery itself.

 Charging controllers these days are usually MPPT charging controllers - they enable solar panels to charge the battery even under low light conditions by converting just few volts provided by solar panel to the required battery voltage (12V, 24V etc).

MPPT charging controller should be dimensioned according to the number and power of connected solar panels and include safety features like surge protection, overcharge protection, and similar.

PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) charging controllers are still in use, but generally they feature lower efficiency and can't be used for charging the batteries via solar panels in (very) low light conditions.

In ideal conditions, one can expect ALLPOWERS 100W 18V ETFE Flexible Solar Panel to provide 6-7 Amps at 12 volts (6-7 Ah), which is enough to fully charge 80% DoD discharged 55-70 Ah deep cycle battery during the 12h daylight - most of the time, solar panel is not operating in 'ideal' conditions.

Note: this calculation greatly depends on many factors including solar panel orientation, season, weather conditions and similar.

Long Story Short: ALLPOWERS 100W 18V ETFE Flexible Solar Panel is upgraded version of very similar ALLPOWERS solar panel/module.

It is durable, flexible (up to 30°), includes ETFE protection layer, it is very thin and lightweight.

Note: Package includes solar panel and instruction manual, but NOT the charging controller or batteries.

Also, ALLPOWERS 100W 18V ETFE Flexible Solar Panel comes with 18 months warranty.

For more reviews and recommendations, feel free to check ALLPOWERS 100W 18V ETFE Flexible Solar Panel Amazon link (link opens in the new window).