EF ECOFLOW 160W Portable Solar Panel for Power Station, Foldable Solar Charger Chainable with Adjustable Kickstand, Waterproof IP67 for Outdoor Camping RV Off Grid System

Why did you choose this product over others?: Doesn't yield much under clouds more suited to the USB C connected to a 27000 power bank 99 wh

INCREDIBLY POWERFUL, STRONG AND WATER RESISTANT - USED OFF-GRID IN THE UK This panel is amazing. It produces up to 400W in direct bright sunshine but can produce as much as 40W even in heavy overcast in a UK summer with light rain falling. In very heavy overcast and heavy rain it will not work (obviously) but this would be a tall order for any solar system. I have used it in constant rain in the Lake District and Wales this summer, and been so chuffed that it continues to gather power in sub-optimal conditions. I have been blown away by how much energy you can harvest from the sun with this thing and though I am late to the party if I had more money to invest I would be buying an EcoRiver solar panel system for my house. The initial cost is high but it is more than worth it. This panel recharges my EcoRiver Delta 2 at full power (400W) in around two or three hours from flat. In overcast conditions it takes 6-8 hours to recharge the battery from 50% to 100%. The panel was able to endure the very strong winds and very heavy rain from Storm Betty recently while on holiday. I did have it attached using strong paracord to two strong trekking poles as a support system and it was carefully guyed down to strong tent pegs. At one point water was gushing along the panel, which was oriented uphill, forming a small river around 4 inches high. This is well beyond the expectations for water resistance for the panel and I was suitably amazed it survived - the electrical connections are sited about half way up the panel. The carry case is very good at doing just that - but perhaps not so good as a panel support which is its secondary use - see below. Suggestions for improvement Though this panel is amazing it is not superbly supported by the included case which doubles as a support system for the panel. The end result is a panel which sags and is not fully flat when angled using the case. I corrected this as described above by tying the corners with paracord to trekking poles but this was not a perfect solution. The powered, automated solar tracking support made by EcoRiver is an astonishing £2600 on their website (nearly £1000 more than the cost of the Delta 2 and this panel together!!) so I will be finding a cheaper solution to support the panel better. Some sort of lightweight but strong metal frame might be a good way of supporting the panel and in my view should be included in future versions. Additionally this is a very large and heavy panel. At 16kg it is uncomfortable to carry more than a short distance by hand and is large and unwieldy to put up - best done by two people. You don't get something for nothing - all that power has to come from plenty of surface area - and I don't regret buying this one bit. I will hopefully get years of use from it.

Great product to accompany our Ecoflow power bank. Packs away under the bed of our motorhome and performs well with limited sunlight. We were pulling around 95 amps in November in Mull.

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From limited testing (not much sun this time of year) all seems good. I also have the 100W folding panel from Ecoflow for a few years now and I am really happy with it. The 45W version seems just as well built.