Instapark® 10W High-Efficiency Mono-Crystalline Solar Panel

by Instapark

Product Features

• Power (Pmax) : 10W ;can be used in single-module and multiple-module systems
• Maximum power voltage ( Vpm ) : 17.5V ;Maximum Power Current: 0.57A
• Cable lengths : 3'
• Dimension 13 3/4 x 11 x 2/3 in
• Open circuit voltage ( Voc ) : 21.95V

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 14 x 11 x 1 inches ; 2.8 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B004FWW1M4
• Item model number: SP-10W
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,619 in Patio, Lawn & Garden (See Top 100 in Patio, Lawn & Garden)

Product Description

Tired of all the noise and smell from your diesel generator? The Instapark SP-10W solar panel offers you a quiet, clean while carbon-free alternative. Capable of converting virtually unlimited solar energy into clean, green, most importantly, free electricity, this solar panel is made of high efficiency mono-crystalline solar cells embedded in transparent vinyl acetate behind tempered glass with heavy back sheet ensuring maintenance free performance. Unlike amorphous solar panels, which only last about 5-7 years of continuous use, mono-crystalline solar panels can still retain over 80% of efficiency even after 25 years of continuous use. Also, the mono-crystalline panels are much more efficient and thus smaller in size while producing higher wattage.

This solar panel is designed and engineered to primarily charge 12-Volt batteries, which store and provide usable power when needed, ideal for powering your RVs, ATV, marine boats and electronic equipments. Other than recreational applications, solar power can also help lower your energy bills by reducing your dependence on the main electrical grid and provide back-up power during power outages.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great product!, August 4, 2011

By 

J. Zone - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Instapark® 10W High-Efficiency Mono-Crystalline Solar Panel

Length:: 3:41 Mins

Love this solar panel, puts anywhere from 9(low light) to 15 and maybe more volts.
I have heard the cables connected to these panels called "flimsy" what I like is the sleeve that comes on it. In the back there is a little compartment where the soldered connections are made, the cables come out the back, I pushed/wiggled the sleeve inside the box closer to the soldered ends and now the sleeve is taking the pressure if the cable is tugged rather then the soldered connections.
Would buy again, probably will but bigger :)

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reasonably well-made. Performing OK, December 21, 2011

By 

Marcin (SF Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Instapark® 10W High-Efficiency Mono-Crystalline Solar Panel

This 10W panel is a great size to use as a charger for keeping your car battery topped off. Given the amount of current it can produce, over half an amp under ideal conditions, you'll want to also purchase a charge controller. I bought the SunGuard made by Morningstar (available on Amazon as well). The combo is working well together so far.

I started off by buying one of those 1.8W solar "trickle" chargers, which will not produce enough current to keep my battery charged all the time. I measured the 10W setup today, which is a mid-December sunny day in northern California. Around solar noon I got 250mA, which is a bit less than half of what this panel can do. Keep in mind that the panel was also at about a 45 degree angle to the sun, which will also reduce its power output. I really need 130-150mA for a few hours a day to keep the battery charged. Having that extra 100mA will hopefully bring my battery to a full charge over the course of a few days. My battery was down to 11.87V late last night when I hooked the panel up. By lunchtime the next day, the voltage was 12.2V. My dinky 1.8W only managed to keep the voltage around 12V over several days, which meant it was struggling to keep up at best.

The panel seems fairly well made, but it arrived with some silicone residue that wasn't cleaned off at the factory. There was also a bit of a stain on the aluminum frame. Now, I didn't buy the panel for it's dashing good looks, but it would be nice if they were a bit more careful during assembly. All the tabbing on the solar cells looks to be fairly well done. The clear encapsulating silicone was free of any bubbles. The panel uses the typical "frosted" glass found on many flat panels. It seems like the most critical stuff is reasonably well done. The excessive residue on the panel and the crooked label on the back do bring back the cheapness of this item. Keep in mind i've spent four years working in solar, at a variety of companies. None of them let a panel out the door in the condition this one is in. In all fairness, none of my former employers made $40 panels either. For the money, this seems OK to me. If I wanted high quality, this isn't it. This panel is going to spend its time inside a vehicle, so it won't see the crazy weather, dust, and rain an outdoor solar panel would.

The junction box is easy to open, so that you can replace the short wire fairly easily. It will take a decent soldering iron to desolder the wires, but I managed with my 50W bench top solder station. I ended up putting a 10ft section of 18g a wire so that I had enough to put the panel in the back window of my car if need be. Yes, i could have spliced the wires, but this was a "cleaner" look to my new solar charger.

Overall, this is a good buy for someone needing a low-power panel for keeping a small/mid battery charged. When buying a solar panel, take what you think you need and double it. Unless you're using a two-axis solar tracker and a inverter or charge controller with MPPT, you will not get the claimed power from the panel. For most small installations, it's cheaper to buy more solar panel than worry about some of the other technologies that can squeeze the extra wattage. If you're putting in hundreds of watts or more, then investing in better equipment would be a good choice financially.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars RV solar charger, August 19, 2011

By 

Shaun McFarlane (LAKESIDE, CALIFORNIA, US) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Instapark® 10W High-Efficiency Mono-Crystalline Solar Panel

Great product for the price and size!!!
I installed this on my RV roof A/C and it works better than advertised. It kicked out 19.6V. My RV batteries will always be full when pulled out of storage.