We recently purchased a 45 watt solar panel kit from Harbor Freight. This kit ranges in price from $259 down to $159, depending on week and the special being offered. We got it at the lower price. This kit contains three 15 watt solar panels, a stand for mounting the three panels, a regulator box, and two 12 volt DC lights. The the three panels each have 11 foot power cables that you attach to the box in parallel. The box has a place to attach a storage battery, a cigar lighter port where you can attach an inverter, and outputs for 3, 6, 9, and 12 volts DC, There is also a USB port with 5 volts. You get a lot for the $159. Note, a recent check at the Harbor Freight store had on display a much simpler regulator box.
The downside of this unit is that if you try to use the rack that they give you for mounting, it will have to sit on the ground in a place that would be temporary. The wind could easily knock over the panels. There are no instructions in the package to mount the panels permanently and calling the support number got me nowhere. After considerable thought and experimentation, I have come up with a solution that works. The purpose of this instructable is show how I did it.
The goal was to mount the solar panels to the roof of a shed out in a country garden which does not have electrical power. The system would generally be used to charge battery-operated tools but other AC tools could probably be used via an inverter.
The downside of this unit is that if you try to use the rack that they give you for mounting, it will have to sit on the ground in a place that would be temporary. The wind could easily knock over the panels. There are no instructions in the package to mount the panels permanently and calling the support number got me nowhere. After considerable thought and experimentation, I have come up with a solution that works. The purpose of this instructable is show how I did it.
The goal was to mount the solar panels to the roof of a shed out in a country garden which does not have electrical power. The system would generally be used to charge battery-operated tools but other AC tools could probably be used via an inverter.
We recently purchased a 45 watt solar panel kit from Harbor Freight. This kit ranges in price from $259 down to $159, depending on week and the special being offered. We got it at the lower price. This kit contains three 15 watt solar panels, a stand for mounting the three panels, a regulator box, and two 12 volt DC lights. The the three panels each have 11 foot power cables that you attach to the box in parallel. The box has a place to attach a storage battery, a cigar lighter port where you can attach an inverter, and outputs for 3, 6, 9, and 12 volts DC, There is also a USB port with 5 volts. You get a lot for the $159. Note, a recent check at the Harbor Freight store had on display a much simpler regulator box.
The downside of this unit is that if you try to use the rack that they give you for mounting, it will have to sit on the ground in a place that would be temporary. The wind could easily knock over the panels. There are no instructions in the package to mount the panels permanently and calling the support number got me nowhere. After considerable thought and experimentation, I have come up with a solution that works. The purpose of this instructable is show how I did it.
The goal was to mount the solar panels to the roof of a shed out in a country garden which does not have electrical power. The system would generally be used to charge battery-operated tools but other AC tools could probably be used via an inverter.
The downside of this unit is that if you try to use the rack that they give you for mounting, it will have to sit on the ground in a place that would be temporary. The wind could easily knock over the panels. There are no instructions in the package to mount the panels permanently and calling the support number got me nowhere. After considerable thought and experimentation, I have come up with a solution that works. The purpose of this instructable is show how I did it.
The goal was to mount the solar panels to the roof of a shed out in a country garden which does not have electrical power. The system would generally be used to charge battery-operated tools but other AC tools could probably be used via an inverter.
Jan 17, 2017 Is it possible to install solar on a sloped roof without drilling holes? By Kelly Pickerel January 17. Drilling holes into the roof,” Vaidyanathan said. “The holes were taking way too much time. Click to see the manufacturing locations of the industry’s most popular solar panel brands.