Is the 200W, 600W, or 800W Solar Panel Kit Right For You?

Have you ever wanted to get out on the open road for a days-long excursion? Are you getting ready for a big camping trip in the middle of nowhere? If so, you might be considering a solar panel kit to power the devices you bring with you. There’s nothing better than a premium solar panel kit to generate power off the grid. It’s power that you can take with you anywhere, and all you need is a little bit of daylight to get it.

However, with solar panel kits comes a choice. Do you get the 200W, 600W, or 800W solar panel kit? Is a 200W kit enough to power what you’re bringing with you? Is 800W too much? Before you get on the road, it’s time to figure out which solar panel kit is best for your needs. This article will discuss everything you need to know about the different capacity kits available to you.

Benefits of a Solar Panel Kit

Before getting into what a solar panel kit can do for you, it’s best to consider what a premium solar panel kit is first. A solar panel kit contains a battery pack and one or more solar panels that easily connect to generate and store power quickly. It’s an easy-to-use, plug-and-play system that you can take with you just about anywhere.

The battery pack and solar panels included with a kit can be used together or separately if you like. This makes a kit a good investment even when you’re done traveling, as you can also use the panels and battery pack at home.

Free Energy

So what advantages do solar panel kits offer? The first and most important benefit of a solar panel kit is free energy. You don’t have to find an outlet somewhere at the edge of the public campground to get power. You won’t have to stock up on incredibly expensive disposable batteries, either. Instead, you can rely on the sun.

Small Size

After that, the next biggest benefit is the size of a solar panel kit. You can easily travel with a solar panel kit and set it up when you need to generate power. Better yet, because solar panels and battery banks are modular, you can expand your kit to as large as you need, size and space permitting.

Money Savings

If you’re planning on using the solar panel kit for home, you can rest assured that a solar panel kit has everything you need to get started. With a little bit of knowledge of solar systems, you can install and expand your solar system to generate power at home and save a lot of money on power bills over time.

Who Is a Solar Panel Kit Right For?

A solar panel kit is an excellent choice for anyone who knows how solar systems work. Get this small but powerful equipment if you’re handy with tools and want to save money by getting off-grid. Solar panel kits run with basically no operating cost, making all of the power they generate a free net gain. By getting off-grid or using solar panels instead of disposable batteries, you reduce the size of your carbon footprint and save a lot of money at the same time.

If you’re someone who is environmentally conscious, fiscally responsible, and willing to learn about how solar systems work, solar panel kits are the perfect choice for you. Forward thinkers who expect to move around will boost the value of your home with the installation of a solar panel kit.

How Much Can a 200W Solar Panel Power?

The first step when you're considering solar panel kits is the 200W solar panel. It works just like it sounds, producing 200W of power. While 200W is one of the smaller capacity solar panels available, a 200W solar panel can power quite a lot. For instance, you could run a laptop for a little over 20 hours. Or you could power a coffee maker for an hour and a microwave for 90 or so minutes.

The question then becomes, is this enough power for you? Will you be running multiple appliances at once? Are you hoping to power your entire home? Keep in mind that you would need upwards of 40 200W solar panels to generate the power necessary for the average home. A single 200W solar kit won’t cut it unless you expand dramatically.

How Much Can a 600W Solar Panel Power?

A 600W solar panel kit really opens up the door to easier living. With a 600W solar panel kit, you can power many devices and appliances, even at the same time. With the right setup and the proper number of sunlight hours, you can generate around 3000W of power. That’s a lot! With the right battery bank to store all that power, you can power anything under 3000W. This includes:

• LED lights
• A water heater
• Your microwave
• An energy-efficient fridge
• The toaster

With a 3000W inverter, you could run an air conditioner that’s under 3000W. You could even charge several mobile devices at the same time. If you were feeling particularly wild, you could power all of it at the same time, but most of these things you’ll only need for a few minutes at a time. If you manage your stored power well enough, you can make it last until sunlight is back to recharge your battery banks.

What Is Included in the 600W Solar Panel Kit?

The 600W solar panel kit includes everything you’ll need to perfectly outfit an RV or camper for power on the road. The 600W solar panel kit includes the following:

• 6 mono solar panels (100Ws each)
• Rover Li 60A MPPT Charge Controller
• 20-foot 10 AWG AK
• 8-foot 4 AWG Tray Cable
• 6 Mounting Z Brackets
• 15A In-line Fuse and 60A ANL Fuse
• Renogy Solar Y Branch Connectors MMF+FFM Pair
• BT-1 Bluetooth Module

The monocrystalline panels include high-efficiency cells that make bypass diodes minimize and power drop. This ensures great performance regardless of shade. The Rover charge controller has a peak conversion efficiency of 98% and high tracking efficiency at 99%.

With the EL-tested solar modules, you won’t have to worry about hot-spot heating. Finally, the corrosion-resistant aluminum is the perfect companion for outdoor charging, ensuring your panels will last for decades.

How Many Batteries Do I Need for a 600-Watt Solar System?

Batteries aren’t technically necessary unless you plan on storing the power generated by your new solar system. If you’re storing energy, the number of batteries you’ll need comes down to how you use the power you generate.

For instance, a 600W solar panel by itself will charge a 125ah battery with as little as five sun hours. If you capture a full day of eight sun hours, you can expect to recharge a 180ah or 200ah battery reliably.

Of course, this is considering ideal conditions. Weather and temperature play huge roles in the output of your solar panels. The cloudier it gets, the less power you can generate since the sun is obfuscated. If the weather is cold, your panels will generate much more power.

How Much Can an 800W Solar Panel Power?

An 800W solar panel kit is the secret to a super-powered RV or camper. With an 800W solar panel kit, you’ll generate between 240 to 256 amp-hours per day. That means you can reliably run a TV, charge multiple laptops, and use the coffee maker simultaneously. You could also run a larger-sized energy-efficient fridge. If you need to recharge several phones, tablets, book readers, and more, you can do that, too.

To air out your RV, you could run your composting toilet fan at all hours of the day. You could even run your roof vent day and night to keep moisture levels under control. If it’s cold out, you could reliably power a diesel heater whenever you need it.

For the finishing touch, you can power on all of your LED lights inside your camper. With the right setup, you should be able to power just about whatever you need at the time while storing 48 hours’ worth of power on the side.

An 800W solar panel kit is powerful enough to meet the power needs of around four people. This makes the 800W solar panel kit an absolute luxury, regardless of the season. If you’re traveling solo or with just one other person, you will be living like royalty.

What Is Included in the 800W Solar Panel Kit?

The 800W solar panel kit is a massive step up from the 600W kit, including more panels to generate even more power. The 800W solar panel kit includes the following:

• 8 mono solar panels (100Ws each)
• Rover Li 60A MPPT Charge Controller
• 20-foot 10 AWG AK
• 8-foot 4 AWG Tray Cable
• 8 Mounting Z Brackets
• 20A In-line Fuse and 40A ANL Fuse
• Renogy Solar Solar Branch Connectors MMF+FFM Pair
• BT-1 Bluetooth Module

The monocrystalline panels are high-efficiency, like the 600W kit, with a cell efficiency of 21%. Thanks to the bypass diodes, you won’t have to worry about power drops from shade or low light. With the rover charge controller, your peak conversion efficiency sits at 98%, with high trafficking efficiency at 99%. It doesn’t get much better than that.

The kit includes extra-thick, anti-reflective, high transparency, low iron-tempered glass for superior structural integrity. This glass is reinforced for enhanced stiffness and impact resistance. The aluminum frame resists corrosion and is designed for extended use outdoors. The TPT back sheet is perfect for smoother performance, even over long periods of time. Finally, the IP65-rated junction box offers complete protection against particles in the environment and low-pressure water jets.

How Many Batteries Do I Need for an 800-Watt Solar System?

You need at least two 12V batteries for managing 300 to 360ah with your 800W solar system. Of course, nothing is stopping you from connecting more batteries to your battery bank to store more power at one time. There’s no harm in that!

To maximize comfort while on the go, you’ll want about four batteries. This will allow you to enjoy a steady supply of power throughout the day and night. Having enough battery power also enables you to run your appliances at any time. No more cold nights or lights out early when you’re camping!

If you’re unsure how much power you might need throughout the day, or if you need to know if an 800W solar system is enough to meet your needs, don’t panic. You can use Renogy’s solar panel calculator to quickly and easily calculate your daily energy usage.

If you’re creating a solar system at home, feel free to connect as many batteries as your system can handle. You can create an effective emergency battery backup system with the right setup that will power your home through extended blackouts.

Enjoy Off-Grid Freedom Like Never Before

With a premium solar panel kit of the right size, you can enjoy the comforts of home just about anywhere. Do you have a cabin on a small outcrop somewhere in the countryside? Set yourself up with an 800W solar panel kit and run whatever devices and appliances you might need to live comfortably. No grid necessary! Or equip your RV with RV solar panels and take your devices on the road.

With the right batteries, you can store as much power as you need. Any excess power you generate can be saved for use later when you need it most. If you’re still unsure whether you need a 200W, 400W, or 800W solar system, it’s always better to have more than you need. Go with the 800W solar panel kit and live safe and comfortably.

With an 800W kit, you will most definitely have enough power to get through to the next day and probably have enough power left over to store for later. If you want to know more about how solar panels can help you, check out Renogy’s educational solar panel videos and articles.