Does anyone have recommendations for a good primer on solar power basics? (Solar power for Dummies??) I would like a more robust system, but also would like to keep costs in line, and retain the advantages of portability, at least for emergency use...

An excellent forum to consult is solarpaneltalk.com, go to the 12v rv and camping forum.

Lot of knowledgable people, number of engineers, but they can be grumpy when dealing with survivalists or environmentalists. Read the sticky posts on the various forums for a good education.

Myself, I have several small panels, 60 and 100 watt, some 40 or 50 Ah batteries, and charge controllers, plus D.C. Powered aa battery chargers etc. I standardized all my battery stuff on aa and have a supply of eneloop aa batteries.

Also a goal zero unit with some led lights. GZ tends to be expensive, so check out anker small solar panels.

Another source for,info might be modernoutpost.com, which sells stuff but has some educational articles. Also, thewirecutter.com has some ratings on some solar stuff.

Tim

my buddy has a small solar system to recharge his portable CPAP machine. uses it when camping and blackouts.

i'm off-the-grid so solar runs this entire place, thus we don't have "black-outs" :-)

I started with a Goal Zero Nomad 7 plus the Guide 10 charger. That's a nice, very portable system, great for charging AA batteries directly and other small devices through its USB output. I keep four Eneloop AA batteries in it to act as a power reserve when using the USB out.

The Nomad 7/Guide 10 is a small system though, only good for limited small items. So I recently upped the size to a 100 watt panel and a Goal Zero Yeti 400, truck portable but not something you can backpack. Quite a bit more energy storage and the ability to charge bigger items -- the Yeti 400 outputs 12 VDC, 2xUSB, 2x120VAC. But it won't run a refrigerator.

Eventually, I want a system big enough to run a refrigerator while charging a power pack large enough to run the 'fridge after the sun goes down. That's a goal, I'm not there yet.

i used to have a Nomad 7 and Guide 10+ combo, but it won't charge mine phone. the max 1 amp output can't be sustained for long, so rather poor performance for anything that want more than 0.5 amp's from the USB.

Any thoughts on the Harbor Freight solar panel set? Any hands on experience? Was thinking of them with a deep discharge battery (ie boat) or someone said a golf cart battery. Thoughts?

I also heard that the Harbor Freight 'whisper quiet' generators are actually made by Honda. Can anyone confirm this? Would be very interested in knowing?

There are a few positive reviews on the Harbor Freight 100 watt solar chargers on YouTube.

Thanks Wildman. Good to know. I'll check on it.

You are better off with with a Renogy Panel Kit. This is what I purchased (need to purchase MC4 cable separately) then purchased another 100 watt Renogy panel. Both easily charge 2 x Group 27, 12 volt deep cycle batteries (from Costco) from which a 1000 watt pure sine waver inverter feeds 120v electrical.

At home testing has found that during long summer days, this solar system will keep a 15 cubic fridge and a 5 cubic foot freezer running on alternate times with timers. At our property up north which has no power, this system easily powers a 4 cubic fridge and all other electrical needs.

In the event of cloudy or rainy days and at night, also have a 2000 watt invertor generator (mine is a slightly different model) to help top up the batteries. Plenty of good reviews on YT of this generator.

I went with both the Renogy and Champion brands as both are US companies and offer North American support. When I first purchased my generator, it had a slight miss at idle. I called Champion Support and they sent a new carburetor which arrived in 4 days to Canada - which is impressive.

As for the golf cart battery, they certainly have their advantages but you will need 2 of them wired in series to get 12 volts to power an inverter or power 12 volt devices.

Much more info here:

https://www.solar-electric.com/learning-center/batteries-and-charging/deep-cycle-battery-faq.html

https://www.batterystuff.com/kb/articles/battery-articles/

http://www.marxrv.com/12volt/12volt.htm

My generator is a Champion and it's been great. The CERT I volunteer with owns a Honda EU2000i and its legendary reputation is not exaggerated.