Wasted $300 on cheap solar panels for my shed

Bought a kit off Amazon. Said 100 watts. Put it up on my shed roof. Three months later it's producing like 20 watts max. Panels are cracked in places I didn't see. Learned the hard way you gotta pay for quality. Anyone else get burned by those budget solar kits?

3 comments

3 Comments

rubyreed1mo ago

Wound up with a 20 watt paperweight and a shed that's not even worth shading.

fiona3321mo ago

Feels like everything these days is built to break or just barely work...

abbyk101mo ago

Tbh I used to be one of those people who thought all solar panels were basically the same and you were just paying for the name. I remember scrolling through Amazon and thinking "why spend $600 when this $300 one says the same wattage?" Then I actually installed one on my RV and within six months the output tanked same as yours. The plastic housing started yellowing and the cells were showing stress cracks I hadn't noticed before. That cheap kit cost me more in the long run replacing it with a proper Renogy setup that actually works. Now I tell everyone to just save up and get a name brand instead of wasting money twice like I did.