Choosing and Installing our Solar Panel! [Solbian 130W Flexible Panel]

After making a list of what we needed in a solar panel and carefully weighing our options, we decided to go with a SP 130 flexible solar panel from Solbian, along with a 75/15 MPPT controller from Victron. (We do NOT get any affiliate money from these links, just FYI!)
Solar panel: https://www.solbian.eu/en/5-sp-series
MPPT: https://www.solbian.eu/en/victron-energy/17-bluesolar-mppt-7515-1224v.html

The excellent “marine how to” website has long been our source for really thorough advice, especially on electrical matters. Rod Collins runs the site, and he’s an “ABYC Certified Marine Electrical Systems Specialist.” Beyond the fancy title, he seems to have a real love to getting to the bottom of electrical questions, measuring every last detail, and making the safest, most reliable, and long-lasting choice. His site is what first got us curious about solbian panels, through this very thorough and nicely explained article, in which he also shows how to mount a flexible panel to a bimini using velcro: https://marinehowto.com/installing-a-solbian-semi-flexible-solar-panel/

A great review that explains how micro cracks in solar panels occur, what the dangers are, and how they can be prevented. A big point the article brings up is that micro cracking often occurs in the factory itself, or in transportation. https://review.solar/solar-panel-micro-cracks/

Solbian panels vs. competing panels: safety and performance under stress. This review is from the solbian website, so bias has to be taken into account. Also, the review was translated into English from Italian, so please account for some minor grammatical errors. However, to us, the ability of solbian panels to avoid hotspots and remain functional even under the extreme stress applied in this test proves that they are a more reliable AND far safer option than cheaper competitors. https://www.solbian.eu/en/blog/testing-competitors-surprises-n195

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