Consumer Reviews of Wagan solar panels

The opinions expressed in these reviews are the opinions of consumers that submitted reviews to Roof.info. They do not necessarily represent the opinions of Roof.info.

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Date created: 2011-01-06 Location: wilmington, DE

Satisfaction Rating:

Review:
"Wagan 20 Watt solar panel review"
I bought a Wagan 20 watt solar panel during summer of 2010, during a period of time where I was very interested in alternative energy. I was looking for a way to possibly recharge my phone and GPS outdoors, and possibly even have an energy source to power my laptop outdoors. The advantage of the Wagan 20 watt solar panel is that it comes with a DC adapter. Essentially, any device that charges via a direct current plug, should theoretically be chargeable with the panel. I have plugged in my cell phone, GPS, and my laptop (with a DC adapter) into the panel. It was also portable; it was about the size of a large piece of paper when folded, and the thickness of a large notebook. What I dislike is that it simply was not powerful enough to be useful for a product costing between 150 and 200 dollars. I took it outside and plugged in my cell phone and GPS. Unless it was under direct sunlight, it was not very useful; my cell phone would give me a 'no charger' error and barely attempt to charge under partial sunlight. My GPS, when I plugged it in for an hour, would only get enough juice to last for a few minutes before shutting off. I tried using my PC, plugged into the solar panel; however, it barely slowed the battery from draining at all. Furthermore it was difficult to use it as a laptop charger, because keeping my laptop outside by itself would cause it to get very hot. I wonder if this solar panel has other uses such as charging an oversized battery, if you have the patience to let it sit for hours or even days; however, my experience to date with the solar panel is that it's just not worth the money.