Coleman 50-Watt Solar Kit?

[[email protected]]

I'm a home renter, so I can't go ripping up roofs at the moment, but I wanted
a relatively cheap "first intro" to solar. This also looks like a nice little
jobbie to take camping. Has anyone had any experience or crunched the numbers
on the Coleman 50-Watt Solar Backup Kit (link included below). Is $500 a
reasonable price, or like so many kits I hear you guys talking about, is it a
rip off? I guess more to the point, how much would you list this system at as
a reasonable retail for someone who has a basic background in wiring and
very simple circuitry?

(http://www.costco.com/frameset.asp?trg=product.asp&catid=114&subid=858&hierid=1638&prdid=10034796)

Email address is wiandrew [AT] cs [d0t] indiana [d0t] edu, or just followup in
newsgroup.

Thanks!

 

[Joe Fischer]

[email protected] wrote:
: I'm a home renter, so I can't go ripping up roofs at the moment, but I wanted
: a relatively cheap "first intro" to solar. This also looks like a nice little
: jobbie to take camping. Has anyone had any experience or crunched the numbers
: on the Coleman 50-Watt Solar Backup Kit (link included below). Is $500 a
: reasonable price, or like so many kits I hear you guys talking about, is it a
: rip off? I guess more to the point, how much would you list this system at as
: a reasonable retail for someone who has a basic background in wiring and
: very simple circuitry?
:
: (http://www.costco.com/frameset.asp?trg=product.asp&catid=114&subid=858&hierid=1638&prdid=10034796)

The only other self contained system I know of is

www.powerpod.com

but the coleman would be lighter to haul around.

Maybe somebody else knows of self contained systems.

Joe Fischer

 

[Danno]

I'm a home renter, so I can't go ripping up roofs at the moment, but I wanted
a relatively cheap "first intro" to solar. This also looks like a nice little
jobbie to take camping. Has anyone had any experience or crunched the numbers
on the Coleman 50-Watt Solar Backup Kit (link included below). Is $500 a
reasonable price, or like so many kits I hear you guys talking about, is it a
rip off? I guess more to the point, how much would you list this system at as
a reasonable retail for someone who has a basic background in wiring and
very simple circuitry?

(http://www.costco.com/frameset.asp?trg=product.asp&catid=114&subid=858&hierid=1638&prdid=10034796)

Email address is wiandrew [AT] cs [d0t] indiana [d0t] edu, or just followup in
newsgroup.

Thanks!

I'm also renting, using a 75Watt ICP "Plug'n'Play" panel, through their CC20
charge controller. It was pretty easy to put together, no soldering or anything
is working well as my "baby steps" into solar power. I just mounted it on a
west-facing wall, and harvest the evening sun. Easy to add more panels, if I
want/need them. No chance of taking it camping, though, it's as permanent as
a renter can make it.
http://www,icpglobal.com