Review of Go Power! GP-SF-5 SUNfilm 5 Watt Solar Panel
With the day to day increase in the global greenhouse gas content in the earth’s atmosphere, the modern society is opting for alternate ways to meet their power requirements.
Renewable sources of energy such as solar power, hydrogen cells, tidal and wind energy are the most preferred ones, but the most readily available and cheap way to power your gadgets and home.
With the advancements made in the scientific field, the modern man is provided with gadgets and devices like solar panels and portable solar chargers.
Solar charger works based on the similar working principle of a solar panel but the energy is stored in the rechargeable battery pack for powering portable devices, or it could be directly transferred to batteries of vehicles and machines for trickle charging or jump starting the same.
The Go Power! GP-SF-5 SUNfilm 5 Watt Solar Panelis a product designed for using the sun’s radiant heat for trickle charging of the battery in any vehicle.
The product is capable of delivering a peak output of up to 260 mA to any 12 V batteries. This is an ideal maintenance gadget recommended for your ATV’s, yachts, cars, trucks and even farm vehicles.
This can even be used to keep the battery of a vehicle in operational if the same is sitting idle for a long time. This is essential as batteries tend to self-discharge over time and this result in reduced battery life and longevity.
Features
Now it is important to look at the features that make it different from the other options. Some of the exclusive features that the product comes with are discussed below.
Working principle
The solar charger works similar to that of a solar panel and it uses the sun’s radiant heat to convert the infinite energy into electricity with the help of the photovoltaic film. The energy is not stored in any onboard battery pack.
It is directly transferred to the gadget or to any 12-volt battery that you need to trickle charge. It is also capable of jumpstarting a completely dead battery due to its 260 mA of peak power output.
Silent, clean and green energy
It is obvious, since this is not a mechanical device, doesn’t involve any moving parts and doesn’t need any fuel to operate, it is the best way to power your gadgets, or recharge your car’s battery.
Compatibility
The charger is equipped with a variety of connectivity options that make this a versatile gadget to meet any of your charging and powering needs.
Be it any condition or setup, whether you are at your home, by the window, or on the road, it can function and provide you with satisfactory results seamlessly.
Applications
This product can be used for a variety of applications trickle charging of vehicular batteries, and gadgets. The various connectivity options available in the retail package make this an ideal and portable product.
Any nickel cadmium battery or lead acid battery can be topped up with this product. This is essential for those who have left their vehicles in the garage idling for a very long time.
Technical Specifications
- Power Rating: 5 Watts
- Peak Current output: 260 mA
- Peak Voltage: 25 Volts DC
Pros
- Comes equipped with a LED light indicator that is an indication of when the gadget is operational
- Great output viz. a peak output of 260 mA
- Compatible in all weather conditions and tends to perform well even if the sky is covered in cloud
- It is resistant to a little drizzle, but don’t go ahead and submerge the same in the water
- Completely clean, silent and green energy
- Compatible with all 12 volts rechargeable batteries with an output of 5 watts
- The retail package is equipped with a plethora of connectivity options for the charger to work seamlessly with different gadgets and battery types
- Trolling motors, vehicle batteries, laptops, cell phones etc. the list is endless. Anything with a rechargeable battery, this is the go to solar charging solution for any of them
Cons
- Limited manufacturer’s warranty
- If left in the sun for a long time, the plastic casing may start to show signs of melting
- Best if used to charge gadgets and batteries, not so functional if the same is used to power any device
How does the product serve your needs?
It is an ideal product for the ones who is looking for a temporary solution to self-discharging batteries. This is a common problem faced by many when their vehicles are left in the idle state for an extended period of time.
This may even happen to a vehicle if the same is having some kind of short circuit in its wiring. Attach this product to your vehicle via the 12-volt socket, place or stick the charger panel to your windshield or dashboard and voila!
The retail package contains a whole lot of connectivity choices both for the panel and for the devices that need to be connected to the same. So, summing it up this is a dependable and handy product to serve all your battery charging needs.
How is the product different from its competitors?
If we take the Sunforce 50022 5-Watt Solar Battery Trickle Charger into consideration and compare Go Power! GP-SF-5 SUNfilm 5 Watt Solar Panel, one could readily notice the overall durability and built quality of the latter over the former.
The Go Power! GP-SF-5 SUNfilm 5 Watt Solar Panel charger is equipped with a plethora of connectivity options and is compatible with most of the devices that run on a rechargeable battery source.
The competitors mostly provide their products with a minimum manufacturer’s warranty that hardly lasts for six months, but Sunfilm offers a 5 years warranty on its product range. The product is also available in three options in terms of power output rating.
Verdict
This is a thin and lightweight device that is equipped with a plastic backing and bezel.
The retail package is equipped with a variety of connectivity options and the fanciest yet useful of the lot is the cigarette lighter adapter that makes the task of connecting the device to your car a much easier task if your car doesn’t have a 12 volt DC output plug.
The added benefit one can enjoy is the LED indicator on the device that allows the user to make sure that the charger is functioning properly.