Solar Panels on eBay

Find out about the solar panels on sale on eBay

For most people, the cheapest place to buy solar panels is eBay (1). Therefore this article describes some of the different types of PV solar panels (2) available at this time (April 2009) in the United Kingdom. Prices per Watt of power are provided for comparison.

For larger panels (50+ Watts) prices below £4 per Watt are available. For anything smaller than that, panels tend to be relatively more expensive. Expect to pay least for amorphous panels, more for polycrystalline, and the most for the rarer monocrystalline solar panels.

Note that at the time of writing, the weakness of the Pound against both the Euro and Dollar has increased prices of solar panels here in the UK.

Solar Panels Available from eBay UK

Small Solar Panels (<20W)

12V trickle charger for car / caravan battery (pictured above). 1.5 Watts of output. Includes cables, crocodile clips, and car cigarette lighter adapter. Ł10-15 plus Ł4 postage. (cost per Watt of £7+).
Click here to search eBay UK now for car solar charger (3).

12V 10 Watt polycrystalline solar panel. Priced from £40 to £75 for aluminium framed units plus around £5-10 for delivery.
Click here to search eBay UK now for 10 Watt solar panel (4).

Other popular sizes of small solar panels are 5W and 15W, with 5 Watt panels (5) priced at £20 to £40, and 15 Watt panels (6) at around £100.

Medium and Large Solar Panels and Kits

With solar panels of 20 Watts and above peak power output, a solar charge controller (7) is almost always required in order to protect the battery bank (8) from overcharging. (Visit our article 12V Deep Cycle Batteries for Solar (9) for more information on sourcing suitable batteries for solar systems.)

For solar panels with power ratings from 20W - 150W we only ever recommend eBay seller koekraf (10). Based in Germany, but offering cheap fast worldwide delivery, Koekraf sell a well priced range of PV solar panels, solar charge controllers, batteries (11), and power inverters (12). They have been established for a good few years and have continued trading while others have come and gone.

Koekraf prices on 11th April 2009 were as follows:
150W monocrystalline solar panel £693 - £4.62/Watt.
120W monocrystalline solar panel £548 - £4.56/Watt.
100W monocrystalline solar panel £468 - £4.68/Watt.
81W amorphous solar panel £396 - £4.88/Watt.
75W monocrystalline solar panel £351 - £4.68/Watt.
50W monocrystalline solar panel £247 - £4.94/Watt.
30W monocrystalling solar panel £153 - £5.10/Watt.

If purchasing medium or large solar panels from other sellers it is usually best to search by the name of the solar panel manufacturer. By purchasing panels by a known high quality manufacturer you are much less likely to be disappointed. Names to look out for are Kyocera (13) (87W £360 - £4.14/Watt, 2 x 130W £1050 - £4.03/Watt), Sharp (14) (180W £548 - £3.04).

Web Link References

(1) http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?type=1&campid=5335956320&toolid=10001&customid=
(2) http://www.reuk.co.uk/How-Do-PV-Solar-Panels-Work.htm
(3) http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?type=3&campid=5335956276&toolid=10001&customid=&ext=car+solar+charger&satitle=car+solar+charger
(4) http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?type=3&campid=5335956276&toolid=10001&customid=&ext=10+watt+solar+panel&satitle=10+watt+solar+panel
(5) http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?type=3&campid=5335956276&toolid=10001&customid=&ext=5+watt+solar+panel&satitle=5+watt+solar+panel
(6) http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?type=3&campid=5335956276&toolid=10001&customid=&ext=15+watt+solar+panel&satitle=15+watt+solar+panel
(7) http://www.reuk.co.uk/Solar-Charge-Controller.htm
(8) http://www.reuk.co.uk/Interconnecting-Batteries-for-Battery-Bank.htm
(9) http://www.reuk.co.uk/12-Volt-Deep-Cycle-Batteries-for-Solar.htm
(10) http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?type=4&campid=5335956276&toolid=10001&customid=&mpre=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.co.uk%2F_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZkoekraf
(11) http://www.reuk.co.uk/storage.htm
(12) http://www.reuk.co.uk/Power-Inverters.htm
(13) http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?type=3&campid=5335956276&toolid=10001&customid=&ext=kyocera+solar&satitle=kyocera+solar
(14) http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?type=3&campid=5335956276&toolid=10001&customid=&ext=sharp+solar+panel&satitle=sharp+solar+panel

Article from REUK.co.uk:
http://www.reuk.co.uk/Solar-Panels-on-eBay.htm
Published: 11th April 2009
Š REUK 2009