My Favorite Offgrid Solar Panel for 2024! 

370-440W Aptos Solar Panels (affiliate link): signaturesolar.com/all-products/solar-panels/?_bc_fsnf=1&brand=52&ref=cPwLcVc0SW-BjN Grape Solar $49 for 100W panel: signaturesolar.com/grape-solar-100w-12v-solar-panel/?ref=cPwLcVc0SW-BjN IntegraRack Solar Panel Ground Mount: solarpowerdistributors.com/?ref=klabszvw ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *Does off-grid solar confuse you?* Check out my DIY friendly website for solar system packages and product recommendations, and so much more! www.mobile-solarpower.com *Join our DIY solar community* #1 largest solar forum on the internet for beginners and professionals alike: www.diysolarforum.com *Check out my Book* Best-selling and beginner-friendly guide to 12V off-grid solar! amzn.to/2Aj4dX4 If DIY is not for you, but you love solar and need an offgrid system, check out Tesla Energy! They will price out a system and get your house offgrid: ts.la/william57509 *My DIY Solar Equipment Recommendations (Constantly updated! Check here first):* 12V/48V Lithium Solar Batteries: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solar-batteries.html Complete Solar System Component Directory: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solarcomponents.html Complete 48V System Blueprint: www.mobile-solarpower.com/48v-complete-system-blueprint.html Plug-N-Play System Recommendations: www.mobile-solarpower.com/full-size-systems.html Complete "Add to Cart" 48V System Kits: www.mobile-solarpower.com/complete-48v-solar-kits.html DIY Friendly Air Conditioner/ Heat Pumps: www.mobile-solarpower.com/solar-friendly-air-conditioners.html *My Favorite Online Stores for DIY Solar Products:* *Signature Solar* Offgrid One-Stop-Shop. Best Value 48V LiFePO4, Victron and Offgrid Specific Heat Pumps: www.signaturesolar.com/?ref=h-cvbzfahsek *Current Connected* SOK, Victron, Mr.Cool Heatpumps and High Quality Components. Fantastic customer support: currentconnected.com/?ref=wp *Litime* My favorite 12V budget battery!: www.litime.com/?ref=XBIA62RFcalHns *Epoch Batteries* My favorite high-quality 12V battery: www.epochbatteries.com/products/12v-460ah-lifepo4-battery-ip67-heated-bluetooth-victron-comms?rfsn=7352625.50494d *Renogy* A classic 12V solar store that has been around for ages! DC to DC Chargers and more! renogy.sjv.io/n1VjXx *Rich Solar* Renogy's biggest competitor! Similar products, but at a better price: richsolar.com/?ref=h-cvbzfahsek *Battery Hookup* Cheap cell deals bit.ly/2mIxSqt 5% off code: diysolar *Contact Information:* I am NOT available for personal solar system consult! If you wish to contact me, this is my direct email: williamprowsediysolar@gmail.com Join the forum at diysolarforum.com/ if you wish to hang out with myself and others and talk about solar *FTC Disclosure Statement and Disclaimers:* Every video includes some form of paid promotion or sponsorship. Some links on this youtube channel may be affiliate links. We may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these. My videos are for educational purposes only. Information is subject to change/update at any time. Electricity is DANGEROUS and can kill. Be smart and use common sense :) DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, An affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com

you had me at "I didnt want to get permits" We are the same. over years running

I have a pallet of the 370W Aptos panels in my garage, which I bought a few weeks ago for $96 each. Incredible deal and Signature Solar shipped them out incredibly fast.

I bought 20X of the 370W aptos panels from Signature solar a few months ago -- got them online and loving them. Your love for them makes me glad I made the right choice. Also enjoying participating on your DIY solar forum as well :) They came in super clutch during the 30 hour grid blackout we had last week from severe storms (that + EG4 indoor batteries)

Did you see the study out of Switzerland where they took bifacial solar and stacked them perpendicular to the ground with the faces facing east and west? They got higher outputs and better cooling.

Thank you Will for a great overview of these products. I greatly appreciate not only your breath of knowledge and experience but enthusiasm for your subject.

There are videos showing vertical mounting of bifacial solar panels in an East West configuration improves the total ouput wattage over the standard way to mount solar panels..

I’m so glad you made this video. I just put 32 of those on my shop with an EG4 18 KPV absolutely love them averaging 12,800 W to 14,000 W.

With the bifacial if you do near ground mount, put down white rock on the ground. You will get more light reflection. Cheers!

Good timing, I just picked up three pallets (93 panels) from Signature Solar yesterday. I was very happy with everyone I delt with, and even bought a couple T shirts lol

The 370w size was a perfect fit for my bus conversion, and I ordered a full pallet 31 panels. I have a custom designed rack that holds 2 wide the entire length of the bus and has 2 more rows the retract from each side for a 10 panel main plus 10 pop outs trick was keeping two rows plus brackets under 8ft wide 12 panels was an options but a saved a bit of roof space for a small 12x8ft deck and starlink dish. the bus roof is 48ft long. All my running gear is under the bus A/C heating, batteries etc so the roof is clean 42kwhr of battery and a 18kw eg4 powers it all the front engine bus i basically made the rear section into a shop with 2 cnc machines from the rear axles back the rest is on par with a 32-34ft Class A RV. With 1.5 baths rack and pinion slide with a kids bunk. A open concept kitchen / living area. Custom fiberglass dash board. The master bed room has a full rear waterproof bathroom with a full size shower and dual sinks. I have a GE ultra fast combo washer/dryer setup on board. 95gals of fresh water 50gal gray and 50 gal black tanks with a pump-out grinder setup so i can dump my dumps anywhere. ro water system and i can recover the and filter the water from all 3 A/C systems.

Yesterday I took delivery of a pallet of Hyperion bifacial 395W/495W panels from Signature Solar for $106 each which comes to 27 cents a watt. Seems like it might be essentially a clone panels you show in your video. They have gone up in price since I bought them last week and are now $110 each. With the new US trade tariffs put in place, the prices of these panels is expected to go up about 20% when present inventory in warehouses are exhausted. On a side note, we were paying $18.95 per watt (inflation adjusted to 2024) when I installed my Arco 40W panels in 1989. I am still using them but it shows how low solar has become. Anyone who is waiting on price should get them immediately to avoid the price increases. It's never going to be lower until the tariffs are removed. A solar panel right now is cheaper than window glass if you need some perspective on this.

Will Prowse LEGEND , thanks for your effort's !

Very nice! If they offer some free shipping again, I'm going to jump on a dozen of these babies. I've got 12 Canadian 445W Bi-facials now that do an amazing job for me, but during our northern tier winters, I can use all the solar I can suck up. A dozen of these should give me enough to keep me from having to use the generator and chargeverter nearly as much. And you were right. With just 5 EG4 LifePower 4 batteries, I can run my inverter powered A/C, our electric clothes dryer and the rest of the house and still have the batteries fully charged before noon on a partly cloudy day. After I fill up the rack with one more, I'll be set.

This is so cool. I remember the solar systems people were putting on their houses around 1970. What a joke. I'm dying to get to a new property so I can go solar.

I put my 19.2kW (48 panels) solar array up back in August on an empty lot that I own adjacent to my house and I used these exact panels. I live on the Gulf Coast here in South Texas and there panels are rated to withstand very extreme weather conditions, (hurricane winds, very hot temps etcl). I absolutely love these panels. They are much cheaper when you buy a pallet (31) panels. I was lucky to get the same pricing from Signature Solar for the other panels to get the 48 total.

Any chance of a Vertical test with the Aptos panel to measure output. PV fence ect.

Will thank you so much for everything you do! been on the fence about what panels to get, have the EG4 18k invertor, a rack of 6 batteries, might order a second set too, and well now i have a pallete of the aptos 370 on the way, hopefully putting on my roof won't be too much of an issue, will start looking into that next, thank you again for everything you do, i bought your book too :):)

Nice, my Aptos panels on the house are Will Prowse approved lol! 49 440W panels roof mounted in sunny south Fla

Totally enjoy your educative knowledge and wisdom on Solar ! You've definitely helped me a lot. You are a great teacher and success. Thanks 👍👍👍

I’m planing a system for a small off grid building. So your information is really helpful. Thanks!👍

thank you. Good to see quality panels are lowering in price and size.

Thanks for the REVIEW COOP ... ...

I bought the 100w grape solar panel a few months ago to pair with my EcoFlow River Max. These first generation solar generators capped out at 25v of solar input, so two of them in parallel was perfect for me. Going to eventually make a DIY solar briefcase out of them.

Yay! My solar sherpa drops new knowledge. I can't believe how much progress there has been since 2020 when I did my first off-grid system. I thought I was hot stuff with my 4 100w Renogy panels, a 12v 200Ah battery, and Renogy solar charge controller and 3000w inverter. Everything I bought is working like a champ four years later. I'm very excited for my next build. I bet I spend a similar amount of money this time but I'll have a lot more solar input and battery storage. It's a great time to be a solar enthusiast.

I just bought some of these from Signature Solar when they were offering free shipping a few weeks ago. I am a little shocked I got the right ones! I also bought a drywall cart to make it easier moving all these things around.

Grape Solar panels are great! I owned 4 100w Grape Solar Panels for 8 years. They work great!

I don’t even do any off the grid living or solar panel stuff but I found one of your videos before I reviewed a battery and your videos are just so pleasing to watch and well made. Is that weird? 😂

Just ordered 10 through your link. Thanks Will! I appreciate you

Thank you for posting this info. I look forward to installing one on my property to be.

Whoa! Thats a lot of solar bro! Insane! 😂 Good seeing you doing well 👍🏾

Finally got my 10 hyperion 400 watt bifacial panels setup. and love them. These new panels coming out are very impressive.

Thank you, this is the video I have been waiting on from you, probably out of stock now, lol.

I'm always stoked when you release new vids. You make content that I can show my friends who associate solar in a negative way due to politics.

Thanks for the Intel on that panel. I will definitely be looking into them

I got a bunch of these panels cheap and used them to replace a bunch of older 200-watt panels. Wow, what a difference. I see huge bifacial gains with panels mounted on a white flat roof.

Will, Great Info. Thank you very much!

you killing it bro

Incorporating them into a fence would look nice and if oriented the right direction could produce some serious power

Awesome!! Thanks for the info brother.

I use the brightmount attached to a 2" pipe on a top post mount on 6" pipe 5' out of the ground for fully adjustable arrays of 450w bifacials. Havent found anything more efficient for off grid non flat ground

Awesome I just got 10 of the 370W versions. Have 3S3P to a Victron 150/70 ❤

hey Will, been a long time subscriber and appreciate all the knowledge transfer over the years. one thing id like to see mentioned, for safety reasons, is grounding the solar array. not suggesting you go into detail, but maybe mention that people should do research how to properly ground the array especially in areas with frequent weather to protect persons and minimize/isolate equipment damage. ive been window shopping solar equipment for years and grounding is information ive only recently discovered. it seems often overlooked

I just bought 9 370w. Aptos to put on my RV. Building a rack that has a centered panel then just above it there are 2 opposing sliding panels. I have 3 sets of these where the 6 sliding are on one MPPT then the 3 underside ones on another MPPT. the 6 sliding are exposed and generating all the time. Then when needed or sitting stationary I can slide them out and expose the other 3 for additional generation. This way I'm basically having a ground mound set that is stored and mounted out of the way and ready all the time. The movable panels only side 24" so they extend beyond the roof less than my slide outs. this helps prevent wind lift pressure and shading on the slide out roofs to help prevent heat absorption on the thin roofs at the same time. Next I plan to adapt actuators for sliding and tilt capability. I have found a cavity that I hope to use EG4 280ah. indoor batteries in a rack form rather than put actual rack batteries and leaving a dead cavity behind them. Two of these should do the trick. Also with using Victron multiplus II inverters I am able to plug into shore power running my system self contained and only using grid power as a boost when needed. this capability will help when at parks that meter charge for electricity.

I'm curious of how these panels handle partial shade. I have lots of tall trees...but enough of a clearing to grow vegetables well. I have been leaning towards the bougie rv cigs panels. I have heard that they do ok in filtered light, and very durable if a tree should fall on them during a hurricane/tornado/etc. Thanks for all of your expertise and advice! By far the best solar electronics information on RU-vid.

Great info and video! Thanks

Love the video! Gotta check out those Vatrer 51.2v server racks. Been hearing good things!

would love to see the gain and overall aesthetic effect when putting these over a backyard pool.

Definitely going to look at these. I have a few shattered panels that I want to replace. Two of them burned traces and shatteted the glass, and the 3rd one got FedEx'd on the way to me.

We run 18 Jinko 415 watt panels over three roof areas. Very happy with performance. Our interest is now shifting towards exploitation of that power via more batteries

Perfect for vertical mounting

Looking forward to a build with these

I purchased the 440w at $210 but shipping was free at least. I only needed 1 panel to finish my array but needed to order 10 since that was the minimum order unfortunately. I have 21 of the Aptos 440w Monofacial for my grid tie array and 5 Bifacial for my off grid array. They don't match perfectly but close enough at roof level. The solar industry discontinues items too quickly so finding matching panels is difficult down the road; It wasn't even a year between my grid tie and off grid install and I couldn't get the same panels.

I have about 30 of the Aptos panels and they work great

Have really missed your videos

My shipment of 12 of the 370w Aptos arrives Friday. SS got them here in just 7 days. Thanks Will, was looking for the perfect panel and your video came out that night! It’s only a shame I had to order batteries and my 6000ep from another vender cause SS was sold out… want I get for waiting for over a month to pull the trigger…

It would be fantastic if you could take this set of panels and take us through a step by step of creating an off-grid system with say the Eco-Flow Delta Pro Ultra - maybe even with their Smart Home 2 panel. In my head that would be the most straight forward DIY-ish project. Would love to see it. Thanks for all of your insights!

Thank you!!

Excellent video sir six stars

I saw a study recently that recommended mounting bifacial panels vertically like a fence. Significant gains were apparently made. Saves on ground space too.

Thank you for the content

@WillProwse I got the Hyperion version of those Aptos 400. I'm pretty sure it's the same exact hardware, just rebranded. Seems to have the same specs. I'm VERY impressed that my 400s have generated up to 460, even though they're mounted flat against a black roof. I paid $120 each.

Right on.😊

These look amazing, so now I'm wondering if there's any way to predict how they will do in Cloudy conditions. I know some types of panels do better do better in cloudy or indirect sunshine

I bought a couple of those Dokio rebranded 150w panels a while back. They've been feeding my shed for nearly 2 years now. They're about £70 each right now.

Very cool Will, 4 would fit perfect atop my extended cargo van, looks like 10 min. purchase though.

Great info. Thanks...

I bought bifacials with glass on both sides of the panel twp years ago... same size, same warranty, same output and pretty much the same weight (24,5kg). Znshinesolar ZXM7

Thank you

Drawback (lower voltage and higher current) is presented as advantage!!!

I'll buy them to. soooo much trust on you. thanks a lot

WOW...GRACIAS...

Maybe try fitting some on an east/west orientation vertically such as a fence line Compare their overall output over the winter months compared to some traditionally mounted 🤔

Great video. Real-time testing would've been awesome for this video.

Thanks

Im trying to build a pergola and will put solar panels on top of it, so the ground under it can be used again, if maintenance needs to be done it can be easily done from under since all wires are exposed, ground effects will be better for bifacial, gives shade for furniture and people under it, as well as some cover from rain/snow. Tojagrid pergolas seem to be the easiest to put together but bit pricey. Trying to figure out what panels to buy this video is extremely helpful!

That's a great deal. Half the price per watt compared to what I've been getting off Amazon. They are located in north TX as well🤟

I recently had longi 440w panels put on an investment property in a new system. I might take them down and put used panels on and keep these for myself.

You must be from Santa Cruz because you pronounced Aptos correctly.

Thanks for the quick video, Will! I've enjoyed your videos for a long time and learned a lot along the way - and your testing has pushed me to do a lot of testing and experimenting myself - so thanks so much for your efforts! I'm starting to build on a 20-acre property in Idaho, and to get power for the first phase of my project I'll be mounting panels on the side and top of a 40 ft. HC (high cube - 9'6") container. I'm seriously considering some of the mega panels from JA Solar, as their price per watt and output is pretty amazing. Not too many distributors carry them here in the USA, but I am starting to see the 545-watt panels available. In my case, weight isn't a factor, just max height and width. I'm hoping to get 10 panels per side and top, so 42 - 44" width works great. I can handle up to 9' of height! I'd be curious if you have any opinions on the various 500 - 650 watt panels out there. I'm stoked that I can get 10 - 13kW from one container!

vertical like when you take towels and it hang on the line to dry in the sun, than have it hang long wise to give ground clearance back for maybe gardening, just think the line is pointing at the sun

Can you test them mounted vertical like a fence. Would be an interesting thought using them as a fence and for power. If the losses are manageable

I just got 10 of the 370s delivered a few days ago I had no idea if they were going to be any good or not but the price was right so I figured I would try mounting these vertically for winter.

Can you do a video on mounting bifacial solar panels in a vertical mount position. Something like a dyi plus the pros and the cons.

Thanks for the review. I think these in the 440 watt will best fit my RV. The weight factor alone is better then anything I can find. 4.4kw on an RV should keep things powered. 4+ hours to charge fully depleted battery. Only concern is the rigidity. I have some other 435w bifacials and while heavy, 56lbs, do flex more then other panels. Not much issue as I am going to have to build frame for them anyway as they will be on an elevation mount. Only thing even better would be 6"or 1 cell wider.

Thank you for sharing. Do you have a DIY kit recommendation for charging a Model Y using these panels ?

What would a basic system look like to run a chest freezer and fridge, maybe a few other small things and light?

Nice review.

Just ordered a pallet of the 370w panels. Thanks Will.

Greeting your man I really enjoy all your videos and knowledge on Solar keep up the GREAT WORK I have one question Have you ever done a video of like protective coatings or polish to keep the panels clean or will that affect the performance and durability thanks Robert

I hope you see this comment and respond. Maybe others have already asked, but I just saw the video and can't wait. What about vertical mounting? I've read that biracial panels can benefit from a vertical mounting. How might these panels compare to your tests of the ground and elevated mounting methods when mounted vertically! I don't want to mount on my roof and don't have enough space for typical ground mount methods, but I could mount them vertically on top of a retaining wall.

Do you know of very good transparent solar panels that can be used to replace glass on a greenhouse?

They have pretty good wind/snow load, but reading the only Aptos install manual I could find it sounded like each panel needs 8 mounting points, which might explain how they can be both strong and light

I will thanks for the video. Can you check the bifacial gain of a panel with enough gap for mounting rack on a piece of corrugated sheet metal? Simulating bifacial gain on top of a metal roof. Also how much power loss is there when the roof heats up? Thanks again!

After hearing about the solar tariffs i am glad i took a small loan to get some as even if i dont make extra payments the money i saved will pay for the intrest, and thats not even counting regular price increases..

I thought I did pretty good with 370W ZShine panels off eBay for $120 each. They tested out to be excellent through my Victron toping out at 380W. My other (2) 300W panels are some older Grape solar panels. Excellent panels also! Bifacial panels are only worth their cost if you have a white, silver, or other highly reflective background like snow or an unpainted metal roof. Otherwise, there's no benefit for the added cos especially if you plan on mounting them flat on your roof.

I sell solar panels for DIY in London and I'm around LOTS. Right now I have 110W to 405W. My favourite brand is AIKO solar.

Thanks for the review. Aptos is one of the panels on my "list". At 2:36 you display panels, and I notice there's some kind of appearance change happening at the bottom of the panels. What is that?

I just got 12 550w bifocal for 162 from A1 solar. I think they were a pretty good deal for my vertical panel mount

Holy solar panel array!!