I've got a detached garage that doesn't have any power supply, and I'm trying to figure out a way to power my Garolla roller shutter garage door using solar energy. I bought an Anker Solix C1000 power station along with a folding 100W solar panel, which supposedly charges quickly. However, despite my panel being set up outside, the power level is decreasing instead of increasing. I only use the garage door once or twice a week, and aside from that, the power station is just on standby. I'm looking for advice on how to make this setup work more effectively, as I seem to be experiencing issues despite my best efforts.
2 Answers
It sounds like the idle draw of your Solix C1000 may actually be more than what your 100W panel can generate, especially since it's keeping the AC output on all the time. You might want to consider upgrading to a larger solar panel setup. The Solix can handle up to 600W of solar input, so searching for a second-hand 375-400W panel could really help boost your power. These can usually be found for less than $200 in local listings.
Could you share the specs of your solar panel? If it really is just a single 100W panel, that might be the bottleneck here. Additionally, if there's any shading on the panel, even partial, that can significantly reduce your power generation. Make sure that your panel is properly positioned to get maximum sunlight for as many hours as possible.
Yeah, it's just one 100W panel. I’ve placed it at waist height and it should get about 8 hours of direct sun, so I’m not sure why it’s not working better!
This makes total sense! If the C1000 has a standby draw of around 5W, that's definitely more than what your current setup can keep up with.