Renogy 100W 12V Monocrystalline Solar Panel

Short Product Summary

The Renogy 100W 12V Monocrystalline Solar Panel is the workhorse of caravan and camper solar. It is a rigid, framed, glass-fronted 100W panel with 22% efficient monocrystalline cells, sized at 41.8 x 20.9 inches so it fits neatly on a caravan roof and stacks well when you want 200W or 300W of array. If you are building your first proper 12V system, this is the panel most South African installs are built around.

Why This Product

Roof space, not budget, is what usually limits a caravan solar system. A standard caravan roof already carries a hatch or two, a TV aerial, an aircon unit and an awning rail, and what is left has to be shared between panels. The 100W panel is popular precisely because it is the largest size that still fits most of those leftover spaces, and because two or three of them can be laid out around obstacles far more easily than one big 200W module.

100W is also the practical unit of caravan power planning. In good South African sun a single 100W panel will realistically return somewhere around 400-500 Wh a day, which is roughly what a modest 12V compressor fridge draws in 24 hours. Two panels covers the fridge plus lights, water pump and phone charging. Three starts to support a small inverter for a kettle or coffee machine. Being a rigid panel with a proper aluminium frame and tempered glass, it is designed to be bolted down and left on the roof permanently rather than packed away like a folding suitcase panel.

Key Features

• 100W rated output with 22% efficient cells – Grade A+ monocrystalline cells deliver useful daily charge from a modest roof footprint.
• Rigid framed construction – built for permanent roof mounting on a caravan, off-road trailer, camper or canopy, not for packing away between trips.
• Corrosion-resistant aluminium frame – handles coastal air on the West Coast and Garden Route as well as inland dust.
• Low-iron tempered glass with anti-reflective coating – 91.5% transparency and real impact resistance for gravel-road travel.
• Bypass diodes fitted – reduce the output loss and hotspot risk when an aerial, aircon shroud or tree branch shades part of the panel.
• IP65 junction box and IP67 solar connectors – sealed wiring entry that survives Cape winter rain and Kalahari dust.
• 2400 Pa wind and 5400 Pa snow load – rated for the mechanical loads of highway towing and rough roads.
• Pre-drilled mounting and grounding holes – bolts straight to Z-brackets, tilt mounts, corner mounts or pole mounts.
• Positive output tolerance – panels are graded to meet or exceed their rated wattage rather than fall short of it.

Ideal For

• Caravan and off-road trailer roofs where 100W modules fit around hatches and aircon better than one large panel.
• Camper and bakkie canopy builds running a 12V compressor fridge, lights and charging.
• Owners building an array in stages, adding a second and third panel as the budget allows.
• Fixed installations at a farm, cabin, hunting camp or borehole shed.
• Boats and ski-boats needing a permanently mounted, weather-sealed charging source.

Local Support from 4Matt Campers

4Matt Campers is a Renogy dealer in Cape Town, serving caravanners and overlanders across the Western Cape and delivering nationwide throughout South Africa. We work on caravan and off-road trailer 12V systems every week, so we can tell you honestly how many of these panels your roof will actually take, what controller suits your battery, and where the cable run should go. Visit the showroom and we will walk you through a real installed system rather than a spec sheet.

Technical Specifications

• Model: Renogy 100W 12V Monocrystalline Solar Panel
• SKU: RNG-100D-SS-G3-SA
• Maximum power (STC): 100 W
• Optimum operating voltage (Vmp): 20.4 V
• Optimum operating current (Imp): 4.91 A
• Open-circuit voltage (Voc): 24.3 V
• Short-circuit current (Isc): 5.21 A
• Cell type: Monocrystalline silicon, 33 cells (3 x 11)
• Cell efficiency: 22%
• Maximum system voltage: 600 V DC
• Maximum series fuse rating: 15 A
• Dimensions: 41.8 x 20.9 x 1.38 in (approx. 1062 x 531 x 35 mm)
• Weight: 6.4 kg (14.1 lb)
• Frame: Corrosion-resistant aluminium alloy
• Junction box: IP65 rated
• Connectors: IP67 rated MC4-compatible solar connectors
• Glass: Low-iron tempered, anti-reflective, 91.5% transparency
• Backsheet: TPT
• Wind load: 2400 Pa
• Snow load: 5400 Pa

What's Included

• 1 x Renogy 100W 12V monocrystalline rigid solar panel with pre-fitted MC4-compatible leads

Brackets, cable, fuses, roof glands and a charge controller are ordered separately to suit the installation.

Optional Fitment & Upgrade Notes

• You must fit a charge controller. At 24.3V open circuit this panel cannot be connected directly to a 12V battery. A PWM or MPPT controller is required between the panel and the bank.
• Controller sizing: a single 100W panel on a 12V system draws roughly 6-8 A of charge current, so a 10 A controller is adequate for one panel and a 20-30 A controller gives you room for two or three.
• Series or parallel: two of these in series gives roughly 40.8 V at the maximum power point, which suits an MPPT controller and allows thinner cable over a long run. Two in parallel stays around 20 V and works with either PWM or MPPT but doubles the current in the cable.
• Mounting: Z-brackets are the standard flat-roof fitment. Drill-free corner mounts are worth considering if you would rather not put screws through a caravan roof, and tilt mounts help in midwinter when the sun sits low over the Cape.
• Sealing: use a proper cable gland and seal bracket feet with a polyurethane sealant. Most caravan solar leaks come from the roof penetration, not the panel.
• Expanding later: keep panels in a string identical in wattage and age. Mismatched panels in series drag the whole string down to the weakest one.

Complete Your Setup

Regulate the charge with one of our solar charge controllers, store it in a lithium battery, and power 230V appliances through an inverter or inverter-charger. Cable, MC4 connectors, fuses and glands are in electrical accessories, and the rest of the range is in our Renogy collection.

FAQ

How much power will one 100W panel give me per day in South Africa?
With five good sun hours you can expect roughly 400-500 Wh a day in summer, which is about 35-40 Ah at 12V. Winter in the Western Cape, with shorter days and cloud, can easily halve that, so size the array for your worst month rather than your best.

Is 100W enough to run my caravan fridge?
A single panel roughly matches the daily draw of a modest 12V compressor fridge in good weather, with nothing left over. Most owners running a fridge plus lights and charging end up at 200W of panel with a decent battery bank behind it.

Should I wire two panels in series or parallel?
Series if you have an MPPT controller and a long cable run, because the higher voltage means less current and thinner cable. Parallel if you have a PWM controller, or if shading affects one panel more than the other, since a shaded panel in series pulls down the whole string.

Can I mount it flat on the caravan roof?
Yes, and most people do. Flat mounting costs you a little output compared with tilting toward the sun, but it is safe to tow, needs no adjustment and cannot lift in wind. Tilt mounts are worth it mainly for stationary winter use.

Rigid panel or a folding suitcase panel?
A rigid panel is bolted down and charges the moment the sun comes up, with nothing to set out or pack away. A folding panel can be moved into the sun while you park in the shade. Many caravanners end up with both: rigid on the roof for the baseline, folding for the days they need extra.