Description

The Schumacher 54W Solar Power Kit, model SP-5400. This kit is a fantastic solution for Canadians wanting to provide electricity to a remote building on a farm or property, without spending a fortune. All you need to add is a deep-cycle battery or two (flooded, AGM, or Gel), and you’ve got all your power needs covered. USB, 12V, & lighting. Also great for RVs, cabins, and remote camps.

What’s the attraction?

For our Canadian latitudes, thin film solar panels work great. Better than crystalline when the sun heads south for the winter. Why? Thin film Amorphous Silicon solar cells (Powerfilm AS & P3 CIGS cells too) are more sensitive to sunlight, so they start charging your batteries earlier in the day & stay charging later in the evening that crystalline. Crystalline may be more efficient, but that only means a smaller panel for the same power in direct sunlight. An 18W thinfilm solar panel will produce more watt-hours than an 18W crystalline over the course of any day of the year… they just take more room on the roof.

So, if you want more reliable charging in all clear & cloud-cover conditions, go with thin film for your smaller projects.

SP-5400 Features…

• Three 18W amorphous silicon solar panels
• 9V/6V/3V output ports on the charge controller unit
• USB port on the charge controller unit
• 12V DC port (CLA car socket style) on the charge controller unit
• Durable aluminum frame & tempered glass face
• Weatherproof – built for the outdoors
• Environmentally friendly

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The SP-5400 Kit Includes…

• (3) Schumacher SP-5400 18W solar panels
• (1) 3-to-1 solar panel connector for combining the panels into a single output
• (1) Charge control regulator box with LED display & multiple power output ports
• (2) 12V CLA socket light kits
• (1) Multi-head barrel connector
• (1) Alligator clamp battery connection
• (1) Set of light hooks
• (3) Sets of mounting brackets and screws for the solar modules
• (1) Owner’s manual (read it here)

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Recommended to Complete Your Solar Power System…

At 54 Watts, you have the ability to charge a wide cross-section of equipment. Store the power you generate in a deep cycle battery bank. A single group 24, 27, or 31 battery will do just fine, and will charge in under a day for most of the year.
Your best option is to head to your local auto parts or marine dealership so you don’t have to pay for shipping!

For larger storage, consider wiring together a pair of GC225 Golf Cart batteries in series (for 12V), or two of the S-480 or S-550 batteries. Just remember that larger batteries mean they can drive larger inverters reliably, but your incoming power production is still determined by the solar modules… so budget your power according to the solar production, not the storage.
For example, you can either budget 100 Watt-Hours of power usage per day, knowing the panels will be able to keep-up. Or if your system is at a weekend cabin, you can use a bigger battery bank and draw more power, knowing that you have all week to replenish the battery.

The charge regulator included with this kit provides a handy array of DC connections: USB, 12V, and others. To get 120V AC from this kit in order to power household appliances, we recommend Samlex AC Inverters. You can also use Magnum or Outback if desired, but remember to wire your system to be able to disconnect the inverter when not needed (stand-by will consume power!)
Optional Connection Accessories…
SAE 8 ft Extension (16 AWG)
SAE 20 ft Extension (14 AWG)
Ring Terminals (18 AWG)
Ring Terminals (16 AWG)
12V CLA Plug
12V CLA Socket