When adventuring or camping for more than a few days, keeping devices powered becomes a challenge. We recently received a Bodega Cooler 200W Portable Solar Panel and have started testing it in preparation for excursions this season. Our hope is it’s a viable solution for keeping our portable Power Station charged.
About Bodega Cooler
Bodega Cooler offers a line of refrigeration products, focusing on car fridges for the outdoor community. They also have a line of wine coolers. They’re priced to be very affordable in comparison to other available options.
Bodega Cooler offers a range of portable 12 volt car refrigerator at a variety of price points. This 42 quart (40L) Car Fridge features WIFI app control and sells for $229.99 on Amazon. There are a number of models varying in capacity, features, and volume. This 80 quart iteration is on sale for $399 – that’s less than a rotomolded cooler! In addition to the portable units, there are also RV mini fridges as well. Click here to view the full lineup at the Bodega Cooler Amazon store.
I wasn’t familiar with the Bodega brand, but when they reached out to see if we wanted to test one of their RV coolers for a review, I was intrigued by their product selection of powered coolers. However, we already have an Alpicool 12-volt fridge, and have a limited amount of storage space. However, I discovered their solar panel offerings, and as I’ve been looking into solar recharging options, I liked the convenience of portable solar panels, as they could also be utilized in the case of power outages in the home.
For power, I’m running a Bluetti Portable Power station to suppliment an AGM house battery in my van. I’ve been looking into adding a solar kit to pair with it, but the cost was almost as much as the Power Station itself. As I’m completely new to solar power, I had a lot to read up on, but hopefully, the Bodega Cooler model would be compatible with the Bluetti unit. (it was and is but.. read on)
Features
- 3-year warranty
- List price: $299 (similar options from other brands typically run $400 or more)
- Available in a 120w and 200w (tested) options
- Listed weight: 7.82 kg
- Includes power cables
Technical Details
- Model #GSM200
- Single crystal solar cell
- ETFE Solar cell lamination
- Up to 21% cell efficiency
- Voltage at Max Power (Vmp) 19.8V
- Current at Max Power (Imp)
- Short Circuit Current 12.12A
Unpacking the Bodega Cooler Solar Panel
The Bodega Cooler Solar Panel design looks much like the PV200 Solar Panel offered by Bluetti. The folded-up form factor, the handles, and the way it includes kickstands look the same. I don’t have one to directly compare it to, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they utilized some (or all) of the same components or were made in the same factory, similar to how many products in the cycling industry are produced.
The Bodega Cooler model does add integrated cable storage, though, which is a nice, if not essential feature, as these cables need to live somewhere, and finding storage space in a van is already challenging. When you consider the Bluetti model sells for $499 (it was on sale for $449 at the time of this posting), the Bodega Cooler Solar Panel at $299 is a substantially better value.
The Bodega Cooler Solar Panel is a suitcase design that folds up to be compact for convenient storage. It doesn’t take long to set up – most of my setup time involved crawling to where my power station is strapped down in the back of the van to plug it in.
Charging with the Bodega Cooler Solar Panel
Attaching the Solar Panel to the Bluetti AC200P Power Station is easy, as both components include connector cables. The branch connector cables included with the solar panel paired perfectly with the cables included with the power station. and after determining which connected to which, they were simple to connect.
The cables are a decent length, but out of the box, they weren’t long enough to place the solar panels on the roof of my van while the power station was strapped in the back. I’m looking into acquiring some extensions and a better solution for running the cables, as I’d have to run them through a window as-is.
Challenges
Alas, on my first day using the panels to charge my power station, although I could see the panels were capturing solar power, it wasn’t pushing in power. I had input voltage, but I didn’t see input power registering on the display. It turns out, it wasn’t charging.
In pairing the two items, there was an additional step to take before connecting the solar panel to the power station. In the settings menu, the power station needs to be set to the PV/DC input source.
After doing some online research, I discovered the root of the problem. As I suspected, the powerstation wasn’t charging as the AC200P requires 35 volts at the minimum to start charging. At 24 or so volts, I wasn’t receiving enough wattage to recharge the AC200P power station.
This resulted in some frustration with the Bluetti unit – from what I’m discovering, they’ve changed their newer models so that a single panel can be usable. To power my existing setup will require a second solar panel. It turns out Bluetti recommends a minimum of three panels, which becomes a sizeable investment. However, adding a second panel should be enough to meet the minimal charging threshold.
Durable enough for the long haul?
Unfortunately, until I add a second panel, I won’t have enough power to charge my Power Station. I’ll have to follow up and address that as well as durability in a longer-term review. I did have a few thoughts and concerns I wanted to address in the meantime though.
One – Could I permanently mount the panel on the roof of my van and get an array cable entry gland to avoid having to set it out each time I want to use it? Or am I better off getting “permanent”, non-folding panels to place and secure up there? I checked with the marketing rep at Bodega Cooler to inquire on the level of water resistance. The panel has an IP67 waterproof rating that can handle the rain for a short time, maybe half an hour. These panels are best utilized on sunny days, so that answers that.
In comparison to the Bluetti solar panels, the Bodega Cooler Solar panel is a substantially better value. It’s too soon to say how this unit will hold up in the long haul, though according to their website, their products include a two-year warranty. Many similar models (including the Bluetti) are only offered with one year, which is reassuring and that’s twice what Bluetti offers on theirs.
The Bodega Cooler Solar Panel 200w sells for $299. Learn more at bodegacooler.com or check out their Amazon store.