Passes 31 of 34 checks in Minneapolis in December, with 2 critical failures.
The kit contains 3 × Renogy RSP100DC 100W 16BB N-Type and 1 × Renogy Adventurer Li 30A (RNG-CTRL-ADV30-LI). It ships without a battery, so the year below adds 2 × Battle Born Batteries BB10012 100Ah 12V LiFePO4 from the catalog; checks about that battery are listed separately and do not count against the kit.
What fails, and where
Phoenix (warm, December): 31 of 34 pass
- Damages hardware
The kit has no battery fuse, and without one it's a fire hazard.
Show the numbers
No battery fuse in the kit. It is not optional.Sources: ABYC E-11 - Damages hardware
The cable in the kit is too thin.
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The kit ships 10 ; this length and current need 6 AWG.Sources: ABYC E-11 - Worth knowing
A basic controller wastes energy. An MPPT controller would pay for itself.
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PWM loses about 28% on this string; an pays for itself.
Denver (moderate, December) and Minneapolis (cold, December): 31 of 34 pass
- Damages hardware
The kit has no battery fuse, and without one it's a fire hazard.
Show the numbers
No battery fuse in the kit. It is not optional.Sources: ABYC E-11 - Damages hardware
The cable in the kit is too thin.
Show the numbers
The kit ships 10 AWG; this length and current need 6 AWG.Sources: ABYC E-11 - Worth knowing
A basic controller wastes energy. An MPPT controller would pay for itself.
Show the numbers
PWM loses about 28% on this string; an MPPT pays for itself.
About the battery added for the simulation: The batteries stop charging in the cold and need heating.
A year with this kit in three climates
Across the nine runs the same kit goes from no blackouts (van in Phoenix) to 364 days without power (cabin in Minneapolis). The hardware is identical in every run. Only the weather and the load change, so a review from one location says little about yours.
| Use | Phoenix, AZ (warm) | Denver, CO (moderate) | Minneapolis, MN (cold) |
|---|---|---|---|
| VanWeekend van, 400 Wh a day | no blackouts | no blackouts | 83 days without powerfirst 10 Jan, longest 36 days |
| CabinYear-round cabin, 1,697 Wh a day | 363 days without powerfirst 3 Jan, longest 363 days | 363 days without powerfirst 3 Jan, longest 363 days | 364 days without powerfirst 2 Jan, longest 364 days |
| GarageGarage backup, 453 Wh a day | no blackouts | no blackouts | 52 days without powerfirst 11 Jan, longest 17 days |
What to add so it passes in the cold
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Changes: Battery → Battle Born Batteries BB10012H 100Ah 12V LiFePO4 Heated (self-heating, charges in the cold).
| Part | Why | Qty | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battle Born Batteries BB10012H 100Ah 12V LiFePO4 Heated100 Ah lifepo4, self-heatingreplaces the kit part | 200 A continuous in total. | 2 | Search |
| Cable 10 AWG, 8.8 mpanels to controller, red + black, 4 m run | 15.9 A × 1.56 = 24.9 A; 2 % drop at 20 V string voltage. | 8.8 m | Search |
| Fuse 40 A + holdercontroller to battery | 1.25 × 30 A = 37.5 A, and no more than the wire's 60 A. Class T because lithium short-circuit current exceeds what ANL can break. | 1 | Search |
| Lugs 10 AWGstud size to match the terminals | One per cable end. | 4 | Search |
| Heat-shrink for 10 AWG lugs | One per lug. | 4 | Search |
| Battery monitor shuntrated for the largest load | Measures what goes in and out of the bank. | 1 | Search |
Kits that pass more checks
- Renogy 400W 12V Complete Solar Panel Kit with 2.4kWh AGM Batteries 34 of 34 pass, 0 critical
- EcoFlow DELTA 2 Max Solar Generator PV400W (D2M-400SP-1) 33 of 34 pass, 0 critical
- EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus Solar Generator (With 160W Solar Panel) 33 of 34 pass, 0 critical
How this page was computed
Every compatibility rule the checker has runs against the kit in the worst solar month of each city. The year is simulated hour by hour with the listed loads; parts to add come from the auto-fix and the computed parts list.
- Kit contents from the manufacturer verified 2026-09-16
- NREL PVWatts v8 typical weather years Phoenix, Denver, Minneapolis; fetched 15 September 2026
The formulas are the same open engine the checker runs; the methodology page lists every constant.
These results are for reference. Wiring must be installed by a qualified electrician. Mobile installations follow ABYC E-11; stationary ones NEC 690/706.