Passes 33 of 34 checks in Minneapolis in December, with 1 critical failure.
The kit contains 1 × Rich Solar MEGA 100 (RS-M100) and 1 × Rich Solar 20 Amp Solar Charge Controller (RS-MPPT20). The maker does not publish how the panels are wired, so we check the layout a 12 V controller can start on with the fewest panels in series: 1 in series × 1 strings. 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): 33 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
Denver (moderate, December) and Minneapolis (cold, December): 33 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
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 (garage in Phoenix) to 364 days without power (cabin in Denver). 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 | 111 days without powerfirst 15 Jan, longest 59 days | 142 days without powerfirst 11 Jan, longest 78 days | 197 days without powerfirst 8 Jan, longest 100 days |
| CabinYear-round cabin, 1,697 Wh a day | 363 days without powerfirst 3 Jan, longest 363 days | 364 days without powerfirst 2 Jan, longest 364 days | 364 days without powerfirst 2 Jan, longest 364 days |
| GarageGarage backup, 453 Wh a day | no blackouts | 96 days without powerfirst 15 Jan, longest 10 days | 253 days without powerfirst 7 Jan, longest 72 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 14 , 8.8 mpanels to controller, red + black, 4 m run | 5.8 A × 1.56 = 9 A; 1.9 % drop at 18.6 V string voltage. | 8.8 m | Search |
| Cable 12 AWG, 3.3 mcontroller to battery, red + black, 1.5 m run | 20 A against a wire rated 45 A; 2.2 % drop at 14.4 V. | 3.3 m | Search |
| Fuse 35 A + holdercontroller to battery | 1.25 × 20 A = 25 A, and no more than the wire's 45 A. Class T because lithium short-circuit current exceeds what ANL can break. | 1 | Search |
| Lugs 12 AWGstud size to match the terminals | One per cable end. | 4 | Search |
| Heat-shrink for 12 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 |
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.