Our Montana came equipped with a small solar package. We had a Victron BlueSolar MPPT 75 | 15 solar controller and a 230 watt solar panel feeding two Group 27 100 amp lead acid batteries. After a few months of travel, we found this set up limited our travel especially with the need to power a 13.5 cu ft residential refrigerator and meet out power needs for slide outs and setup after a longer day of travel. We now have 460 amps of lithium battery, upgraded the solar charger to a Victron BlueSolar MPPT 100 | 50, and have been looking to increase our solar panel production to allow short overnight boondocking opportunities. That brings us to today and our review of the BougeRV 200W 16BB solar panel.

Selecting the BougeRV 200W 16BB Solar Panel

BougeRV contacted us and asked if we were interested in reviewing their new 200W 16BB solar panel, an advanced bifacial solar panel with a number of benefits perfect for RV travel and off-grid applications.

A key component to the design of this panel is the16BB cell design which improves the current collection capability and increases the solar panel’s service life. This not only increases the cell receiving surface, it reduces the panel’s covered area by 26%.

The 200W 16BB solar panel bifacial design can increase the solar output by 30%. Instead of having an opaque back, BougeRV bifacial 16BB solar panel features a transparent backside, allowing it to absorb solar energy from both sides. This gives the opportunity to use direct sunlight, refracted sunlight, and/or diffuse sunlight as extra wattage gain for solar charging. The benefit of these N-type solar cells has an 80% bifacial gain while P-TYPE cells have only a 70% bifacial gain.

Making an investment in solar panels can be expensive and the BougeRV laboratory tests found the service life of N-TYPE solar panels can be 30 years, while the service life of P-TYPE solar panels only can be 25 years. This increases the long-term investment when using N-TYPE solar panels with the opportunity to yield better returns.

These panels come in two voltage configuration, a 12V DC standard version and a high-voltage 24V DC version. See the specification for each panel below.

Product Specifications

OPTIONS	12V STANDARD VERSION	24V HIGH VOLTAGE VERSION
Open Circuit Voltage (±5%)	28V	36V
Max Power Voltage (±5%)	24.4V	31.7V
Max Power Current (±5%)	8.2A	6.3A
Short Circuit Current (±5%)	8.6	6.6A
Dimensions	51.57”x30.2”x1.38”	50.67”x30.3”x1.38”
Net Weight	22.8lb	22.5lb

Testing the BougeRV 200W 16BB Solar Panel

The video below shows our panel testing. We tested the 12V Standard Version using a Solar Panel Multimeter and also connected to a Victron BlueSolar MPPT 75 | 15 solar controller and TimeUSB 240 Amp lithium battery.

The test occurred on a warm Middle Georgia day in late winter. Not perfect for optimal solar production, but the sky was clear during the test. Using the multimeter, the panel produced an average of:

• Pmax: 187 Watts
• Vmp: 24.11V
• Imp: 7.77A
• Voc: 26.85V

An hour later, we connected the panel using 30 feet of 10 AWG solar wire to the solar controller with the Bluetooth app showing:

• Watts: 161 Watts
• Solar Voltage: 18.72V
• Solar Current: 8.6A
• Battery Voltage: 14.34V
• Battery Current: 10.9A

We didn’t have the reflective environment to test the panel’s bifacial performance with the test occurring in a grassy area. For our planned use, we will mount flat on top of our 5th wheel and the test gave a realistic view of the panel’s solar production capability.

We also tested the panel’s ability to handle partial shading. We blocked a corner, a half, and a full corner of the panel and found the panel lost around 40% of its capacity from 166 Watts to 91 to 100 Watts depending on the amount of blocking that occurred.

This is very beneficial where many panels loose all production with a small amount of shading. This can occur often on top of of an RV where panels are located close to air conditions, fans, and antennas and using the BougeRV 200W 16BB solar panel will continue to produce wattage.

Conclusion

The BougeRV 200W 16BB solar panel will be a perfect addition to our solar needs. I was so impressed with the panels production that I bought 3 more for the our Montana 5th wheel solar upgrade we will be adding this summer. Our thanks to BougeRV for providing the BougeRV 200W 16BB Solar Panel to review.

If you are considering panels for your solar project, I’ve provided links below. I also mentioned our testing of BougeRV’s 2000 Watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter in the video and have included a link to that blog and video.

Helpful Information:

• BougeRV N-Type 12V/24V 200 Watt Bifacial 16BB Solar Panel (as reviewed)
• iLoveRVlife BougeRV 2000 Watt Pure Sine Wave Inverter Review

Not sure about what RV accessories you need as you start RV travel?

Check out our RV Accessories page where we have listed a wide range of products from essential items to those “nice to have” RV products to make RV life more enjoyable. Every item listed is being used or has been used by Joan and I as we’ve traveled across the country in our RV.

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