Solar Panel Analysis

I like solar power. I’ve purchased over a dozen consumer solar panels from Brunton to PowerMonkey to Goal Zero in a search of a favorite. Goal Zero’s older Nomad7 (purchased at a nice discount from TheClymb) is the newest leader.

But this isn’t a review of the Goal Zero; others have written excellent solar panel reviews, notably The Wirecutter and OutdoorGearLab. What I want to know is how to get the best performance, how to use it most effectively, to characterize it. What conditions produce best charge? What charge is produced under average conditions?

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