ASE 300 DGF 50 panel value?

wingmanalive
wingmanalive Registered Users Posts: 5
Ok. I was a member here years ago and I loved the knowledge this place gave me. I recently stumbled upon what seems to be a fantastic deal on a panel and I'd like some help in determining its' value. First off the panel is in original working order(that I know of right now) and is a 300w ASE DGF 50 model. It's a commercial grade unit. The person I bought it from received it as compensation for work done in another field. He had no knowledge of the solar industry and simply kept it in his garage for a year, in it's original packaging. Get this, he posted it for sale for $150 OBO! I couldn't tell you how fast I raced over there. After testing it with my DMM it was pumping out 58+ volts and decent amps considering it was 6pm. The specs states it should do 60v and 6amps. I will test it tomorrow in high noon sun for an accurate amp reading as the sun was very low in the sky.

Bottom line is this panel has never been installed and appears to be working perfectly. It's also huge at 7' X 4' in size. I know solar panel prices have dropped in the past few years but I need some advice as to what I can expect to get for this panel in a sale. I'm not doing Ebay as shipping this beast is far too risky. I simply would like to know what a fair market value on this panel is. Is asking $3/watt too much? Again this panel has no cosmetic flaws and works (outside of me testing it for amps tomorrow in full high sun) to its' manufacturer specs. I'd love to keep it but the chance of quintupling my $$ or more is too tempting right now lol.

Thanks for any input.8)

Comments

  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: ASE 300 DGF 50 panel value?

    we can buy brand new for less than $3/w. maybe $1-$1.50/w tops if in new condition and working. there has already been pvs brand new out there for as low as $.98/w on sale and in quantity. with you paying 50c/w i'd say it was a deal, but just not as big of one as you may think given today's prices.
  • wingmanalive
    wingmanalive Registered Users Posts: 5
    Re: ASE 300 DGF 50 panel value?

    How's it going Niel? I'm Shawn, the guy who sent you those CFL's awhile back. (Mine are all still running BTW lol). Really? Only $1-$1.5/watt? Maybe I should hold onto this beast then? A 300w panel is quite a nice item. It's just that I still see 175w panels on Ebay selling for $600 and so. Good to see you're still around.:D
  • icarus
    icarus Solar Expert Posts: 5,436 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: ASE 300 DGF 50 panel value?

    Ebay seems to be a really bad judge of what Panels are worth. It seems the people buying them are not very knowledgeable. I have seen small panels go for $10/watt! The only deals I have ever gotten is when things are mis-labled. (I got my siemens for $50 for the pair on Ebay because they were listed as "solar Panes" and nobody found them. On the other hand, yesterday someone was selling some BP/solarexs 63s for" buy it now" $200,, for a ten year old panel.

    You might more for it, but the voltage will keep the handy homeowners off the betting. The pros won't bid that much knowing that they can get new ones for $1-2/watt

    Tony
  • wingmanalive
    wingmanalive Registered Users Posts: 5
    Re: ASE 300 DGF 50 panel value?

    Thanks for the reply! It looks like I stumbled on a deal that I may hold onto then. I wasn't aware of getting solar for under $1/w anywhere. I was so used to seeing panels in the $5-$7/w range in my day that when I saw this deal I grabbed it without question.
  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: ASE 300 DGF 50 panel value?

    hi shawn,
    that pv may be good to replace those little 15w pvs of yours with.:D allot can happen in a few years as you can see. batteries are out of sight anymore though.:grr

    my cfls are burned and gone that you gave me. none of my cfls seem to last too long and it most likely is my higher utility voltage that's killing them off earlier.:grr

    as you can see your original username was eliminated due to the long time interval since you checked into the forum. don't be that much of a stranger that you need to reregister.

    on a sidenote, how did you fair through the winter storms? did you keep your power? mine went out for about a day after getting a huge snowstorm. you can read more about what transpired here,
    http://forum.solar-electric.com/showthread.php?t=6937
  • wingmanalive
    wingmanalive Registered Users Posts: 5
    Re: ASE 300 DGF 50 panel value?

    Yes this last winter was a doozy. We had record snowfall amounts all across NJ. Power flickered many times but didn't go out for any length of time. My kids had 6 snow days this year to make up. I was prepared though. Rewicked my kerosene heater and filled up the cans just in case. Charged every chargeable battery I had but we dodged a bullet for sure.

    Funny thing is I don't have my starter solar set anymore. Since my small 15w panels were on the ground they were stolen right under my nose. :cry: Wasn't hard, just a clip of a wire and they walked.

    Got frustrated and sold my Xantrax battery meter and sealed batteries. It was a defeat. Now that I have this beast if I'm going to use it it will have to go on my roof for theft protection. Problem is my roof needs replaced and funds are low. Don't wanna install it only to take it all down anyway. I'm sorta at a catch 22 lol. Either way I would have bought this gem regardless. It's almost the size of a sheet of plywood and weighs 110lbs. Beefy lol.
  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: ASE 300 DGF 50 panel value?

    sorry to hear of your theft, but i think you should've known of the theft possibility being it's on the ground just as we have warned many rv-ers of that possibility for any of their portable ground mounted pvs. i don't know what to say on what you should do with the pv as it's up to you to either sell, store, or use it.
  • wingmanalive
    wingmanalive Registered Users Posts: 5
    Re: ASE 300 DGF 50 panel value?

    Well they were in my back yard in a well respected neighborhood and close to the house but we have many curious kids who roam the place during the day. It could have been a meter reader or simply a wanderer who saw my panels from the street and saw an opportunity. Regardless they are gone. My fault bottom line, I have to sleep with that, they will too ( I believe in karma).

    Now I have to get my panel out of the back of my truck and somewhere safe in the mean time. I have a tent rental business on the side that is going to spark up soon and I need the space in my truck lol. The decision to sell or use is close at hand.;)