Customer reviews from goalzero.com
Goal Zero - Nomad 100 Portable Solar Panel - Black
Average customer rating
3.3
(33 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 33 reviews
5 Stars
11
4 Stars
6
3 Stars
4
2 Stars
5
1 Star
7
52%of customers recommend this product.
(
12 out of
23)
Customer Reviews for Goal Zero - Nomad 100 Portable Solar Panel - Black
Posted by: Migue2023
from Los angeles
Gender:Male
Verified Purchase:Yes
So far it has been helpful charging my unit even when it's cloudy during the day
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting goalzero.com
Customer Rating
2
Boulder 100 is better but heavier
on June 7, 2024
Posted by: JD231
from Dallas, TX
Gender:Male
Purchased this unit for a Yeti 500 as the Boulder 100 Briefcase, while providing excellent power is heavy. Today, June 7th, at 4pm US/Central in Dallas TX, on a full sun day (no clouds at all) I am getting 38W (as shown on the Yeti 500 display). BUT, the Boulder Briefcase 100 is providing 71W (best I've gotten from the Boulder is 91W). Checking at different times and conditions, the Nomad seems pegged at a hair over 50% of the output of the Boulder (panels sitting side by side for the comparison). I will probably keep the Nomad as I got it on sale, and it's still something for camping to charge phone, etc, but it doesn't not match the Boulder briefcase. I'm giving it a "Fair" rating as the price is high and the output is so low compared to the Boulder Briefcase (max 45W? compared to Boulder 100 at 90W?). The build quality is excellent, and the unit is far lighter and easier to carry than the Boulder suitcase. I just wish Goal Zero would be upfront that the Boulder units appear to be heavier but provide a higher level of output consistently than the Nomads. No one should have to buy 2 different units to test to figure this out. Or call this unit the "Nomad 45" and sell it for half the price.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting goalzero.com
Customer Rating
2
Low power. Not worth the money.
on July 2, 2024
Posted by: jacoozzi
from Europe
Gender:Male
During clear summer day, i was getting max input of 40 watts.
Written by a customer while visiting goalzero.com
Customer Rating
2
Something is not right with the nomad 100s
on August 28, 2024
Posted by: Mr.B
from California
Gender:Male
I have two 100W solar panels to compare, the yeti 100 watt nomad against another 100 watt no name brand and the cheaper 100 watt no name brand is pumping in 80 to 90 W into my yeti goal zero 1500 and the yeti 100 watt nomad at best pumps in 62 watts, so you get what you pay for .
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting goalzero.com
Posted by: Bobo45677
from Reno NV
Gender:Male
Verified Purchase:Yes
I really wanted these panels to work. Great ideas, but when I put the panels out in direct sunlight I got no current to the charging device. Lights lit up like it was working but no juice going out of the usb plug or 8 mm plug.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting goalzero.com
Posted by: Apneic hunter
Verified Purchase:Yes
It’s good, while hunting I would set it up in the morning facing south and get back and my Yeti 500 would be at 30% and it would charge to 90%. Even in blue sky high elevation Colorado input was in 70s add extension cord and would drop to 60s
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting goalzero.com
Customer Rating
5
Great products, need larger cable options
on November 15, 2024
Posted by: MOE Knows
I've been using Goal Zero equipment for many years, and the equipment has always been of the highest quality & performance. However, I felt obliged to comment on the several reviews that reported lower than expected power output. There are typically two things to blame for low output: 1: Solar panel damage or geometry, 2: Battery state-of-charge, and 3: Insufficient cable size.
1. Solar panel damage and orientation... doesn't seem to be an issue with the review cases. Well documented conditions and sky exposure. Just make sure that no part of the panel is shaded of course.
2. Battery SOC : As a battery fills, especially Lithium, the charging system will taper-off to protect the battery. Battery management systems and chargers will differ slightly, but generally it will put as much current into the battery as it can until the battery is nearing 85-90% capacity. The charger will then change modes so that the charging current declines as the voltage rises through the last 10-15%. This is why you might see a battery get from 30%-80% in an hour, but then will take another hour or more to get to 95%. So, don't blame the solar panel... blame the MPPT charger and the BMS for taking care of your battery.
3. Cabling : This is something that Goal Zero should improve. If you use a 4x1 APP Combining input cable at the solar panel location, you will be trying to carry as much as 40A (200W Nomads) on a wire that is much too small. I believe the largest HPP cable is #14AWG which has an ampacity of 15A. Your energy losses in the 30' cable due to this mismatch would be over 40% in the case of 4x200W Nomads, and approx 20% if you have 4x100W Nomads, and 10% if you only have a couple of panels on the line. Better to run all the solar panels back to the Yeti and then combine. But even then, you will see 5% losses for a single 100W Nomad running over 30' on #14AWG wire (2.5% over 15'). Since Goal Zero doesn't make heavier-duty cables, if you need to go further than 15' with 100W or more of solar, you need to have cables built for you. For reference, 5% is generally the maximum acceptable loss for non-essential loads.
Hope this helps!
1. Solar panel damage and orientation... doesn't seem to be an issue with the review cases. Well documented conditions and sky exposure. Just make sure that no part of the panel is shaded of course.
2. Battery SOC : As a battery fills, especially Lithium, the charging system will taper-off to protect the battery. Battery management systems and chargers will differ slightly, but generally it will put as much current into the battery as it can until the battery is nearing 85-90% capacity. The charger will then change modes so that the charging current declines as the voltage rises through the last 10-15%. This is why you might see a battery get from 30%-80% in an hour, but then will take another hour or more to get to 95%. So, don't blame the solar panel... blame the MPPT charger and the BMS for taking care of your battery.
3. Cabling : This is something that Goal Zero should improve. If you use a 4x1 APP Combining input cable at the solar panel location, you will be trying to carry as much as 40A (200W Nomads) on a wire that is much too small. I believe the largest HPP cable is #14AWG which has an ampacity of 15A. Your energy losses in the 30' cable due to this mismatch would be over 40% in the case of 4x200W Nomads, and approx 20% if you have 4x100W Nomads, and 10% if you only have a couple of panels on the line. Better to run all the solar panels back to the Yeti and then combine. But even then, you will see 5% losses for a single 100W Nomad running over 30' on #14AWG wire (2.5% over 15'). Since Goal Zero doesn't make heavier-duty cables, if you need to go further than 15' with 100W or more of solar, you need to have cables built for you. For reference, 5% is generally the maximum acceptable loss for non-essential loads.
Hope this helps!
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting goalzero.com
Posted by: Mike740
from McCall, Idaho
Gender:Male
Verified Purchase:Yes
I'm happy to be able to pair this with my other Nomad 100
Written by a customer while visiting goalzero.com