Renogy is an American company that manufactures and sells consumer solar products including solar panels, batteries, charge controllers, and portable solar power stations.
The company focuses on making DIY products and kits that customers can assemble and install themselves.
If you have heard about Renogy or have come across their products and you are wondering who they are and whether you can trust them, this post will tell you everything you need to know.
When Was Renogy Founded?
Renogy was founded in 2010 by Yi Li.
The company started as a project by students from the Louisiana State University. Yi Li, who was part of the group, later moved from Louisiana to California where she set up the first Renogy warehouse.
Yi Li was motivated by the idea of providing clean, efficient and renewable energy to everyone, anywhere, and at an affordable price.
According to Li, the name Renogy comes from three words: renewable, innovation and energy.
Over the last decade, Renogy has produced a wide range of solar products including solar panels and solar kits that are not only affordable, but also easy for customers to set up.
Is Renogy An American Company?
Renogy is an American company that is based in Ontario, California.
But like a majority of solar companies such as Goal Zero and Jackery, Renogy manufactures their products in China.
Are Renogy Products Good?
Most of the Renogy solar panels, kits and other solar products listed on Amazon and other websites have mostly positive reviews. Most customers are satisfied with their purchases.
Renogy is a well known brand that’s been around for over 10 years now. So people have had time to see how durable and reliable their products are.
Renogy offers good customer service and support. So if you have an issue with one of their products, they are happy to help.
In addition, Renogy offers warranty for almost all their products. Warranty coverage ranges between 1 and 10 years depending on the specific product.
Renogy Solar Panels
Now, let’s look at some of the products that Renogy sells, starting with their highly popular solar panels.
Renogy manufactures three main types of monocrystalline solar panels: rigid solar panels, flexible solar panels and folding solar suitcases.
They also have some small portable solar panels, but these are mostly 5-10 battery maintainers.
Rigid Solar Panels
Renogy rigid solar panels are the best, and most affordable, choice when you are setting up a permanent solar system.
You can mount them on the roof, on a ground rack or any other convenient surface in your home, RV, boat or cabin.
The Renogy 12V 100W solar panel is one of their most popular products. It comes with a corrosion-proof aluminum frame, an IP65 weatherproof junction box and high efficiency solar cells.
For small systems (e.g. charging a small battery or power station), there are smaller 30W and 50W solar panels.
You can also get higher-output solar panels ranging from 175W all the way to 550W.
The 550W solar panel kit is made with special monocrystalline PERC cells that boost efficiency beyond regular mono solar panels. This option is handy if you need lots of solar power and you have limited space.
It’s also easier to mount and wire compared to getting five 100W solar panels.
Flexible Solar Panels
Renogy’s flexible solar panels are designed for mounting on curved and uneven surfaces. Because these solar panels are thin and very light, they are also great for mounting on load-sensitive surfaces.
Renogy flexible solar panels are some of the most bendable in the market. Many of the flexible solar panels you’ll find from other brands can be bent to 30 degrees.
Renogy flexible solar panels can be bent to 240 degrees, making them perfect for just about any curved surface like the roof of a yacht or RV.
Renogy recommends using a silicone adhesive to mount the solar panels, but you can also mount them using grommets (the panels come ready with pre-drilled holes).
Durability is not a concern. Renogy makes their flexible solar panels to last. They come with a 5-year workmanship and materials warranty and up to a 25-year output warranty, same as their rigid solar panels.
As for output, the Renogy flexible solar panels range from 50W to 200W. The 100W flexible panel is the most popular.
The main downside of flexible solar panels is that they cost more than similar output rigid solar panels.
Folding Solar Suitcases
If you need mobile solar panels, I recommend the Renogy folding solar suitcases. They consist of rigid solar panels in a more portable form.
When you are on the move, you fold the solar panel into a suitcase. When charging a battery, the suitcase unfolds into a full size solar panel.
Renogy solar suitcases are available in 100W and 200W sizes. The suitcases come with a built-in kickstand, making it easy to position the solar panel on the ground. You can also get a suitcase that comes with a solar charge controller.
Renogy Deep Cycle Batteries
Renogy sells three types of deep cycle solar batteries: lithium, AGM and GEL batteries.
The AGM and GEL batteries are both advanced types of lead acid batteries. They are safer, charge faster, and last longer than traditional flooded lead acid batteries.
They are also a cheaper alternative to lithium batteries.
But when it comes to home and off-grid solar systems, lithium batteries are quickly becoming the energy storage of choice for many customers.
Renogy’s lithium batteries seem to be more popular, even though they are pricier. These batteries are lighter, take up a smaller footprint (great for RVs, vans & cabins), have a longer cycle life, and they charge a lot faster than both AGM and GEL batteries.
Almost all the lithium batteries Renogy sells are lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4). LiFePO4 batteries are a bit heavier than li-ion batteries, but they last a lot longer, can work in a wider range of temperatures, and they are more stable.
Renogy sells 12V, 24V and 48V batteries to suit all kinds of solar systems. Capacities range from from 50Ah to 400Ah.
Renogy Solar Accessories
In addition to solar panels and batteries, Renogy sells all the accessories you need to complete your setup.
These include MPPT and PWM charge controllers, inverters ranging from 700W to 3500W output, inverter chargers that produce AC power and charge your battery bank, dedicated battery chargers, solar monitoring systems, plus wiring, brackets, connectors and other smaller accessories.
Renogy Solar Kits
It can be a headache putting together everything you need to set up a working solar system, especially if this is your first time.
That’s why Renogy sells pre-configured solar kits. All you need to do is pick the kit that’s best for your power needs and it’ll have everything you need.
Renogy matches all the components like solar panels, charge controller and inverter for you so you don't have to do lots of calculations.
Note that these kits don't include batteries.
Renogy divides their kits into four categories: starter kits with basic components that are super easy to assemble, premium kits with higher output and additional components like solar monitors, RV/van/marine kits that focus on easy mobility, and home/cabin kits designed for permanent installation.
One of Renogy’s most popular kits is this 100W 12V starter kit that includes a 100W rigid solar panel, a 30A PWM charge controller, mounting brackets plus cables and connectors.
For larger systems, there’s a 200W kit with an MPPT charge controller, a 400W kit with a bluetooth monitor, and a massive 8-panel 800W kit also with a bluetooth module.
There’s also a flexible solar kit for marine and RV applications.
Renogy Solar Generators
Unlike brands like Jackery and EcoFlow, Renogy has yet to go big on solar generators. But they have a few good ones, including the recently launched Renogy Lycan 5000 Power Box.
Most of Renogy’s power stations are under the Phoenix brand. They include:
Final Thoughts
Whether you are shopping for home solar panels, portable solar panels, solar batteries or a solar generator, Renogy is one of the best and most reliable brands around.
Their products are well made and are well priced. We also love the long warranties they offer on most of their solar products.
But what we love most about Renogy is the DIY-ability of their kits and products. Of course, there are some parts you may have to leave to a pro such as integrating the Lycan 5000 with your home, but most of Renogy’s products are easy to install on your own.
If you are building a solar system from scratch, I highly recommend going with one of their solar kits. It’s so much easier than buying different parts separately.
Simply match your kit of choice to your preferred battery size.
If you are buying a power station, pair it with one of Renogy’s solar panels. The folding solar suitcases are perfect if you want a highly portable system.
