Go Power Obsidian 190W Rigid Solar Expansion Kit

Already running a Go Power solar setup and wishing you had more power? That's exactly what this kit is for. The Obsidian 190W rigid expansion panel adds a full 190 watts to the array you've already got, with no controller swap and no rewiring the whole system. You get the panel, the mounting hardware, and the expansion connections in one box.

The whole point of an expansion kit is that you don't start over. You keep your existing controller, your existing wiring, and your existing battery bank, and you simply branch in another panel using the included expansion connections. For a lot of folks that's the cheapest way to grow an off-grid setup, because you're only paying for the panel and the hardware, not a second controller and a second everything.

This is a rigid panel, not a flexible one. So it's built around a solid frame with tempered glass over the cells, and it holds up to years of sun, rain, and road vibration on an RV roof or salt spray on a boat. The nine-busbar cell layout pulls a little more usable current out of each cell, which matters on cloudy days and in the shoulder seasons when every watt counts. And at just 0.7 inches thick, it sits low. Low profile means less wind drag going down the highway and a cleaner look on a cabin top.

Rigid panels like this one earn their keep on a permanent mount. They're stiff, they shed water well, and the glass surface wipes clean when road grime or salt film cuts into your output. Give it a rinse when you wash the boat or the coach and it keeps pulling its rated power. There's no babying required here. It's a mount-it-and-forget-it panel that's happy to live outside in the weather for the long haul.

So what does 190 watts actually get you? On a good sunny day you're looking at somewhere around 600 to 1200 watt-hours into the battery, depending on your latitude, the season, and how well the panel is aimed at the sun. That's enough to meaningfully stretch how long you can sit off-grid before you need to run the engine or plug in. Stack this expansion panel onto an existing 190-watt kit and you've doubled your charging headroom, which is the difference between rationing power and just living normally at anchor or at a boondocking site.

We see these go on two kinds of rigs. RVers who bought a starter solar kit and figured out pretty quick that one panel wasn't enough. And boaters running a house bank on a trawler, a cruising sailboat, or a liveaboard who want to top up without firing the genset. The panel measures 55.8 inches long by 28.1 inches wide, so measure your roof or deck space before you order. You want a clear spot away from the shadow of a mast, an AC shroud, a radar arch, or a roof vent, because shade on even one corner drags down the whole panel's output.

A couple of things worth knowing before you wire it in. If your existing system runs an MPPT controller, you're in good shape, and MPPT is what we'd recommend for getting the most out of this panel in real conditions. Keep your wire runs short and use properly sized marine-grade cable, because voltage drop on a long thin run will quietly rob you of charging current. And whatever you do, seal the roof penetrations properly and give the connectors a shot of dielectric grease. The number one reason these panels underperform after a season or two isn't the panel, it's a corroded connection.

It's a straightforward add-on for anyone who already trusts their Go Power system and just wants more of it. It comes with the mounting feet and expansion leads you need to get it up and charging in an afternoon. If you're not sure it'll pair cleanly with the kit you've already got, give us a call before you order and we'll walk through it with you.