*Looking to get a solar option for charging laptops and small electronics in my van (vandweller). Would this work? or need x2?
Answer: Yes, it output 18V which is ideal for charging any 12 V devices(like battery inside laptops and common vehicles. Note for 24V trucks.)
How many panels you need to chained together, well, the charging time and charging current depends on how many batteries you have and the related capacity of your batteries. . Also, your location's sunlight condition is another factor.
*Do I need to add fuse on panel's side? Or anything else should I use between solar panel and battery to prevent overcharging?
For small-scale solar system under 1000V, you need no fuse, onlything you needed is a solar controller to protect the battery from getting over-discharge/charging.Both PWM/MPPT solar controller should be fine.
*Why even partial shading is bad for solar power systems？
Solar panels work the best when there is no shade cast upon them. In fact, a shadow cast on even just part of one solar panel in your solar array can potentially compromise the output of the whole system.Trip for dealing with potential shading of solar arrays:
*Site your solar panel array where there will be no regular shading
*Use a string inverter that has MPP Tracking capability.
*Can you attach two or more of these panels in series?
Parrallel will increase the amperage. Series will increase the voltage. Just don't exceed the controller capacity.
*What else do I need? A car battery, an inverter? What comes with this 100w panel - not clear.
For this kind of solar panel, it is suggested to add an Regulator to get stable power then deliver to your devices,
It should work very well with most 12V lead-acid batteries, What you will get is the panel as picture show, on the junction box part, there is two extend cable with MC4 connectors,
If you don't mind, you can buyer extra MC4 connectors or cable to extend or for installation purpose.