Flexible Solar Panel
- Thread starter TeeDee
- Start date
I'm thinking capable of having it moved around.
To be honest I was wondering if I could find one that could be used on the inside of the Cab window to act in fashion as a Solar panel AND a screen,
Happy to take advice and be lead elsewhere however
Look here:
campervanculture.com
They have some great gear. I think you'll be hard pressed to find a panel big enough to fit your windscreen completely but you can always prop it between the wind screen and the thermal sheet.
I assume that you'll be using it to trickle charge your main leisure battery whole you're static?
A moveable solar set up is more practical than one fixed to the roof as it allows you to position it facing the sun for maximum efficiency. A roof fixed panel isn't always getting full exposure and relies upon you having to always be conscious of where you park.....
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Off The Beaten Track & Recovery - Campervan Culture
campervanculture.com
They have some great gear. I think you'll be hard pressed to find a panel big enough to fit your windscreen completely but you can always prop it between the wind screen and the thermal sheet.
I assume that you'll be using it to trickle charge your main leisure battery whole you're static?
A moveable solar set up is more practical than one fixed to the roof as it allows you to position it facing the sun for maximum efficiency. A roof fixed panel isn't always getting full exposure and relies upon you having to always be conscious of where you park.....
Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk
Look here:
Off The Beaten Track & Recovery - Campervan Culture
They have some great gear. I think you'll be hard pressed to find a panel big enough to fit your windscreen completely but you can always prop it between the wind screen and the thermal sheet.
I assume that you'll be using it to trickle charge your main leisure battery whole you're static?
A moveable solar set up is more practical than one fixed to the roof as it allows you to position it facing the sun for maximum efficiency. A roof fixed panel isn't always getting full exposure and relies upon you having to always be conscious of where you park.....
Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk
Correct - cheers for the link.
If you stick a solar panel behind glass the efficiency takes a nose dive.
My solar panels are vertical on the south side of my house. They do not need hard, direct sunlight to function. That's a myth. They work better at -20C. Fact of physics. Vertical, they get washed but there's no snow load like there would be on my roof (never more that 4-5 feet deep).
Put your hard solar panel on a support on 30' of #8 wire and pick a sunny spot if you got one.
Remember: the solar panel is useless without batteries to store the juice. That's where your application power will come from.
I use pairs of 6VDC batteries in series for 12VDC since the plate area is the fact for storage capacity. Then, I gang sets of those together like steps in a ladder for enough 12VDC for welding.
Put your hard solar panel on a support on 30' of #8 wire and pick a sunny spot if you got one.
Remember: the solar panel is useless without batteries to store the juice. That's where your application power will come from.
I use pairs of 6VDC batteries in series for 12VDC since the plate area is the fact for storage capacity. Then, I gang sets of those together like steps in a ladder for enough 12VDC for welding.
All good advice if you're at home, but not suitable for OPs needs. A hard panel is difficult to store in a van, as would be your recommended 30ft of cable.
A flexible panel with cabling that attaches directly to the leisure battery to trickle charge is a better option for a vehicle. Mostly likely the vehicle will be parked in the open, so the panel can be unfolded and placed facing the sun. Super convenient. It can be next to the vehicle, which is better for security and ease of use.
I have a Goal Zero power bank that can be solar charged and used as a standalone power system for 12v and 240v, but generally if I'm static for more than a day I will connect the solar panel to the leisure battery to trickle charge it, although in extremis I can be static for 3 or 4 days and not need solar if I am not powering/charging power hungry devices all the time.
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So long term I’m thinking of building a Camper Van with said Solar Panels and bits.
I now have a 2000w Power Station Bank that can be charged in 5 different formats,
Mains-Solar-Car Charger etc, and power up to 12 items which will be used in the Van
I have 3x120w and can charge the Power Bank from empty in around 4hrs in ideal conditions.
So what have I learnt using the panels, quite a lot if you want the best performance. Being portable and easily moved is essential. The best way I found doing that is so simple, rest a can of freshly drunk beer can
on the panels. Look at the shadow of the can, which ever way its leaning, you tilt to have no shadow.
No Shadow equals the best performance in those conditions. However be aware that you want your panels in clean air to the sun, the slightest shadow on even the smallest part of the panels can adversely effect the efficiency.
So although I have 3 panels they can be used as 1,2 or 3,, each panel has the complete wiring for any combination.
I now have a 2000w Power Station Bank that can be charged in 5 different formats,
Mains-Solar-Car Charger etc, and power up to 12 items which will be used in the Van
I have 3x120w and can charge the Power Bank from empty in around 4hrs in ideal conditions.
So what have I learnt using the panels, quite a lot if you want the best performance. Being portable and easily moved is essential. The best way I found doing that is so simple, rest a can of freshly drunk beer can
on the panels. Look at the shadow of the can, which ever way its leaning, you tilt to have no shadow.No Shadow equals the best performance in those conditions. However be aware that you want your panels in clean air to the sun, the slightest shadow on even the smallest part of the panels can adversely effect the efficiency.
So although I have 3 panels they can be used as 1,2 or 3,, each panel has the complete wiring for any combination.
Not really, I’ve met people moored up in the shadows & complained they have no power.You started off well with your first point.
Then over assumed on your second.
