Mounting Solar Panels

Hi Everybody! I am wanting to put a 100w solar panel on the roof rack for my Tacoma for several reasons, 1) trickle charge my battery 2) keep my dashcam working for a little bit longer than it does now 3) for fun.

If anyone out there has done so, how did you go about it?

I have the basic idea down, I think. I have the Prinsu rack up there and my GMRS stubby

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radio antenna is in the center. My plan was to mount

$95 ECO-WORTHY 100 Watt 12 Volt Solar Panel Kit for RV Battery Boat Trailer Cabin Garden Shed Home: 100W Solar Panel+30A PWM Charge Controller+ Tray Cable + Z Mounting Brackets

this solar panel and charge controller flush with the crossbars on the Prinsu. I am aiming to keep it as aerodynamic as possible. Then I would route the solar cables down the driver side A pillar with the KC Wire Hider into the engine bay and then into the cab.

From there, I could use some suggestions on where to mount the charge controller. I have seen some people put the charge controller in the engine bay, others behind or below the rear driver seat in those storage compartments. Where have you put your charge controller?

From wherever the charge controller gets mounted, then I would route some cables to the battery to trickle charge it and to keep the dashcam running.

Like I mentioned, I think I have the basic idea down, but before I go ahead with this, I could use some guidance from others who have done this.

Thanks so much!

 

Dumb question maybe but doesn’t your alternator do a better job of that? Most people I see run solar to an external power bank like a Jackery for portable power.

 

I did this project back in 2018. Ended up linking it to a dual battery, and adding a power station in the bed that had access. I put the controller under the passenger seat to get it out of the way.

 

Not a dumb question. An alternator turns mechanical energy into electrical energy. That energy comes from the drive belt when the engine is running. When the engine isn't running, it manages the DC power drawn from the battery to the accessories. Eventually the battery runs out of electrical energy and that is what I am looking to curtail by capturing some solar energy and trickling that into the battery.

Your point about the external power bank is a good one! I will have to do some more reading up on that. I have a bedcap and a homemade drawer system. So I can possibly make a cutout for a battery and have the electrons from the panel go to that. Thanks for putting that on my radar.

 

Oh wow! I just spent that last few minutes scrolling through your entire build! Great work! Definitely inspiring. And thank you for sharing your solar setup. I like how you used a second battery in the engine bay. Good to see that the panel sits flush with the rack and fits just about perfectly across the width.
I am for sure gonna follow you build thread!

Thanks so much!

 

Got it. That makes sense. It’s funny, because I just got a bed rack and have pretty much loaded it up with everything I need but I still have a 24” x 48” spot in the middle that’s not really accessible. I’ve also been thinking about mounting a solar panel there and was thinking of a Jackery station in the bed with trickle solar charging and supplemental charging from the bed outlet.

Would mainly run a camping refrigerator, but once you have a portable power source, the ideas start growing.

 

Yeah, I was amazed at how perfectly those panels fit in. Between the panel and the dual battery system, I am pretty safe running accessories. The auto switch protects my starter battery, so I don't ever have to worry about running things too low.

 

I run a Lensun 85w hood panel to a charge controller in my engine compartment. I upgraded to a 27f AGM battery and have run an

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Iceco VL45 fridge in the spot my 40% seat was, 24/7 since August. No issues at all, battery has only dropped to 11ish volts once after sitting in the shade for 4 days camping and not running. Battery sits nicely at 13-14v all the time. The hood panel is a little more than I wanted to pay for it, but worth it so far. Just some food for thought.I’m adding a roof rack next month and I’m looking forward to having the real estate free for some lockable storage.

 

I’ve had a couple different panels on the roof of my truck. Both held down with the double sided tape. First was a bulky type (which worked a lot better) second was a thinner flexible one.

They work great. My real life example. I have a 12v fridge and some USB outlets for phones. Pre-Solar panel after a couple days in 100 degree weather my battery was dead and I had to jump it. Post solar panel same exact scenario battery was perfectly charged after the same time. Have never needed dual with my setup. But I don’t have a lot of extra electrical stuff some people do.

 

I like running off one battery as well. Saves some weight and cost. Simpler is better in my mind. Expansion to a dual set up is always best necessitated by necessity.

 

Do you mean you want to hang a 100w solar panel on the roof rack of your car? You may need some Carabiners to hook the solar panel with your roof rack, just like these pictures below:

 

I'm thinking in between the prinsu rack. Something like this setup.

 

I’m gearing up to do the similar setup in the next couple of weeks. Only using to charge my BLUETTI. You might have to exchange some hardware for a carriage bolt, but this mount should work.

Solar Panel Mounting Bracket Aluminum Solar Panel Z Brackets Roof Solar Panel Bracket for RV, Boat, Wall, Caravans, Yacht and Other Off Gird Installation, Set of 4 Units, Black

Solar Panel Mounting Bracket Aluminum Solar Panel Z Brackets Roof Solar Panel Bracket for RV, Boat, Wall, Caravans, Yacht and Other Off Gird Installation, Set of 4 Units, Black

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0876KV13M

 

I made some trays to mount the panels too, so that the panels would be mounted below my bars, so that I could still carry kayaks. By mounting them to a tray it takes the load off the panel itself should there be an deflection when I carry something.
I took off the bars that are over top of the panels, I just took that pic to illustrate placement.

All in all I like the setup. I would go with Anderson plugs and not SAE, as they allow for a larger power flow to your charge controller.

 

Not quite, but that is pretty neat. That would give me more angles to choose from. Though what I am going for is having a solid solar panel semi-permanently affixed to my roof-rack. The main purpose of the panel would be to trickle charge the battery and keep my dashcam powered up. I appreciate you putting this on my radar.

 

Oh Whoa! Neat!

That's something that I had not thought of! Pretty slick. And you nailed it. Anderson plugs have been popping up while I search for other solar related items. Thanks for sharing your design/build. Something I am going to consider.

 

I’ve got the lensun hood panel too, very pleased with it. I probably would have gone with Cascadia4x4, but they were out of stock for months and I got tired of waiting. I measured my lensun at 96 watts when I installed it and under ideal conditions. I’m using a redarc bcdc40 as the controller.

IMO, so long as we’re only talking about ~100 watts of solar (and no hood scoop), a hood panel is preferable to a rack panel.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...racks-bs-thread.317754/page-546#post-26874442

 

Wh

Which panel do you have? Looked at lensuns website and the panel made for the 3rd gen without hood scoop looks way too small for the amount of area we have on our hoods. Going off grid for 3 months and need to maximize what I can grab. Thanks.

 

I mounted a 100 Watt panel on top of a Harbor Freight case, that is mounted to the rack. I made an air deflector out of a piece of aluminum diamond plate that attaches to the front of the solar panel. That deflector also has a couple of Star Knob screws that also screw into the front of the case. It makes for a very solid connection, and no air can get under the panel to lift it. I can unscrew the two knobs and still open the case. I also added a safety cable to the panel and wrapped that around the roof bars for even more protection. I really don't want it flying off at 75 on the interstate.

I run the wires back into the soft-topper and use the panel to charge a bluetti power station (no controller needed).