Anyone Considered Solar?

So I talked to my boss today. There is a niche market for the 12v panels that are still well made (Japanese/USA/Canada) not the Chinese modules on Amazon and ebay.

If anyone's interested I can find out manufacturer info and possibly model #'s, so you guys aren't throwing money away.

 

the panels i posted links to, the same panels JLee just purchased, are sold by a Canadian company and licensed in the US... but thank you for the offer.

 

Yeah from what I read the ones I just picked up are made here in the states. If you have links to sites that sell well made panels by all means pose them up so people have some good choices.

 

i accept that its still a developing technology. even so, i believe a wide margin of people just dont know dick about solar. what its capable of and better yet, what its current applications are. i live in the desert, i work in the desert, i vacation everywhere. if the solar system saves my ass and my battery even once, its worth it to me. there are few things worse than being stranded in a desert with no cell service and a dead battery.

we will let everyone know, certainly. and thats why i brought up this idea. its clear to me it has not been tried before in this manner within the users of this forum. solar is inefficient, but not ineffective. 20-30% efficiency sucks.. but as the demand increases, technology improves, and public knowledge grows.. so too will solar cell efficiency. think about your LED tv, what just 5 years ago the cost would have been vs today.

nonwithstanding, how are you going to see solar panels glued to the top of a truck, trailer, or RV? i dont believe you can say with any certainty that these solar panels are not used in this manner.

ill ignore that your two comments directly contradict themselves.. but why wouldnt it be an endorsement! theyre living off the shit! thats enough of a statement that it is useful and reliable for me.

no, it is not reasonable, this is what i aim to avoid by installing solar.

i disagree, not all 12v panels are garbage my father has only thirty 12v panels and made 10.5 MWh this year --in upstate Ny. if thats garbage, id like more garbage please.
on top of that, i dont exactly have room for a 6ft x 3ft panel. the roof of my truck MIGHT be a 4' square of usable space. until 30v becomes more practical... 12v will rule.

 

how is the hood more protected than the roof?

i mean it.. if theres a specific advantage that you know of, please share.

as far as im aware though, solar efficiency does drop off as temperature rises. they (and most electronics in general) work better the cooler they are. i would think the hottest place on a vehicle body would be the hood as a result of the engine running around 180-200°F

http://pveducation.org/pvcdrom/solar-cell-operation/effect-of-temperature

(ignore the nerd shit and look at the pictures.. unless you are so inclined.)

 

12v pv systems pioneered the arrays that we have today. 10 years ago 12v were in high demand and built to ensure progress of the technology. The only reason 12v are currently made now is for motorhomes, gate openers and the miscellaneous. 12v is no longer an important voltage in the solar community.
And since they're a niche market your going to pay for it.

30v panels not practical? Is that what your saying? Because my friend, panels are only going to be increasing in volt size and therefore size. There's no money to be made on the limited wattage of 12v panels when you have grid tie systems with 30v pv modules that are costing $.90 per watt. A 12v quality panel runs from $2.50 to $13 per watt. Hmmm. How are 30v panels not practical?

And those GoPower panels you listed earlier. They're trash.
On a 65 degree day with edge of cloud effect you MAY see a amperage close to their quoted specs. On a 100 degree day on a 130 degree hood or roof you'll be seeing an amp or two.

Do a short circuit test on the panels, when you receive them. Take pics and post the results.

 

Just saw this. Either your old man is lying to you or you're lying to us. That's a gold-flavored unicorn semen internet false-fact lie.

 

i may have been incorrect about the panel voltage itself, but certainly not the number of panels or current year production, i have access to his enphase account and went there for the numbers.

open circuit voltage of his panel is 10VDC more than the open circuit voltage of the flexible panels we have been talking about

 

i have a roof top tent over the bed, i dont store anything over the cab, and ive had a lot of branches drag down the sides of my truck but never over the cab.

so, while you feel it may be better positioning.. the engine heat alone is prohibitive. the solar panels themselves arent going to rip and shred over a few tree branches anyways, should it come to that.

 

im not saying 30v panels are impractical overall, im saying a six foot panel is pretty damn impractical to mount on my truck.

"the 12v panel is a niche market for motorhomes gate openers and miscellaneous..."
friend, im putting the panel on my TRUCK. not my house.

JLee decided to be the guinnea pig on the gopower panels though.. im still in afghaniland, waiting anxiously for his report on the matter.

 

I am looking at this point to as described keep my batteries topped off and to charge a few accessories such as tent lantern, AA batteries, etc. during the day at the campsite while we are away. Keeping in mind that a system I can add too and not be limited to adding a panel if needed.

 

Jerry/Chris, look, how many times do you need to be told? Your wasting your money!!!

Get a generator.

 

ill take two.

i could pull that with a 2.7L through western colorado no problems, right?

 

Nope, you need at least to synched together to power a blender, phone, computer and to trickle top off your batteries.

 

Does it have an app for android?
*going wireless/android for the Spod.

 

fuck it. im just going to get one of those chainsaw dildos instead. why use electronics when you can have the raw power of a two stroke!

 

Yep, app based remote start/stop. With a built in fuel level, wattage output/usage indicator, solar vs. diesel savings calculator and a multitude of other handy things to monitor....so you wont get bored on your time in the outdoors of course.

 

You beat me to the punch as I was reading the thread. The worst place EVER for a flexible solar panel is the hood of a vehicle where the heat alone would degrade the output quite a bit. Whichever panel everyone chooses to get, if you want efficiency get the Monocrystaline, not the Poly. My build will have either 3 or 4 Mono panels that will be located on the RTT on my trailer. These will be used to power small electrical items and camp lights.

 

im curious, how would you mount them on your RTT? mine is more or less permanently affixed to my truck... but im at a loss on how i would set it up with the panels installed.

if i can get away with not gluing it to my roof, i will, but at this time the most logical spot regarding my set up is up there.

 

I have a 100w panel hard mounted to the top of my RTT.
The controller and cables store into a small pelican case and I set it up while parked in camp for a few days.
I plug it into the controller and from there it plugs into a 12v cigarette lighter plug wired to my 2nd battery. I also have a 12v heated bed warmer blanket I run off the 2nd battery at night and this panel maintains the 2nd battery while parked in camp.
Reason I charge battery thru cigarette lighter in the bed is I had already wired it to the rear & it saved me having to pull more wires or pop hood and clamp controller to battery.

Bought the panel off of Amazon for a little over 100.00 free shipping