Solar Panels - Roof Mounted or Foldable?

What is your experience with having either roof mounted solar or a foldable panel that you take out?

I opted for the foldable panel as I already have my RRT above the cab so I couldnt mount them in a discreet location on the truck cap. I have found that the foldable panel is kind of a pain in the butt though. Always having to deploy it and put it away and dealing with the size and weight get old. The only advantage is that you can orient it more efficiently but I'm not sure that get you more overall than having the panel flat and always hooked up....

 

I'm waffling between the two. A prinsu mounted panel on the roof would be a good setup, but I would lose half my rack real estate. Plus I tend to park where my camp is in the shade, so a foldable panel I could put out in the sun and stay cool in the shade myself has a lot of benefit.

 

That was my thought too but I've found that to be challenging to pull off. I end up having to move the PV panel around a bunch so it stays in the sun... not a good way to kick back and enjoy the beers.

 

True. With the roof panel, it would always get sun, but never at an optimal angle for power generation. I can see the merits of both options.

 

I chose the panel option, built the controller into a peli-case with meters, and a direct connection to the RV trailer, and alligator clips for a vehicle. I can move it around to maximize the sun, keep it safe and secure while driving, and plug it into either the truck or the trailer. It's worked great for us.

 

That is nice!

 

I like the Peli set up! its nice that you have the flexibility to switch between your trailer and the truck.

 

A lot of the time at the campsite the trailer is in the shade and I just throw the panel up onto the Prinsu;

 

yeah it feels more and more like the most sun you're gonna get is while driving. But if your getting enough at camp without moving the panels around too much its seems like both ways work...

 

How big is your panel? Looks like it must be around 200 watts? I could see that being a bit more difficult to handle/move regularly.

We have a foldable solar panel that opens up to be about 20x57 inches or so (edited size, had to look it up). It's enough for us, but we don't have too much needing electricity besides some LED lights, the fridge, and our cell phones. It's really lightweight.


I think the ultimate setup would be to have both solid mount and a portable panel. But if I had one or the other it would definitely be portable. The difference in output seems very high when you can adjust it once in awhile. And like others often say, much easier to park in the shade and run the panel out into direct sunlight.

 

You are correct its a 200W panel. its pretty bulky, 42"X42" when deployed.. and it weighs in at 42 lbs which isnt all that heavy but is awkward to open and close. The only advantage of the weight is that the wind isnt going to knock it over!

 

Do you need the 200W, or is your battery/batteries always topped off?

Mine has definitely been knocked down in the wind. It also isn't to be used in the rain. But I figure in the rain, it prolly wouldn't be making much power anyhow, so might as well not put it up.

 

I'm doing some heavy photo/video editing a couple hours a day which really gets my computer going so I opted for 200W. If I wasnt doing that i would easily be able to get away with 100W.

 

i went the lazy way and did a 100w setup on the roof of the truck, i dont like having to deal with moving shit around lol

 

Are you getting the charge you need that way?

 

I had mine mounted on the Prinsu camper shell. Worked great.

 

for me, yes, with a large second battery, its always topped off and keeps the frig going. But when looking at the charge graphs, you can see that it only peaks out right at noon when sun is directly overhead. then drops to like 30w charging

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7IKlS8Z2Nc
Nice little breakdown

 

nice!

 

I'm thinking of doing a solar setup. I have a Prinsu rack and a Softopper. I tote kayaks on the Prinsu and have an ARB awning on the driver side, so real estate is null up top. Would most likely have a prop-up unit to aim at the sun. Where are you guys sourcing your kits? Are the Harbor Freight packages any good? We'd only me running LED lights, charging phones, possibly plugging in fans, etc.