Flexible Solar Panel Installation (with air gap, but no drilling) on my Lance 1575 Travel Trailer

Рет қаралды 6,214

4 жыл бұрын

Installed June 2019.
2 x 100 Watt Flexible from Rich Solar
Silver 3/4 in. x 96 in. Cove Cap Transition Strip
www.homedepot.com/p/TrafficMA...
PVC Composite Board (not the actual stuff I used, but closet I could find that is availbel)
www.lowes.com/pd/Royal-Buildi...
Stainless T-Nuts, 10-24" Inch
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
10-24 x 1 Socket Head Cap Screws
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...

Пікірлер: 27

@joshseal2000 Жыл бұрын

Quick update : The panels are still working as of March 2023, we go camping every month and live in San Jose, CA to give a sense of usage. I haven't had to do anything to them apart from clean them occasionally. I do however think that as some people have commented angling them just slightly so that water doesn't pool on them would be an excellent improvement. I also think having slightly more support underneath the panels would be nice to prevent unwanted bowing of the panels which allow water to pool.

@JazerMartinez 5 ай бұрын

Thanks for the update. Have you done anything new? We have the same RV.

@jimsjacob 3 жыл бұрын

Well done lad! And of course the British accent lends a certain air of sophistication to the whole thing. 😂

@tekmantoo 4 жыл бұрын

Great tutorial. Appreciate all the info you shared.

@richardcaldwell6159 3 жыл бұрын

Nice thinking. A tip: make the spacers on the inboard side thicker than the outboard spacers. This will tilt your panel to the side, giving a tad better solar exposure (if you remember to park the "right" way) while preventing ponding. And there's no need to block air and flex the panel in the middle.

@peterdavila3045 3 жыл бұрын

Very nice. A good way of mounting flexible panels. For draining rain, how about making the supports towards the middle of the RV roof a little taller than the ones on the outside of the roof. This way, the panels are sloped slightly downwards towards the gutter. I suppose something else that could be done is add a wire or rope connection from one of the panel mounting holes to some fixed location on the roof of the RV, e.g. AC. So if the worst case were to happen and the panel comes flying off the roof they're saved by the rope.

@InnovativeSustainableSolutions 3 жыл бұрын

@1:52 the air gap under the panels was a smart idea. You would not believe how much more productive these panels are when elevated off the surface of the vehicle. www.patreon.com/SunEater1 I have a post here with pictures of panel output doubling when elevated off the vehicle surface. Good machining on the mounting set-up, I like that. You should consider running your panels in parallel though (and adding a third 100w). By generating 200w @ 40v and having your charge controller step-down the voltage to your 12v battery bank you create three drawbacks. 1) Heat. The electrical process of stepping up-down voltage generates lots of waste heat that you don't want in that compartment. 2) Wasted power. You lose 7-11% of your wattage when you step the voltage up/down. The amperage would be higher in a 200 watt 12v setup, and higher amps do create a little more heating in the wires, but you will come out ahead in the long run by atleast 7-9%. 3) Better output in partial shade. If you park in such a way that 1 of your 2 panels is shaded with them in series the output from BOTH panels drops to 0. With 2 (or 3) panels in parallel, if you shade 1, you still get the output from the others, when one is shaded.

@joshseal2000 3 жыл бұрын

Really appreciate the feedback here! I had gone with series to try and minimize losses in the cabling, and hadn't considered the DC conversion losses. Vicron states their DC/DC conversion efficiency is 97.5% at 48V, but I couldn't find any detailed information in regards to efficiency throughout the full input range, so it could be much worse. Also, I hadn't consider a partial shading situation. I'll really have to think about switching to parallel. Thanks!

@msach4277 3 жыл бұрын

Nice setup, gives me some ideas. However I would maybe worry about strong cross winds lifting the panel up (?). Also I have seen some use a track in which bolts will slide back and forth, this is useful if you ever replace the panels, or the ones one may have are crap, and other panels have the holes in other places, sliding bolt in trac could accommodate this.

@joshseal2000 3 жыл бұрын

Never had any issues with cross wind, however that panels have sagged a little in areas without support, so I would recommend adding some form of structure underneath (which will not trap water underneath). The tracks are a great idea, but pricey.

@kurtwagner3722 4 жыл бұрын

Looks like a great approach and I like the taller air gap this provides vs mounting on top of corrugated plastic board. My only concern is getting Trex to bond to anything.... Is the eternabond tape (wrapped edge to edge on the PVC roof) providing the bulk of the bonding strength? How has this turned out for you? Is the panel secure at highway speeds and safe from vibration?

@joshseal2000 4 жыл бұрын

There is double sided tape underneath and then tape around the edges. No signs of issues, even after many trips on the highway.

@db-ro2zy 2 жыл бұрын

OK it’s been a year according to the timestamp on the video. How have the brackets on the roof holding up? Flexible panels I have a history of deteriorating in a year or two with the amount of efficiency they’re rated for. How are your panels holding up? Thanks it was a good video.

@joshseal2000 2 жыл бұрын

I actually installed them in June 2019, and have left exposed to the elements ever since. They have warped slightly where they are not supported, so I would change the design somewhat to better support them, but they are still working well.

@innerflamekundalini 3 жыл бұрын

I am interested in purchasing this same lance travel trailer and installing a similar solar setup. Was it prewired for solar or did you have to do this yourself?

@joshseal2000 3 жыл бұрын

You need to add it as an option before they build, or make sure it's on the list at the dealer. But don't add too many accessories because they add a lot of weight and mean you can't carry lots of stuff.

@rossdeanda2655 2 ай бұрын

Saw in 2023 you said they were holding up. I’m in the process of mirroring your project. Now In 2024 how are they holding up? Any issues any corrections? Do you still have them set up?

@joshseal2000 2 ай бұрын

Yes, they are still working well. The only issue is the panels sag in some areas and cause water to pool. Which means I need to clean them now and then (which is probably a good idea anyhow).

@SaMiChi 4 жыл бұрын

Interesting setup. How has these held up? Is there any loud sound/vibrations when on the highway?

@joshseal2000 4 жыл бұрын

Pretty well, no issues to report. The panels have warped a little, but still performing well. No issues on the highway, although I probably couldn't hear it even if there was.

@SaMiChi 4 жыл бұрын

@@joshseal2000 Thanks for the reply, gives me a better idea on how to approach this. A lot of people just used corrugated plastic and I just don't think it's enough of a gap.