Mounting flexible solar panels

dcwettstein

Well-known member
I would like to purchase the Renogy 100 watt flexible panels for the top of my Big Horn which has a rubber roof. Question is, what should I use to glue them down. After they are fastened down I plan to use RV roof calk around the edges to eliminate air and moisture from getting under the panels. Has anyone had experience with these panels? Thanks.
 

Jim.Allison

Well-known member
There are much better flexible solar panels available for your application. These already have adhesive on them. They are also less $ per watt.

http://www.soldonsun.com/files/UNI-ePVL-Datasheet.pdf

http://www.soldonsun.com/Pr/Solar/Mod/UNI-Modules.html

Call these guys and they will set you up with something you can work with. Be sure you go with Morningstar MPPT charger controller

A morning star MPPT charger/controller's processor will automatically process your watts to charging power for your batts.Regardless of the technical data it comes to $/watt

200 watts $440 $2.20/watt
288 watts $460 $1.59/watt

If you look at my pics you will see 2 sets of panels each set is 24v in series for 48v and 4.5 amps. Those 2 sets are then hooked in parallel for 48v and 9 amps. So my input to my controller is 48v @ 9 amps. or 432 watts nominal. My panels put out a lot more than what they are advertised at.

I always keep an eye toward expanding the system. Put your money in batts, and a charger and a couple of panels, then add panels and batts as needed.

I will tell you that mine has no trouble keeping up. And I have purchased the solution to one of my biggest inverter drains and that is running a CPAP (medical device) on inverter AC when it can be run on DC directly. That one change is going to give me extra recovery ability as I will not be using 10 to 15 X more energy than what is required to run it straight off of DC.

The surface of the panels are self cleaning, and designed to collect sunlight from multiple angles. The adhesive is already on the back and is safe for RV roofing. It is a true peel and stick and plug and play.

I hope this helps.


I would like to purchase the Renogy 100 watt flexible panels for the top of my Big Horn which has a rubber roof. Question is, what should I use to glue them down. After they are fastened down I plan to use RV roof calk around the edges to eliminate air and moisture from getting under the panels. Has anyone had experience with these panels? Thanks.
 
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dcwettstein

Well-known member
I also found them on Amazon. Why do you run 2 in series? If you would run all in Parallel you would get more amps. I was thinking of about 400 Watts on the roof but in this case it would be 432 watts. Why a MPPT controler and not a PWM? I was thinking about a Morningstar TS-45 TriStar 45 Amp Charge Controller 12-48V PWM. What wire size did you use from the roof to the controller? I was thinking #4.

 

Jim.Allison

Well-known member
Because 48 volts travels through your wire with less line loss. The MPPT controller gets every drop of sunshine into battery charge. Go to Morning star and look at FAQs, there is a good illustration there. MPPT is a good thing, but it is even better the larger your system. You will find that every advantage counts in your solar system, this is just one of those advantages. With the controller I have, I can expand if need be, it is programmable for custom settings with dip switches, but if you want you can download a program to adjust the morningstar tristar internally for your batteries.

There are a couple of MPPT, mine is a little pricy but morning star has some for less. This is an area where you can save a few bucks.

By increasing your voltage and decreasing line loss, I was able to go #10. But this is all predicated on how far you are going with your line. I went from the front of my rig to the washer plumbing vent then down into the basement ( we don't have a washer). My run was a little longer than what a 10 ga should run but within tolerance. There is nothing missing as far as power loss is concerned. What I got upstates is downstairs too. So, I like it. I know that there are people on youtube that will talk about their larger wire. But it all comes down to the math. Look at the data provided for your current, and the number of feet you want to travel with it, and you will find the right wire. Dont second guess it. I have been told 100 time my 10 ga is not big enough, but my volt meter and results say it is.

BTW, my taxman says that you can get a tax credit for installing a solar system on your home and that a travel trailer is classified as a home by the IRS. So you might want to check into that. according to him you spend 2K you get $600 credit. Sounds like a good deal to me.

You should buy a charger that will accommodate your input voltages, but hook the panel in series. The voltagedoes not matter as long as you get the volts to the solar charger. Ohms law dictates that volts X amps = watts. Your solar charger will process that into 13 to 14.5 volts and X amps to charge your batts. Your job is to get the voltage and amps there. High voltage, less amps, smaller wire, better solar charger= great charging for great batts.

I also found them on Amazon. Why do you run 2 in series? If you would run all in Parallel you would get more amps. I was thinking of about 400 Watts on the roof but in this case it would be 432 watts. Why a MPPT controler and not a PWM? I was thinking about a Morningstar TS-45 TriStar 45 Amp Charge Controller 12-48V PWM. What wire size did you use from the roof to the controller? I was thinking #4.

 

dcwettstein

Well-known member
Jim
How do I see the pictures of your panels? do they work in shade or do you loose quite a bit of power? I am leaning towards the panels you have but they are 17 feet long. My DW says So what if they are long, you don't see them on the roof. I was thinking of 400 watts on the roof but with 4 of the 144 watt panels I would have 576. That should be enough for our 5er.
 

Jim.Allison

Well-known member
Click on my name, select profile, select photos, select album. IF you cannot see the photos, send me a personal message and I will attach some for you.
Jim
How do I see the pictures of your panels? do they work in shade or do you loose quite a bit of power? I am leaning towards the panels you have but they are 17 feet long. My DW says So what if they are long, you don't see them on the roof. I was thinking of 400 watts on the roof but with 4 of the 144 watt panels I would have 576. That should be enough for our 5er.
 

Jim.Allison

Well-known member
You do have to measure closely, but these resist shutting down because of shade. Infact I do not experience any problem when the AC shadows part of one. Look at my photos and you will see. When you see these you will realize that you do not have to seal them. But if you feel you must then seal it, I just dont think its necessary. They are designed to accumulate energy even when the sun is low in the sky. The surface is not completely smooth, it is semi rough, this is the technology that helps collect light.
 

dcwettstein

Well-known member
Thanks for the pictures. Looks good. I think I will be Getting 4 of these in the next month or so. Thanks for the info.
 

Jim.Allison

Well-known member
Measure real close, draw it with a sharpie or a chalk line, be real careful when you roll it out. I practiced rolled mine a couple of time. I had marks along the edge where i wanted them to roll out, so with a helper, I followed the instructions to get it started, then peeled the backing off as instructed by the instructions. I hit all my marks and no wrinkles, wrinkles are bad, bad bad. BTW wash it the evening before with a medium mixture of your wifes dishwashing soap, like Dawn. I bought a bristle brush from Lowes about 8 inches wide to scrub with, I used a rag also, rinse thoroughly, get out there early in the morning, dry moisture off with leaf blower, wipe down with isopropyl alcohol, stick them down while still cool. If it gets too hot the backing will have difficulty peeling off. Good luck and keep this thread going so we can see your progress.

Thanks for the pictures. Looks good. I think I will be Getting 4 of these in the next month or so. Thanks for the info.
 

dcwettstein

Well-known member
I purchased 2-Uni-Solar PVL-136 Power Bond PVL 136 Watt 24 Volt Flexible Solar Panel.

Amazon didn't have the 144 panels and the cost of the 136 panels were over $40 cheaper each.

As soon as these are on the roof I will be getting 2 more, Just wanted to know how these would fit. Also purchased a Morningstar TS-45 TriStar 45 Amp Charge Controller 12-48V PWM' The cost of the MPPT was to much for the little it would get me in more energy.

If I had a larger array then I could justify it. Also purchased MorningStar TriStar TS-RM-2 Solar Panel Charge Controller Meter. I will not be able to do the install until labor day because the 5er is 2 hours away.

After I get this done I will be getting a Xantrex Freedom SW3012 or 2012 12V Inverter/Charger. Have not decided on 2000W or 3000W. Cost difference under $200. Also a Xantrex System Control Panel - 809-0921.
 
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Jim.Allison

Well-known member
Good for you, sounds like you have done some study. Take your time and do it like you want. The problem with the larger inverter/chargers is that they have an internal power draw. In the Xantrex the draw is the same for the 2012 as it is for the 3012, and there is not that much price difference. So I went with the 3012. But if you look in the rig, the only thing that approaches needing the 3000 watts is the microwave, I do like me some stuff out of the microwave from time to time. LOL. So a couple hundred bucks and and you have a 3000 watt instead of a 2000 watt. When you get ready to wire the thing in, you know that your inverter can assist your generator for that brief period when power is requested from the generator and the generator has to spool up? Who knows what you will be using that inverter for? We might have a disaster and you will be running a solar camp.....lol

I purchased 2-Uni-Solar PVL-136 Power Bond PVL 136 Watt 24 Volt Flexible Solar Panel.

Amazon didn't have the 144 panels and the cost of the 136 panels were over $40 cheaper each.

As soon as these are on the roof I will be getting 2 more, Just wanted to know how these would fit. Also purchased a Morningstar TS-45 TriStar 45 Amp Charge Controller 12-48V PWM' The cost of the MPPT was to much for the little it would get me in more energy.

If I had a larger array then I could justify it. Also purchased MorningStar TriStar TS-RM-2 Solar Panel Charge Controller Meter. I will not be able to do the install until labor day because the 5er is 2 hours away.

After I get this done I will be getting a Xantrex Freedom SW3012 or 2012 12V Inverter/Charger. Have not decided on 2000W or 3000W. Cost difference under $200. Also a Xantrex System Control Panel - 809-0921.
 

porthole

Retired
getting a Xantrex Freedom SW3012 or 2012 12V Inverter/Charger. Have not decided on 2000W or 3000W. Cost difference under $200. Also a Xantrex System Control Panel - 809-0921.

Look at Magnum as well.
I would also suggest checking into customer service history with both.

I've had good luck in the past with Heart Interface inverters, which was bought out by xantrex. Xantrex's higher end inverters are the original Heart design.

My experience with xantrex is such that I'll never buy another xantrex product.
 

dcwettstein

Well-known member
I was told on another forum that I will loose 50% of my power by using the PWM controller viruses the MPPT so I think I may be returning it and replace it with a MPPT. They said it would work but If I use the PWM I should have 12 volt panels because the controller will drop the voltage down to the 12 volt batteries and I would be wasting the extra power. Do you know is this is correct?

 

Jim.Allison

Well-known member
I dont think it is that severe. But I do prefer the MPPT. The larger your battery bank the more critical this is. But percentages matter on small batt systems. Sometimes 15% better efficiencies are critical when boondocking.

Read Morningstars white paper on the subject. I don't think the percentages that you quoted are accurate, but the concept is accurate. If you can harvest more of what your panels are catching for you then that equals a certain amount of panel you don't have to buy and maintain. So my opinion is that anything that improves the system is a plus. its about taking sunshine and putting it into your batteries. None of this is cheap.

Search youtube MPPT vs PWM.
Search Morningstar MPPT vs PWM
Try to find Morningstars White paper on the subject.

I was told on another forum that I will loose 50% of my power by using the PWM controller viruses the MPPT so I think I may be returning it and replace it with a MPPT. They said it would work but If I use the PWM I should have 12 volt panels because the controller will drop the voltage down to the 12 volt batteries and I would be wasting the extra power. Do you know is this is correct?

 

dcwettstein

Well-known member
Thanks for all the information. I read the white paper and decided to go with the MPPT controller. According to Morningstar the MPPT controller will process the higher voltage and give you more amps in charging and the PWM will not use the extra voltage above what the batteries put out. So what I understand is all the extra voltage would be wasted with the PWM controller.
Again thank you for all you help and information.
Dennis
 

branson4020

Icantre Member
I would like to purchase the Renogy 100 watt flexible panels for the top of my Big Horn which has a rubber roof. Question is, what should I use to glue them down. After they are fastened down I plan to use RV roof calk around the edges to eliminate air and moisture from getting under the panels. Has anyone had experience with these panels? Thanks.

OK,
I'm interested in the answer to this original post. I'm ready to add solar and these Renogy bendable, laminated panels look very interesting. I'm not interested in the Unisolar product because I just don't have the real estate for that 18' panel. So, how DO you fasten them to the rubber roof?
 

Jim.Allison

Well-known member
Don't they have the shorter version anymore?
OK,
I'm interested in the answer to this original post. I'm ready to add solar and these Renogy bendable, laminated panels look very interesting. I'm not interested in the Unisolar product because I just don't have the real estate for that 18' panel. So, how DO you fasten them to the rubber roof?
 

TandT

Founding Utah Chapter Leaders-Retired
Renogy makes a good "bang for the buck" product. I have 2 of their 100 watt fixed panels and they have performed well.
Plus they seem to be a good company to deal with. Trace
 
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