Fixed solar upgrade. Flexi or rigid?

[Adscan]

I have started to try and get the old panel off the roof and it is proving to be difficult. I have a windscreen removal kit which has two handles and a reel of smooth wire. I have started at a corner and the wire is cutting into the sika but it is grabbing and getting hard to pull.
Any advice from those that have removed a panel this way and is there anything else i should be trying.
I think i will get some braided wire so that it will saw through the sika more smoothly and hopefully not bind up so much under the panel.

 

[Frampers]

I have designed what I think to be an excellent solar panel mounting method that I first fitted to an old T5.1 I had a few years ago (see attached pictures)...

I have since improved the idea and made it more polished by neatly integrating it with Dakine roof pads which makes the whole set up look like a real high end purpose built solar mounting method. The custom powder coated mounting rails are secured to the roof rails with four high quality Rivet Nuts in each.... then the Perlight 175 watt solar panel is mounted on the rails in a stealth yet practical manner... the cable is ran via the rear light grommet meaning no holes need to be drilled into the roof / panels of the van. All in all I think it’s a pretty neat solution... and great if you want to use the roof to carry a surfboards or paddle boards.

I have a 110 amp leisure battery with a mini LG fridge that in summer is left on 24/7. The 175 watt panel & Victron MPPT combination is absolutely QUALITY and keeps the battery fully charged whilst under a reasonable load even in poor sunlight.

Essentially the kit consists of :
1 x Perlight 175 watt solar panel
1 x Victron solar MPPT
10m of solar cable
1 pair of Roof Bars
1 pair of Dakine Roof Rack Pads
1 pair of powder coated mounting rails
Nuts bolts washers and rubber dampers

I am tempted to offer the kit for sale and instillation on a low volume basis or even make up a batch of DIY 'Kits' which would consist of Roof Bars, Solar Panel Rails & Dakine Pads intended for self instal.

Let me know what you think?

Cheers!

I purchased this setup for our camper. It’s spot on. Great idea!

 

[Rioja John]

I installed my 200 watt renogy flexible panel a couple of weeks ago, I fitted to a sheet of 10mm twin wall stuck down with VB tape done 2 motorway journeys reaching 70mph and the twin wall is stuck down good.

 

[middle-englander]

I installed my 200 watt renogy flexible panel a couple of weeks ago, I fitted to a sheet of 10mm twin wall stuck down with VB tape done 2 motorway journeys reaching 70mph and the twin wall is stuck down good.


View attachment 296006

Did you VHB tape the lot directly to the roof or did you put any PPF down first? Not sure how difficult the tape might be to get off one day.

 

[Rioja John]

Did you VHB tape the lot directly to the roof or did you put any PPF down first? Not sure how difficult the tape might be to get off one day.

I marked the twinwall with marker pen for the solar panel screw holes then sikaflexed the plastic screws through the twinwall, let this set. Them I used a wiping solution where the tape was going to make contact with the roof ridges did the same on the reverse of the twin wall, stuck the tape to twinwall and mounted it on the roof gave it a good pressing down all along the ridges. Then put panel on top and with plastic nuts I hand tightened them down and used no PPF at all.

 

[Green Giant]

I am doing an ‘experiment’ with our semi flexible 210w solar panel install, this panel comes with its own peel and stick adhesive backing, and a 5 year manufacture guarantee.
My thinking is, this panel is made to stick to a surface without an air flow underneath, in our case a poptop, so that’s what I’ve done, it should be easier to remove than sikaflex if/when the time comes.
Panel was great out in Iceland for the last month, as by the time I’d woke up in the morning the battery was full, the joys of 24 hr daylight

 

[Adscan]

I am doing an ‘experiment’ with our semi flexible 210w solar panel install, this panel comes with its own peel and stick adhesive backing, and a 5 year manufacture guarantee.
My thinking is, this panel is made to stick to a surface without an air flow underneath, in our case a poptop, so that’s what I’ve done, it should be easier to remove than sikaflex if/when the time comes.
Panel was great out in Iceland for the last month, as by the time I’d woke up in the morning the battery was full, the joys of 24 hr daylightView attachment 296080

That looks like a tidy panel, how secure does it feel? Do you have a link to this panel?

 

[JonJC]

How about a rigid set up like this?

View attachment 290892

View attachment 290893

It’s a nice set up that.
How do you run the cables into the van?
Where are you based please?

 

[TheBambooBus]

It’s a nice set up that.
How do you run the cables into the van?
Where are you based please?

Thanks!

The cable is run down and through the rear light cluster grommet so no need to drill any holes.

I’m based in West Sussex on the south coast.

 

[Kradders]

Hi. Im Looking at solar panels for my van. Can I ask one thing though. Do you think the extra weight of the solar panel will be an issue for the gas struts or the scissor hinge on the pop top? I have a skyline fitted and they don’t recommend putting any extra weight on it.

 

[Drive Wayne]

Hi. Im Looking at solar panels for my van. Can I ask one thing though. Do you think the extra weight of the solar panel will be an issue for the gas struts or the scissor hinge on the pop top? I have a skyline fitted and they don’t recommend putting any extra weight on it.

I have an 18.4kg rigid on my poptop, it's been on for 12 months with no complaints from the gas struts or hinges. A semi flexi one will be lighter so no issues would be expected.

 

[The Bear78]

Hi. Im Looking at solar panels for my van. Can I ask one thing though. Do you think the extra weight of the solar panel will be an issue for the gas struts or the scissor hinge on the pop top? I have a skyline fitted and they don’t recommend putting any extra weight on it.

If you find out the weights of the panels you are thinking of buying, you could make something up to test the struts?

 

[Salty Spuds]

Hi. Im Looking at solar panels for my van. Can I ask one thing though. Do you think the extra weight of the solar panel will be an issue for the gas struts or the scissor hinge on the pop top? I have a skyline fitted and they don’t recommend putting any extra weight on it.

No issues here, and I can’t recall anyone on the forum mentioning problems with roof weight after a solar installation.

 

[Kradders]

I have designed what I think to be an excellent solar panel mounting method that I first fitted to an old T5.1 I had a few years ago (see attached pictures)...

I have since improved the idea and made it more polished by neatly integrating it with Dakine roof pads which makes the whole set up look like a real high end purpose built solar mounting method. The custom powder coated mounting rails are secured to the roof rails with four high quality Rivet Nuts in each.... then the Perlight 175 watt solar panel is mounted on the rails in a stealth yet practical manner... the cable is ran via the rear light grommet meaning no holes need to be drilled into the roof / panels of the van. All in all I think it’s a pretty neat solution... and great if you want to use the roof to carry a surfboards or paddle boards.

I have a 110 amp leisure battery with a mini LG fridge that in summer is left on 24/7. The 175 watt panel & Victron MPPT combination is absolutely QUALITY and keeps the battery fully charged whilst under a reasonable load even in poor sunlight.

Essentially the kit consists of :
1 x Perlight 175 watt solar panel
1 x Victron solar MPPT
10m of solar cable
1 pair of Roof Bars
1 pair of Dakine Roof Rack Pads
1 pair of powder coated mounting rails
Nuts bolts washers and rubber dampers

I am tempted to offer the kit for sale and instillation on a low volume basis or even make up a batch of DIY 'Kits' which would consist of Roof Bars, Solar Panel Rails & Dakine Pads intended for self instal.

Let me know what you think?

Cheers!

Can I ask where you got th powder coated bracket from?

 

[Captain Quick]

I’ve been following the discussion about adding weight to a pop-top as I’m currently in the process of adding a PV panel to the roof of my Hillside Birchover conversion.

In planning my installation, I’ve been keen to avoid adding any significant weight or height to the roof, and I didn’t want the potential grief of having a flexible panel bonded directly onto the pop-top roof panel. So, inspired by some Australian campervanners, I’ve opted for a slightly different approach and have bonded a flexible panel (a 200W Renogy) to a sheet of 10mm twinwall polycarbonate sheet which I’ll be mounting to the roof channels using alloy L-profile angle. I’d thought about bonding this sandwich directly to the roof but chose to go with the channels as they could be removed easily if needed.

So far things are heading in the right direction. The weight of this PV panel/twinwall ‘sandwich’, which has turned out surprisingly rigid, is just 6.1 kg and should sit just 5mm above the existing roof height, which I what I was aiming for. I just need to paint the profiles and then attach these to the panel and we’ll be good to go.

 

[Skyliner33]

I’ve been following the discussion about adding weight to a pop-top as I’m currently in the process of adding a PV panel to the roof of my Hillside Birchover conversion.

In planning my installation, I’ve been keen to avoid adding any significant weight or height to the roof, and I didn’t want the potential grief of having a flexible panel bonded directly onto the pop-top roof panel. So, inspired by some Australian campervanners, I’ve opted for a slightly different approach and have bonded a flexible panel (a 200W Renogy) to a sheet of 10mm twinwall polycarbonate sheet which I’ll be mounting to the roof channels using alloy L-profile angle. I’d thought about bonding this sandwich directly to the roof but chose to go with the channels as they could be removed easily if needed.

So far things are heading in the right direction. The weight of this PV panel/twinwall ‘sandwich’, which has turned out surprisingly rigid, is just 6.1 kg and should sit just 5mm above the existing roof height, which I what I was aiming for. I just need to paint the profiles and then attach these to the panel and we’ll be good to go.

Photos?

 

[Kradders]

I’ve been following the discussion about adding weight to a pop-top as I’m currently in the process of adding a PV panel to the roof of my Hillside Birchover conversion.

In planning my installation, I’ve been keen to avoid adding any significant weight or height to the roof, and I didn’t want the potential grief of having a flexible panel bonded directly onto the pop-top roof panel. So, inspired by some Australian campervanners, I’ve opted for a slightly different approach and have bonded a flexible panel (a 200W Renogy) to a sheet of 10mm twinwall polycarbonate sheet which I’ll be mounting to the roof channels using alloy L-profile angle. I’d thought about bonding this sandwich directly to the roof but chose to go with the channels as they could be removed easily if needed.

So far things are heading in the right direction. The weight of this PV panel/twinwall ‘sandwich’, which has turned out surprisingly rigid, is just 6.1 kg and should sit just 5mm above the existing roof height, which I what I was aiming for. I just need to paint the profiles and then attach these to the panel and we’ll be good to go.

This sounds like a great idea. Can you post pictures when you’ve done it?

 

[Captain Quick]

This sounds like a great idea. Can you post pictures when you’ve done it?

I’m tied up with some other projects over the next few days but will be back on the case later in the week when I’ll be painting the profiles and starting to assemble the frame. I’ll do some pictures then.

 

[TheBambooBus]

Can I ask where you got th powder coated bracket from?

I cut it, primed it, and powder coat it myself.

 

[Captain Quick]

I finally got round to finishing off my solar panel install using a flexible Renogy 200W PV panel and twinwall sandwich. It’s been on the van a couple of weeks now and done a few motorway trips which has given me confidence with this approach. I’m particularly pleased that there is no increase in wind noise or any vibration. In the final version, I replaced the two L section cross bars that I originally used with a couple of 1290mm aluminium 3030 profile bars which are much stronger. All in the total additional weight was 7.5kg that has made no difference to either opening or closing the roof.