Solar panel affixed to hood?

joelwho

joelwho

Adventurer
Has anyone attached a solar panel to the hood of their rig? I'm looking for a fixed solution to power my Indel 50 fridge which doesn't require shuffling panels. I run a roof tent which occupies the entirety of the roof rack, so the roof isn't an option. Thanks in advance for any help


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IdaSHO

IdaSHO

IDACAMPER
There is a thread about hood mounted solar somewhere.

Personally Id avoid it if you can, simply with respect to heat and loss of efficiency.
 
joelwho

joelwho

Adventurer
IdaSHO said:
There is a thread about hood mounted solar somewhere.

Personally Id avoid it if you can, simply with respect to heat and loss of efficiency.
Click to expand...

My search found one thread, but it appears abandoned without resolution.

And I'm a newbie working with solar, I'm not up to speed yet with loss due to heat. Thank you for your input
 
IdaSHO

IdaSHO

IDACAMPER
Your welcome.

FYI, heat generated from the panel itself is enough to become a factor with regards to efficiency.

Adding heat(soak) from the hood of a vehicle isnt exactly the best thing to do.


But at the end of the day, it may very well be the best solution when concerning space.
 
Herbie

Herbie

Rendezvous Conspirator
My other concern would be reflections - I imagine driving south/east at a certain point in the day would result in a lot of sunlight being bounced back into the driver's eyes - they absorb a ton of light, but they're still a somewhat shiny glass surface after all.
 
Buddha.

Buddha.

Finally in expo white.
Herbie said:
My other concern would be reflections - I imagine driving south/east at a certain point in the day would result in a lot of sunlight being bounced back into the driver's eyes - they absorb a ton of light, but they're still a somewhat shiny glass surface after all.
Click to expand...

x2
My old Mustang's factory hood scoop would reflect sunlight back at the windshield. It was annoying.
 
joelwho

joelwho

Adventurer
IdaSHO said:
Your welcome.

FYI, heat generated from the panel itself is enough to become a factor with regards to efficiency.

Adding heat(soak) from the hood of a vehicle isnt exactly the best thing to do.


But at the end of the day, it may very well be the best solution when concerning space.
Click to expand...

I guess like everything else, it's a compromise.

Thanks
 
C

calicamper

Expedition Leader
After two seasons with our solar set up. I think being able to move the panel around to the sunny spots is a must.

Oh and yes heat impacts power output. We just had a 85 degree day my pool solar temp showed 98 on the roof. My Solar panels saw a 30% hit, compared to the prior day where my roof temp maxed out at 75. It was cool but sunny.

This is also why I cringe when I see panels flush mounted in a manner that limits air flow under the panel.

My camping rig is micro 2 10watt panels and a 18hr battery. We dont have a fridge ;-)

My house system? 29 285 watt LG panels running micro inverters with a smart hub lets me track each panel.
On a cool sunny day in March we do 44kilowatt hours. Mid july well be around 50kwh. Feb we do 18-22kwh. Our winter power burn rate is 25kwh in 24hrs. Thats with a 7kwh plugin charging every night.

Summer with pool equipment running were burning between 35-42kwh in 24hrs.
 
IdaSHO

IdaSHO

IDACAMPER
Yep, the evidence is there and provides good reason to sacrifice a small trade-off in weight for efficiency, when comparing rigid panels mounted with an air gap and flexible panels adhered right to the roof surface.
 
joelwho

joelwho

Adventurer
calicamper said:
After two seasons with our solar set up. I think being able to move the panel around to the sunny spots is a must.

Oh and yes heat impacts power output. We just had a 85 degree day my pool solar temp showed 98 on the roof. My Solar panels saw a 30% hit, compared to the prior day where my roof temp maxed out at 75. It was cool but sunny.

This is also why I cringe when I see panels flush mounted in a manner that limits air flow under the panel.

My camping rig is micro 2 10watt panels and a 18hr battery. We dont have a fridge ;-)

My house system? 29 285 watt LG panels running micro inverters with a smart hub lets me track each panel.
On a cool sunny day in March we do 44kilowatt hours. Mid july well be around 50kwh. Feb we do 18-22kwh. Our winter power burn rate is 25kwh in 24hrs. Thats with a 7kwh plugin charging every night.

Summer with pool equipment running were burning between 35-42kwh in 24hrs.
Click to expand...

That's a lot of good information!
 
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