solar panel output vs. tilt angle

Almot wrote:
PV Watts is a good site.

This one is good too. If you need a semi-annual tilt, i.e. one for winter and another one, flatter, for summer, it will give you the numbers for your latitude.

For simplicity - and considering mentioned above dangers of climbing up and down too often - you can just have a winter angle, lay it flat for summer which will also be a "travel" position.

it will be easy to adjust before I put it up. The plan is to have a pipe with the panels attached that I just lift and drop into a 2' long tube attached to the trailer A frame tongue. The scheme I have will allow me to attach the panels to the pipe and set the angle while it is basically on the ground. Once installed, I'll be able to rotate it during the day if we are around. otherwise just have it pointed south.


Similar scheme to what I do now for mounting my external cell phone antenna that goes to my cell phone 3W amp inside the trailer for use when we don't have good cell reception.

When traveling the panels are stored inside the trailer.

if we don't have sun near the trailer, well, I have up to 100' of #8 extension cords to get the panels in the sun. Which worked real well this last september.

Probably half the time we camp, trailer is very shaded, so only solar is to use portable panels in the sun, which can be a ways away.

The other half the time, trailer is in decent sun, or at least the trailer roof is in sun most of the day, so if the panels could be 5-10 ft in the air I'd be all set.

but I really don't want panels sitting on the roof. To easy to have the panels damage the EPDM roof, plus the hassle of putting them up there temporarily.

so that's why the "panel on a pole" approach.