Vertical mounting of PV panels worth doing?
Last weekend, I saw one rig that had solar panels mounted on the sides of the vehicle while at a stoplight. They didn't appear to fold out (no hinge mechanism or supports, and solid brackets with no latches apparent.) The roof of the rig was full of panels as well.
How useful is mounting panels on the side of a rig? I know that it means that it gets 65-70% less power than a horizontally mounted panel. However, a lot of rigs have a lot more space on the sides than the roof, so even if the panel is stuck with the cosine of the sun's angle and on average only sees the sun 1/2 of the day (with the exception of facing south), but 30% of a 300 watt panel part of the day is still 90 watts that wouldn't be coming in without the panel.
The reason this is interesting to me is that one motorhome I'm considering doesn't have much space on top, especially factoring shadows from objects like the A/C, skylights, and vents. However, it has an entire back section that is flat and windowless and one side that is also windowless. Since the MH is 90 inches wide, the extra 2-3 inches from a panel and mount wouldn't put it over width regulations. I can fit at least two, possibly three panels mounted on the back, and 1-2 panels on the sides. If the panels get 270 or so watts apiece, this would bring in ~100-200 watts total. With panels going for 75 cents a watt, it is more expensive than a decent rooftop system, but it can be a way to still get decent power, especially here in Texas, and if one can face either the side or the back towards the south.
How useful is mounting panels on the side of a rig? I know that it means that it gets 65-70% less power than a horizontally mounted panel. However, a lot of rigs have a lot more space on the sides than the roof, so even if the panel is stuck with the cosine of the sun's angle and on average only sees the sun 1/2 of the day (with the exception of facing south), but 30% of a 300 watt panel part of the day is still 90 watts that wouldn't be coming in without the panel.
The reason this is interesting to me is that one motorhome I'm considering doesn't have much space on top, especially factoring shadows from objects like the A/C, skylights, and vents. However, it has an entire back section that is flat and windowless and one side that is also windowless. Since the MH is 90 inches wide, the extra 2-3 inches from a panel and mount wouldn't put it over width regulations. I can fit at least two, possibly three panels mounted on the back, and 1-2 panels on the sides. If the panels get 270 or so watts apiece, this would bring in ~100-200 watts total. With panels going for 75 cents a watt, it is more expensive than a decent rooftop system, but it can be a way to still get decent power, especially here in Texas, and if one can face either the side or the back towards the south.
