Where to mount solar panels on roof?
Where would you guys mount 2 100 watt solar panels on this trailer? Plan on mounting another 2 100 watters in the future.
Forum Discussion
Take a look at your roof and measure the open areas. Also decide where you want to have the wiring for the panels enter the trailer and go to the charge controller and from the charge controller to the battery bank.
Ideally you want the charge controller as close as possible to the batteries as the top priority, and then to minimize the length of the run to the roof where you will mount a C-box or combiner box where all the wires from the panels are joined/combined.
The panels need to be mounted where they will not be shaded by anything on the roof, like a TV antenna or dish, or the AC unit. For shading purposes you can use an angle of 30 degrees from the top of the AC for example to see how far away to mount the panel.
Panels come in different lengths and widths which is another consideration in terms of maximizing output. The larger the Watts ouput of the panel the lower it will be in cost per Watt. All the panels should have the same Voc output so you cannot use a 17 volt panel along with a 34 volt panel.
Once you have the area selected you can use your measurements of the available space to select the panels and the layout that will work the best.
Generally speaking it is easier to mount a frame that can hold 3 panels side by side than it is to individually mounting each panel.
There are lots of posts with pictures by people of their RV solar panel installations and mounting setup. Very worthwhile to take the time to see what others have done and why they did it one way or another.
RV solar panels are smaller and more expensive than what you could put on your house. RV solar specialty outfits include amsolar.com and
http://www.solar-electric.com.
The charge controllers are made for use with houses and rural situations and not for RV use. As a result most will have terminal connections for small gauge wires which is the opposite of what is ideal for RV installations. One exception is the Blue Sky 3024 controller. The 3024 also has an option for a remote settings management and monitoring device so you don't have to be able to see the 3024 charge controller to see the charge state of your batteries or to change a setting.
Ideally you want the charge controller as close as possible to the batteries as the top priority, and then to minimize the length of the run to the roof where you will mount a C-box or combiner box where all the wires from the panels are joined/combined.
The panels need to be mounted where they will not be shaded by anything on the roof, like a TV antenna or dish, or the AC unit. For shading purposes you can use an angle of 30 degrees from the top of the AC for example to see how far away to mount the panel.
Panels come in different lengths and widths which is another consideration in terms of maximizing output. The larger the Watts ouput of the panel the lower it will be in cost per Watt. All the panels should have the same Voc output so you cannot use a 17 volt panel along with a 34 volt panel.
Once you have the area selected you can use your measurements of the available space to select the panels and the layout that will work the best.
Generally speaking it is easier to mount a frame that can hold 3 panels side by side than it is to individually mounting each panel.
There are lots of posts with pictures by people of their RV solar panel installations and mounting setup. Very worthwhile to take the time to see what others have done and why they did it one way or another.
RV solar panels are smaller and more expensive than what you could put on your house. RV solar specialty outfits include amsolar.com and
http://www.solar-electric.com.
The charge controllers are made for use with houses and rural situations and not for RV use. As a result most will have terminal connections for small gauge wires which is the opposite of what is ideal for RV installations. One exception is the Blue Sky 3024 controller. The 3024 also has an option for a remote settings management and monitoring device so you don't have to be able to see the 3024 charge controller to see the charge state of your batteries or to change a setting.
