Forum Discussion
I have 5 panels, all GOPOWER and one Zamp 115 watt.
All are in paralell with 10 gauge uf resistant wire inside split loom. They are from different times, incremental installments.
180, 190, 200, 200, these 4 are the same size. Then I added the Zamp 115 watt more square than rectangle and it has the exact same specs as the others so it's a good match that fit a space. This year, I had another area on the roof that kept pestering me, so I installed another long narrow 100 watt GOPOWER. I have the Zamp 115 and GP 100 wired paralell with each other for combined 215 watts on a 10 gauge. The wires run down next to the sewer vent. Since the panel voltage is a more efficient higher 24 volts, I opted to run those wires down to the Victron 150/70 MPPT solar controller where it becomes battery voltage. From there, it's I think a 2 gauge cable to a Victron Distributer bus and either to the house or batteries as needed.
I opted for paralell wiring because in a partial shade condidion, you only loose 1 panel output instead of the whole series string. With 10 gauge wire on each paneloutputting 200 watts. About 15 amps max on a 30 amp rated wire, the line loss isn't significant.
I tried my best to find exact size, tight fitting panels and decided they didn't exist. What I did get were good quality, mono crystal panels that were a decent price. I do have most of the roof space covered and there is enough space for 1 more in the back, 1 in center right, and 20 across the front of the cabover. I could nearly double my solar filling those spaces but then, I'd have no roof access to service and maintain the camper. Another consideration is, I left space between the AC unit and panels to minimize a shadow being across a panel and loosing power. The tighest most efficient space fitting isn't always the best thing. Best wishes on your install.