The advantages of angled solar…

[Carpmart]

The sun has been a bit AWOL today, hiding behind a barrage of clouds! The sun is dropping rapidly to the horizon in eastern central France.

Just check the solar. Interesting that a 160W folding (monocystaline 2x80w) panel is kicking out 85% of what is being produced by 600W of flat roof mounted panels at this time of day and sun angle.

Decent quality folding panels have been great for us when parked up for periods (like when fishing) and really do give higher proportional yield.

The down side, they are ‘kin heavy and bulky too! We carry two the same, but only using one today, but 320W folding in winter is likely to be easily equal to the 600w on the roof.

I guess my message, if you need a bit more solar at certain times of the year when travelling, don’t discount them!

 

[jumar]

I'm a folding and tilting fan...I can harvest vast amounts of power during the winter from these...where if my 200w roof panel would be fairly inactive for most of the day....OK...I live in SE Spain...but our winter sun is low in the sky, perhaps not as low as those based in the UK or Ireland......

 

[Carpmart]

I'm a folding and tilting fan...I can harvest vast amounts of power during the winter from these...where if my 200w roof panel would be fairly inactive for most of the day....OK...I live in SE Spain...but our winter sun is low in the sky, perhaps not as low as those based in the UK or Ireland......

I’m in SE Spain for months every winter!

Glad you’re coping with the low sun too!

 

[Nigel Crompton]

Big fan ... but not on this van

 

[Guigsy]

There's no doubt that you can significantly improve your yield with portable panels that you can angle, particularly outside the summer months. But panels on your roof are collecting sunlight all the time, whereas folding panels scattered around the van can only be used when you're parked up at a secure and suitable location, when you can be bothered to set them up. Plus you need somewhere to stash them. I'd fill my roof before I started looking at portables.

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[Nigel Crompton]

There's no doubt that you can significantly improve your yield with portable panels that you can angle, particularly outside the summer months. But panels on your roof are collecting sunlight all the time, whereas folding panels scattered around the van can only be used when you're parked up at a secure and suitable location, when you can be bothered to set them up. Plus you need somewhere to stash them. I'd fill my roof before I started looking at portables.

I think both jumar & I have done that. In my case 250w on the roof with another 125w (€65 !!) flexible panel deployed when necessary.

 

[Oldrat]

I'm a folding and tilting fan...I can harvest vast amounts of power during the winter from these...where if my 200w roof panel would be fairly inactive for most of the day....OK...I live in SE Spain...but our winter sun is low in the sky, perhaps not as low as those based in the UK or Ireland......

Doesn’t your tea cup fall off the table?

I have visions of your van on car ramps being angled up to the sun for max effect.

Sorry, I’ll get my coat.

 

[Carpmart]

There's no doubt that you can significantly improve your yield with portable panels that you can angle, particularly outside the summer months. But panels on your roof are collecting sunlight all the time, whereas folding panels scattered around the van can only be used when you're parked up at a secure and suitable location, when you can be bothered to set them up. Plus you need somewhere to stash them. I'd fill my roof before I started looking at portables.

Roof is full!!

I don’t use the portable panels unless I am parked for a period. If I’m touring, between the roof solar and the DC/DC charger we are all good!

 

[Guigsy]

Roof is full!!

I don’t use the portable panels unless I am parked for a period. If I’m touring, between the roof solar and the DC/DC charger we are all good!

Yeah. Most places I stop, it's not for long, or it's not somewhere I'd want to set up camping paraphernalia like panels for the day while I'm away. I've got a ton of battery capacity, so I don't mind it dropping a bit of I'm stationary for a few days. The only time I'd worry about depleting my battery is the annual family camping trip to the same site every year... and that has hookup.

 

[jumar]

Doesn’t your tea cup fall off the table?

I have visions of your van on car ramps being angled up to the sun for max effect.

Sorry, I’ll get my coat.

Well....no...I don't ramp up the van....but I might give it a try....as for the cup of tea issue. I've sorted that....Use the outside table...
Thanks for that too...watch this space...

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[Richard n Ann]

My roof panel is fastened down onto aluminium channel with 4 stainless hinges, I made the pins removable so the panel will hinge up either forwards or backwards

 

[MisterB]

To be fair, this is what Carpmart said in summary

I guess my message, if you need a bit more solar at certain times of the year when travelling, don’t discount them!


I think that's very good advice, not sure why anyone would disagree ..... We have a folding panel, that we use exactly in those circumstances.....

 

[Nigel Crompton]

My roof panel is fastened down onto aluminium channel with 4 stainless hinges, I made the pins removable so the panel will hinge up either forwards or backwardsView attachment 943829

In Portugal earlier I saw a Concorde ( I think) with motorized tilting panels (via screw jack affairs) on the roof and a top-hung, gas strut supported one on the rear - almost the width of the van.

 

[BrianJane]

We have a portable 220 watt panel that we use to charge the ecoflow delta. Its crossed my mind how we could utilise it to charge the batteries in the van.

 

[Carpmart]

We have a portable 220 watt panel that we use to charge the ecoflow delta. Its crossed my mind how we could utilise it to charge the batteries in the van.

It’s very straightforward… Get an MPPT Solar controller, couple of leads off the battery and a connector like an XT60 added to the MPPT to connect the panels and some cable…

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[autorouter]

Actually, there is a very good case for mounting solar panels vertically if you can't mount them horizontally and can't tilt them. Especially in more northern regions in the winter. You can even buy fence panels with solar panels incorporated, for use on south-facing unshaded fences I presume. Panels could be mounted on the sides of a high-rise building for example. I've not actually seen any examples but the calculations say it's a lot better than nothing.

 

[the1andonly]

Another full roof 550W in total, well i could get another 80w on there, not currently needed . Tilt only needed in winter. 3 positions easily available. Put up and down via access from toilet skylight.

 

[pwilmo]

Using portable solar seems a good idea for charging leisure batteries in poor uk sunlight.

So I thought IN THEORY where no EHU is available .. to use my Bluetti 200w folding panels
.. straight into my portable power station Anker Solix C1000 (has inbuilt mppt)
.. connect the Anker 240AC outlet into EHU socket on the van (with suitable lead)
.. My Victron BlueSmart 30amp mains charger should activate and charge the leisure batteries ?

Would this work ??

Previusly I have connected my Anker power station to the van EHU,

altered the Victron mains charger to "straight through mode",

to successfully run Her Indoors'- high watt 240v hair dryer and heating tongs( only 150ah Lithium and no inverter )

For the Victron mains charger to function as a straight through power supply you need change the default setting of the Victron mains charger or else it will default to charge / maintaining the leisure batteries.

 

[Two on Tour]

We are parked up on the Schongau Stellplatz, and this van is across the way from us.