Flexible solar panel recommendation?

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good flexible solar panel brand?
Any personal experiences with the large companies like renergy?

I'll be mounting 200 watts of solar on the roof of our alu-cab. My wife and I will be living out of our truck for several years, so reliable high output solar will be important.

Having a difficult time deciding between lower cost brands like renergy ($300-$400 for 200w) or high end brands like sunflare (800$ for 180w)

 

The low cost brands certainly put out the advertised watts, but from what I hear customer service is non existent. I'm still a fan of the cheap guys.

I would also consider a folding briefcase setup. It has the advantage of being able to get ideal positioning no matter which direction your truck is facing or what tree you're parked under.

 

Ive considered the folding briefcase setup but it doesn't fit my needs well. I dont want to have to pull it out, plug it in, and set it up.

When we're setting up camp, the only things I want touching the ground are four tires, and two camp chairs. I like an extremely quick set up/take down

 

GoPower is a big brand in the RV and sailing world. On the pricier side, but very reliable.

solar is just half of it. Batteries are the other half. You definitely want to go lithium. And probably want to get more than you think will need. 2-3 days of rain or clouds and those solar panels aren’t worth much anymore.

 

Myself? I'm putting a 100W flexible Renogy on the roof and keeping a 100W suitcase in the rig. If you are living out of the truck camping in the desert, you will be a shade seeker. Having a suitcase option to deploy will be a plus.

 

I'm looking into flexible solar panels and I'm seeing good things about SunPower brand being well made and good customer service. Haven't bought any yet.

 

I would go with a rigid panel over a flexible panel any day. Flexible panels just don’t have the same output that you can get from a rigid panel.

 

Thought about it but gotta go for flexible for weight and durability.
I don't want anymore weight than needed on the roof, and rigid panels dont hold up well to 80,000 miles of off-road driving.

 

I haven't seen that. Flexibles cost more, so the cost per watt is better from a rigid, but a 100w is a 100w if the cells used in the panel are the same. If you mount the flexible panel directly to the roof and the roof gets hot that can cause a loss in efficiency. I'm planning on using a piece of Coroplast (basically corrigated plastic) as an insulator between the roof and panel.

 

i understand that it seems that if they are rated at 100w they should be the same but they just don’t have the same output as a rigid panel. There are some higher end brands that are better than what you can get on Amazon but my experience with them installed in a marine environment wasn’t positive. They are convenient and lightweight. One thing to consider is even a rigid panel never puts out its “rated” wattage. I have a 315w panel on top of my tent, mounted to the load bars and running through a VictronConnect mppt controller and I have never seen more than 260w even in direct, 90 degree angle to the panel sunlight.

 

I'm running a single 175W flexible renogy and have no complaints. Keep in mind that the rating represents max output, i.e. at the equator, at solstice, at noon, clear skies... De-rate appropriately for your use. At Lat 45 I don't think I ever see better than about 130-140W. Li-Fe bats are great but spendy. If you are conscientious about about power usage you can go may days on a 100 Amp-Hr Li-Fe Not so much on lead acid/AGM/Deep Cycle. If you haven't already, read up on the discharge characteristics of the various battery types.

 

I would go rigid over flexible too. Way more durable and way cheaper. I would put crossbars on the alucab and mount them on that.

 

You think? A little more expensive, sure, but don't believe durability to be an issue with either.

You can put the flexible down low profile with Eternabond tape laid over a sheet "plastic cardboard" for a thermal break. Super simple and works like a champ.

 

+2 for renogy 100w, I have a one panel on my roof, powers all my lights, fridge etc. it peaks around 80w, since you will loose a little, still good especially anywhere in NV and the south west.

 

I’ve got a 100W rigid Renogy on my roof rack with the ability to remove for better exposure to the sun. I park in the shade as much as possible when camping so the ability to place the panel helps to keep the house battery charged.
The roof rack is coming off and the current plan is to mount the panel on a camper so taking it off becomes an issue. I considered ditching the rigid and going with a larger permanent flexible on top of the camper but the ability to to make the best use of the sun has me hesitant to go this route.
So I’m considering this instead. Looking for opinions/pros and cons.
https://www.overlandsolar.com/collections/portable-solar-panels/products/bugout-130-solar-charger

 

...or put a flex panel on the roof and wire up two breakers to feed your charge controller, one for the roof, one for the portable. Then you can pick and choose. I'm not familiar with the bug-out system. They make a lot of claims, but I'm thinking in the end it is simply a 130W panel (there is some odd language in the description)?? Seem like the bugout system is a tweener. Not sure I see the point?

 

What's the best way to do this?

Seems easier than "mobile" panels where you have to stop and sit parked for hours

I'm thinking of taping a 100w Renogy to my shell; supposedly you have to put reflective tape underneath to reduce heat
I'm sure all of that will ruin the paint

Only solution to that I think is a roof or shell rack for it to bolt on
There's hood scoop sticker solar panels but costs more

Has anyone figured out a way to use such a panel to charge something like a Jackery?
I know for panels they sell MPPT controllers but supposedly Jackery already has that built into it

 

Re-necroing this, with the same question as @TacoTuesday1. I'm planning on attaching a 100W Renogy flexible panel (https://www.renogy.com/100-watt-12-volt-black-division-lightweight-monocrystalline-solar-panel/) to the roof of my cab, and wanted to check:

A) What types of tape(s) do I need? Reflective underneath and some sort of edge tape, presumably.
B) The roof paint already partially lost it's clear coat (black paint is thinning, but no metal is visible). I'm presuming that a layer of reflective tape under the panel would prevent further damage to the paint, while the edge tape would prevent water from getting under the panel and possibly causing corrosion to the metal, but, given that the to-be-taped surface has inconsistent paint quality, should I bother to repaint it first?
C) Until I get a permanent second battery setup installed, I'd be wiring this to a controller mounted in the rear of the access cab and from there into a EcoFlow River 2 Pro. What's the best way to get the wiring from the rear of the roof into the rear of the cab? I didn't notice any obvious waterproof grommets when I last looked (which was admittedly some time ago).

 

I put a flexible Renogy 100w. Onto corrugated board going front to back for air gaps from Home Depot cut to shape.
And

$6 3M VHB 100x200mm~ (4" X8") Double Sided Foam Adhesive Sheet Tape 5952 Automotive Mounting Industrial Grade Very High Bond 5952 (1 Sheets 100x200mm)

3M VHB tape. After cleaning including prep wipes.
You can put the panel onto the board, trace, take it off, then cut. Then tape it back on.
Then put the assembly on the roof, center it, temporarily mark position (maybe masking tape). Lay down VHB how you want. And adhere starting from one side. So you can gently lift the other side to sneak in there. Maybe prop it up a bit with something. So you can reach the red peel off for the VHB.

At least that’s what I did. On a fiberglass shell. I believe VHB is removable. So far it has been strong and held.

ideally a solid panel on a roof rack is better and moveable.

I didn’t put gaps in the tape for water.
Be careful with the panel. You don’t want to put significant pressure on it especially the back side or you’ll internally crack it.

only thing I regret was not trying a bigger panel like a 200w that I think would fit.
I’m not going to lie to you and say it was the best. It sounded good at the time. Theres theory and then real life experience after seeing how much power I got out of it.

watts goes down with less sun, sun angle, panel efficiency, and clouds.

if I had to do it again knowing what I know now I’d consider trying to fit a 200w given my shell may have the room. But the shell roof curves towards the outside. I don’t know if that would make the tape fail or crack the panel. The panel does advertise up to a certain degree of bending allowed. Again, more theory vs real life. Haven’t tried that.

I did get power out of it. It did charge my battery that ran a fridge. Another factor is idle time, battery size, power usage, inverter, and if you have 400w anytime harness. And how much you drive.

Theres a big difference between “I’m driving 8hr to be at X place for a day” versus the truck is self sustainable

There are two other things to consider
If it’s a fast charging mobile power station in an emergency you can walk into a building and charge from a wall outlet.
If you’re in a remote area there is no building.

and idling a vehicle especially gas for a long time is not good.

also depends on your location. Some areas get more sun than others. Different climates. Maybe you’re on the dark side of a mountain.

me personally I’d rather maximize solar to pull as much power as it can during the time it is exposed to sun. Aka more watts. Maybe potentially not fully or always exposed to sun.
There’s lots of different places you can mount multiple panels.

because there’s drawbacks to sun. Especially if you haven’t added insulation.
The benefit is you’re getting power.
The drawback is your vehicle is now baking hot being in that sun.

for example one time I was parked sitting in the driver seat doing some work on my laptop. I was sweating and it was hot.

didn’t have a roof rack at the time and they’re typically expensive.
Hard to find one used.
Haven’t figured out if I’m going to keep my shell, or how to tell if it’s reinforced to know if it can handle getting rail tracks installed to hold a Sherpa topper rack

ideally would be considering:
-hood solar, but it would get hot and is expensive
-solid panels on racks
-potentially panels on side windows of camper shell: however those may not always be exposed to sun

and obviously angle of the sun changes throughout the day
Rise in east, set in west, only at mid day is it directly above

if you look at any other self sustaining vehicle whether that be repurposed ambulance, van, RV’s, etc even some trucks, they always have more than just a single 100w

consumer draw varies as well. A

$760 Dometic CFX3 35 Portable Refrigerator and Freezer - 36L - Powered by AC/DC or Solar Portable Refrigerator, Smokey Gray

Dometic CFX3 35 is 60w when the compressor kicks on. Add at minimum your phone.
Say it’s hot without wind. And direct sun. In an uninsulated truck.
That will make the fridge work harder to cool, longer, with the compressor kicking on more causing increased power use.

I had an EcoFlow. It has exhaust and fans. Likely pushing out heat. In an already hot area of the truck that it probably didn’t like. Never experienced an automatic shutoff that I’m aware of though.
Anything bigger than that (I imagine better) is going to have higher power use.

and that’s before getting into a fan, other electronic device charging like laptop, drone, photo equipment if you’re into that, etc

I had a River 2 Pro and sold it after no longer needed or used at the time. If getting back to it id consider Delta line also.
For wiring the panel was some variation of thick gauge XT60 that I got additional wiring for and ran into the cab through the grommet behind the back passenger seat firewall area. Accessed between the bed and cab.
In front of the right rear wheel.
Just because it seemed like a logical place going from wiring at top of camper shell front area.
There’s other ways it can be done and based on where the wires are coming from re: where on the truck you put the panel and which way it’s facing, to have the shortest wire possible (still long enough to have placement room for your power station). You can always add an extension later if you need it.

 

Oh Boy! Spend somebody else's money?

Check this review out on a new type of panel. Much more robust and works better in partial (shade) exposed areas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjTsq9M-66A

HoboTech seems to know what he is talking about, I've watched a half a dozen or so videos of his. Lots of info on using VHB and other types of tape to attach with.

I also wished I had used a 200w panel, or something close to it. Not enough optimum daylight hours to feel comfortable with the charge time I get. I have a 720wh battery, haven't run it dead yet but I also haven't spent more than 24 hours in any one camp. When I am driving I'm charging off the stock inverter, which puts out dirty AC, some people have had problems charging batteries with them. I guess I got lucky with mine.

Oh, ya, his electrical skills are much better than his firearms safety. Keep the finger off the trigger and along side the slide until you are ready to pull the trigger.