mounting solar panels to thule rack?

[monkeyboy]

Originally Posted by coyotearms

Hi monkeyboy, I am planning yeo Kyocera KD135GX-LPU panels (59.1" x 26.3") mounted with long dimension fore/aft and the 12-13" roof fan between them on Thule load bars. How did your install of solar end up. Your details could help me with my install. Thanks!

Hi coyotearms,

I installed the same panel in the same orientation as you are thinking and it has come out/worked nicely. I basically bought a tilt mount that i then mounted directly to the Thule bars. I will try to get the name/manufacturer of the mount and some pix to show the whole setup.

Monkeyboy

[billwilson]

I opted for 180 watt panels

After calculation my power requirements, it was a good choice for me

Pros:
I can run indefinatly with @ 5 hours of sun
fridge, lights, laptop, cell phone, tv

Emergency FEMA helipad

Cons:
Needed a custom rack

My two Satang (a thai penny)
Calculate your power requirements

bw

[monkeyboy]

Here is a link to photos of my solar panel on Thule rack setup:

http://gallery.mac.com/jonathan.b.auerbach#100311

To summarize:

Kyocera 135 on top mounted to a Ironridge ( I think ) tilt mount using standard Thule bars attachment connectors/bolts etc. I did have to drill new holes in the mount to accommodate the Thule bolts. Makes removing the panel a breeze, so thus the cable/lock setup (i have not removed the panel since installing). Note the flex cable being run around to the front of the van to the location of the pre-installed solar connection.

Tilting the panel makes a huge diff in gathering amps but I have to be parked in a west to east alignment to tilt toward the south (ez to do in my driveway ). It did take a little thought/planning on installing the tilt mounts as I have just enough finger/thumb space to spin the wing nuts.

I have been told that having the panel several inches off the roof helps keep the heat down and makes the panel perform better. I have not noticed any additional noise or reduction in MPG (20 mpg avg). note that I mounted toward the back which helps with those things but also allows me to quickly tilt/de-tilt from the ladder. Rest of rack is used for Thule box (skis) or kayaks.

2nd panel is Kyocera 85w which is portable and is also mounted on a tilting mount (unirac). As shown I can carry this panel in the van on the PH bed rails and then deploy at camp by hooking into the pre-installed connector near the taillights (last 2 photos). I usually only take this panel if I think I will be camping in tree/shady areas and so I can move the panel around as needed to catch the sun. made my own 50ft connector cable with modified 3 prong plug so can easily plug/unplug as needed.

This 2nd panel comes in handy but it is a little more pain to transport, setup, etc.

As others have noted good to do your "needs" calculation homework. I did that but also heard ("read") that 135 would cover most my needs. But, I was also limited to the size of the panel and only one given the other things I wanted to do with the roof space (and still be able to access the roof). If I use the 2nd panel and angle/point both toward the sun, I have plenty o power.

My main goal was just to keep the house battery conditioned while running the fridge 7/24/365... without worry. Never a problem here in sunny Colorado. gotta keep those beers cold!

When in camp, main "draws", beside cold beer, are keeping the girlfriend's iPhone or my iPad charged up and lights (switched all to LED) and water pumps and Espar things, roof motor, etc etc going if needed. Microwave is another story...

hope that helps!

[coyotearms]

Monkeyboy, That really did help, and a GREAT set of pictures. I may end up with a somewhat different setup, but you showed a lot of good ideas. I plan to contribute my details in a few weeks when the job is finished. I did a quick search for IronRidge mounts like shown in your pics without success, but seeing what you did is really helpful. Thanks again!

[axel]

I'm curious about all these mounting systems. Are they not very noisy at highway speeds or is it not enough to worry about? Also down here in NM where shade is at a premium in the summer, I am thinking remote or removable panels might be better. That way I can squeeze the van into the shade and put the panels up in the sun. Anyone tried this?

[coyotearms]

You have identified a very important point to consider, and in this thread alone there are those who use a combination of roof and portable panels. I can only give you my opinion (which is fresh on my mind) as my vehicle is only currently being built. I have opted for trying to meet my needs by doing roof panels only, but with a great deal of hesitation. There are definitely trade-offs. My thinking was that any panel(s) on the ground would be pretty difficult to set up without them blowing or getting pulled over by a foot caught in the wire (it only takes one time to possibly destroy them). Also taking them in every evening (if not for fear of theft, tripping etc. are even more likely), and just storing them when not being used could be a problem (although I have seen some flip-out panels that fold up like a suitcase so that their active surfaces are facing each other). Other issues include the loss of effectiveness with a very long cable that might be part of a system designed to place the portable panel(s) far enough away from the vehicle. But you are correct. Who wants to bake in the sun just to get juice! My attitude (and this is all just conjecture now) is that we will put our comfort first and see how it goes. I mean if you can position your vehicle to get sun through, say 1:00 or 2:00, and call it a day for solar power generation, so be it.

What I decided to do was specify the charge controller, wiring etc. be capable of expansion beyond the two initial 135 W panels on the roof. There will be a junction box on the roof where all panels will connect to the system and a single hole in the roof under that box where a large gauge wire for all panels will go to the charge controller. Because I wanted a high fixed top due to my own height, storing stuff on the roof will probably not be very convenient anyway, so I also specified the location of the exhaust fan such that the roof could support a total of four panels if needed. Having Thule tracks mounted over the entire length of the roof was done to have the flexibility to easily modify what the roof would be used for in the future. For starters it will be the two panels plus a cargo box. Our initial design also includes three house batteries. It seems clear from reading about others' experiences that one is not enough, two seems workable in most places, but for us in the Pacific Northwest we chose three. We were mislead when we were told that the 6.0 L diesel on newer fords "could run all day---that's what diesels are designed to do." However, that engine has loads of smog equipment installed, and as much as I can tell at this point, neither the gasoline or newer diesel engines can be thought of as a generator to be used at will.

Of course, it is always possible with a system such as the one I described above to add the means for portable panel(s). Also not out of the realm of possibilities is the use of a portable generator simply plugged into the "shore power" outlet, or in my case making sure to keep the space just to the rear of the rear axle available for a "built-in" generator. The latter possibility was part of the decision to go with an EB Ford, which has the room (if one is careful) to have the popular underfloor storage AND a generator.

I would also like to add one more thought regarding using solar. It seems SMB really pushes using electric refrigeration rather than a 3-way (12v, 110v, propane). I bought into that early enough that it was too hard to go back. The point is that running a propane refrigerator when camped will use virtually no electricity, and while driving who cares if a refrigerator uses 12 amps @ 12V compared to about 3 amps for a 2-way (12v or 110v). When you do an energy audit, you will probably find that 3 amps is a major contributor to the overall needs even with a duty cycle of about 50% when it has to run 24/7 (see http://www.sportsmobile.com/5_sys_solar.html). Having a propane system has other advantages too, like being able to BBQ and stove-cook outside without having to worry about where to store portable cylinders. We opted to go that route since it cost the same to have the propane system (8 gal tank), propane counter-top stove, outside connect and a propane furnace (such as the compact Propex series, which I will do after SMB finishes) as it cost to have just the Espar Airtronic furnace that SMB pushes. With propane onboard one has kind of kept the door open for a propane refrigerator and propane generator (heaven help us!).

I hope that was helpful, and hope it leads to further pro/con discussions of all the ways to eat up energy gracefully!

[Ford_6L_E350]

My van came with Solar Prep, and I installed the solar panel later. Part of the Solar Prep package was a connector on the rear corner of the van to plug in a solar panel. That panel could be remote.

We've seen SMBer's with a detached panel and a 30' cord so they could locate the panel in max sun.

Another thread discussed 12V vs 3-way refigerators. I've have 3 way, and will never go back. See the thread:

viewtopic.php?f=40&t=3635&hilit=refrig+propane+12v

Mike

[kccourtney]

Originally Posted by Jeffrey

See page 2 of my album:

gallery/album.php?album_id=129&sk=t&sd=d&st=0&start=12

They are not really on the roof, just a bit above.

Hey Jeffrey

I'm getting ready to put together a solar system mounted to my Thule tracvks as well and saw your post during my research. I really dig how low pro your system is. After seeing that, I don't know if I can bring myself to mount a clunky rigid framed panel to the top of my rig. Who makes those flexi panels you mounted? Those are interesting.

[ctb]

Here is our setup using Thule racks...I have four...the panel (s) is mounted to the inner bars, with room for another if I move it over and do some custom work...and the outer two hold our canoe...It was a little more $'s than I wanted to spend (buying two more crossbars) but the canoe and the panel get along much better this way (the canoe rests on the top of the 'L'' bracket)...I had to do some drilling on the bars and panel, use some 'L' brackets, but the outcome is super sturdy with little to no fear of it ripping off on the highway (my ugly Sat-Dome helps with that too [though])...hope that helps!

And DANG IT..pics are sideways (I know I know something about being over 40 right?!LOL)

[ctb]

I forgot to show a pic of van (or maybe just another excuse to post a pic of Sporty...lololol