Hood adhered solar

[Clarkboulder]

I have an 96 e-350 Sportsmobile. (AKA Outdated electrical). I'm searching for a low profile Solar panel that can be installed on or better adhered to my "blank canavas" hood similar to this FJ Cruiser version. Has anyone found these to fit a 96 Ford E-series hood? This one (link below) seems like the closest size. https://www.cascadia4x4.com/products...od-solar-panel These Cascadia4x4 look like a great solution to an unused hood space but they don't provide dimensions or respond to emails or calls (yet).

Or anything else that might work? (searched this forum to no avail)

Reason being is two fold. I have a manual penthouse pop top and can't add any more weight to it as I already have a Yak box and bike trays and I am forced to prop up inside with cargo jacks. I have a 120watt portable suitcase Solar panel for the ground now but its bulky and hard to store and bring along..not ideal. Also, recently, while having good house battery charge, I was nearly stranded by a dead engine battery. Since everything else, I assumed, was drawing from the two house batteries (fridge, auxiliary radio, SMB lights), I removed the two little door light bulbs when I got home thinking that must have drained the battery. Anyway, I want to either connect a hood solar to the engine battery or ideally have it help charge both and be more permanent connection. (Although House Batteries are in deep rear of van while engine is under hood of course). Long term, I'd like to find adequate solar and add an inverter to rid myself of the Onan 2800 generator but I can't figure out where to mount solar with the weight issues mentioned above. So for now....hence the hood...the biggest skyward blank space on the van.

[Twoxentrix]

The Solar will only help you while you are parked, even roof solar is pretty much obsolete while driving since the Alternator charges the batteries. So unless you plan on parking in the sun as much as possible (heating up your van at the same time), I would pursue a better combination of suitcase. Although the hood solar looks like a great idea, it mimics the roof solar as far as usefulness.
You can easily use a "Y" connector and run two suitcases off one cord...you just need a long enough solar wire to allow you to reach the Sun, And, with two panels on the end you can position them together or angle them so they follow the sun as the day goes on.
curious what suitcase you have? The thin flexible suitcase panels work great, are extremely lightweight, store well since they are so compact, and function just as well (providing you get ones with the ETFE outer coating and Sunpower cells).
https://www.amazon.com/ACOPOWER-Port...979932&sr=8-14

[Clarkboulder]

Thanks the reply!
Yes I use the suitcase panel now for topping off the house batteries when parked and was aiming for the same with a hood mount or other. (of course I can just start the engine too) The suitcase set I have came with the van purchase and is a bi-fold hard panel and a whopping 29lbs (folded dimensions 34x24x3.5). Silly.

Here in CO we don't have many shade trees so placement is easy...stop driving and you have solar generation. For better or worse, its pretty hard to park the van in shade in most places.

I am down with the flexible and light solar panels you link to but figured the hood mount might be an easy permanent solution and one less thing to set up. For now, it seems the solar panels are duplicative since I can just start the engine to recharge the House Bats. I guess I am ultimately and maybe incrementally seeking a better and more modern system that can eventually tie into an inverter to rid myself of the generator.

[BenJJ]

If its just the starter battery you are having trouble with, it might be easier to just carry a battery buddy to jump start the van if the battery dies. The lithium ion ones work great and are super small to pack. Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/GOOLOO-1500A-...986114&sr=8-20

[carringb]

A Renogy 100w flexible panel measures 27” x 48”.

However you’d have to park under direct sun for 28 hours a day to match an hour or running your gen-set…. So I’m not sure it’s a good replacement. Your alternator can output about 1,200 watts/hour at idle, so 100w solar is still very trivial. Parking in direct sun 6 hours/day (and assuming you reposition the van periodically to maintain an ideal angle or prop the hood as the sun moves) would still only output the same power as idling for 30-minutes. Or driving for 20 minutes. At least the flexible hood panel isn’t adding drag. A lot of these rooftop arrays I see burn more fuel from added drag, then they’d ever save from not-idling for a little bit.

[BroncoHauler]

Heat is the enemy of all things electrical, and that definitely includes solar panels. Residual heat from the engine will reduce the efficiency of the solar panel output, and over time will reduce the panel's longevity. IMO, a setup like this should be a last choice, and only better than no solar at all.

Herb

[86Scotty]

This company (Cascadia 4x4) is missing the mark. Easily 75% of all camper vans on the road are Ford E series and it will still be years before Sprinters take over the numbers (surely they are next) but this company doesn't make one of these specifically for E series. They should.

We could talk all day about what solar is best or if it is even best at all but that doesn't matter. It's like traction boards. If you make a solar panel people can mount on a vehicle nowadays it will sell.

[simplesez]

Camper Vans? 86scotty, products like that are made for #overland rigs. Get with the times. You gotta look like you are about to spend a week off grid deep in the desert while you are in the Starbucks drive through.

[cotrailhead]

You might consider building a battery large enough for your average excursion. My diy lithium makes solar and generator unnecessary and the cost 15% of equivalent battle born.

[86Scotty]

Originally Posted by simplesez

Camper Vans? 86scotty, products like that are made for #overland rigs. Get with the times. You gotta look like you are about to spend a week off grid deep in the desert while you are in the Starbucks drive through.

Yep, I'm blissfully out of touch as usual.