Going solar

[Cuppa]

I was just going to get a foldout panel and only use when we go camping but now thinking of mounting on the roof. Would it need to be angled up or sit flat on the racks? Just a bit worried of damage if angled up.
I was thinking of it sitting flat for day to day driving but hinging it so I could prop it up when camping.

Mounted flat you will get approx 70% of rated output. (Eg. 120w panel will give a max of around 7 amps. 120w divided by 12 volts = 10 amps, multiplied by 70% = 7amps. Easier approximation using nominal voltage than actual voltage & gives a close enough result to be practical as a rule of thumb). Angling it on a hinge will get you a little bit more but only if you keep it pointing to the sun. For my money it's not worth doing the hinging, moving the car to follow the sun is as much, if not more hassle than moving portable panels around. If you can, just go a bit bigger panel to compensate & mount flat ..... or better still on a very slight angle to assist water run off.

Funnily enough I got asked if the forward sloping panel I have over my cab (I reckon it assists in allowing branches to brush over it, rather than getting caught on it's frrame) had ever been stone chipped today. Answer was no. Had similar on our bus previously & covered 1000's of kms on unsealed outback roads without a problem. If a stray rock ever made it up that high I reckon it would be just as likely to damage a flat mounted panel as it would an angled one.

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