Probably ok for 'The Prez' who reputedly never goes off road, but for anyone who drives in places where they tend to get a bit of 'bush pinstriping' the panels mounted in that way would be a liability, just waiting to snag something I reckon.Originally Posted by threedogs
Re testing of solar panels - yep they are pretty tough items, although they can get smashed. They test them with a standard sized(?) ball bearing dropped from one metre.
Re 'enough solar'. Probably the best advice for anyone considering setting up a solar system from scratch is to consider what equipment they want to run BEFORE even thinking about how much solar/battery/ charger capacity is required, & as part of that process to select equipment which will do the job based on lowest current draw. Pretty much anything which is designed to heat something is, imho, unsuitable for battery use & there are far better alternatives eg. gas/diesel/engine heat. (Surprisingly one exception to this is electric blankets which work well & draw little power - 240v off a small inverter work better than direct 12v). I recall a while back, when getting those Travel Buddy ovens was popular among forum members here, suggesting that they were really only suitable for use whilst driving - ie powered from the alternator.
There are different ways to set up a solar system depending upon intended usage. For me it was essential to have a system which could power us indefinitely without need for mains or generator. To that end we needed enough solar to cover our usage & to return the batteries to 100% full (float) every 24 hour period, (a balanced system) plus to have sufficient battery capacity to sustain us through periods of crap weather without need to break camp & drive. As yet that capacity has never been fully tested, but I estimate we could stay put for 10 days before our battery capacity was getting below 50% & we needed to drive to re-charge. A significant part of achieving that was to be very selective with what equipment we choose to run. The two fridges & the laptop are our biggest power users, but that may change in the near future as I have just been diagnosed with severe sleep apnea & will now have to travel with a CPAP machine which can use 60 to 100 amp hours per night! Thankfully I know folk who travel & who have already been down this path & have directed toward a machine which runs direct off 12v & uses a max of 35Ah per night (or only 10Ah if the humidification isn't needed). Our system will have to be worked a bit harder but should cope ok. (Whether I'll cope with having to become an elephant man crossed with Hannibal Lector every night is another matter!).
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