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Old 02-20-2019, 08:30 AM   #1
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Portable flexible solar panel in windshield?

I have a Dynamax Rev built on the Dodge Promaster chassis. Was wondering if anyone has placed a flexible solar panel in the windshield while parked, and simply plugged it into the Zamp connector provided.
I frequently park for hours at a time to bike an area and install a windshield sun screen to help keep interior cooler. A solar panel between the sun screen and windshield seems like an option??
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Old 02-22-2019, 12:31 AM   #2
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Are you talking about charging while parked in storage or park and in use? In storage it should work, but I doubt it will work for dry camping. I had an extra car after our daughter got married and moved out of state. We kept it in the yard for a while and I had a 12v 1 amp solar panel that plugged into the cigarette lighter outlet and kept the battery topped off (the computer ECU and radio will drain a parked vehicle in a couple of weeks). Worked fine to keep the battery charged and the car ready to crank. The amperage output of most solar panels that would fit on a dash is too small to be useful for dry camping though. The one I used was fixed and not flexible
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Old 02-22-2019, 01:48 PM   #3
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It would have a minimal effect on battery charge. Depending on the size of your battery(ies) and the size of the solar panels it might increase your battery charge by 1-2% over 4 hours.
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Old 02-22-2019, 03:57 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dward51 View Post
Are you talking about charging while parked in storage or park and in use? In storage it should work, but I doubt it will work for dry camping. I had an extra car after our daughter got married and moved out of state. We kept it in the yard for a while and I had a 12v 1 amp solar panel that plugged into the cigarette lighter outlet and kept the battery topped off (the computer ECU and radio will drain a parked vehicle in a couple of weeks). Worked fine to keep the battery charged and the car ready to crank. The amperage output of most solar panels that would fit on a dash is too small to be useful for dry camping though. The one I used was fixed and not flexible
I was hoping for a min of 150 watts to replenish the house batteries while parked for several hours at at time, bicycling etc. Sounds like the return on investment would be minimal at best. Thanks
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Old 02-23-2019, 12:35 AM   #5
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150 watt panel is going to be pretty good sized. I've seem people roof mount larger wattage panels. That might work?
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Old 02-23-2019, 09:00 AM   #6
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The Promaster does have a huge windshield which could accommodate a fairly good sized panel. However storage when not in use is another issue. In my Rev, under the mattress would be most viable if it could be done without damaging the panel.
A roof top mount would be optimal, but I'm not crazy about mounting to a rubber roof??
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Old 02-23-2019, 09:08 AM   #7
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It could work, but you have a fairly steep angle of mounting which will impact the effectiveness as well as the fact that the vehicle will need to be facing the sun to be very effective and that may not always be possible. You will be much better off mounting something on the roof or even remotely on the ground to reduce the impact of which way the vehicle is facing.
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Old 02-23-2019, 09:30 AM   #8
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Good points!
Ground mount probably wouldn't work too well for me since I frequently park for several hours in a parking lot or on the street and theft would be a concern as would placement.
Thanks
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Old 02-23-2019, 01:50 PM   #9
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Solar panel on dash

We use one in storage to keep our main engine battery charged!
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Old 02-23-2019, 03:34 PM   #10
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What wattage panel are you using?Output?
Thanks
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Old 02-23-2019, 06:57 PM   #11
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Hey unless that panel costs a fortune I'd say Try it and learn how to make it work. I agree that the roof is better and I have read horrors about flex panels failing. Id try it if that is the way you want to go and be sure that if it is bigger than about 40 watts, put a charge controller between it and the coach, just to be safe.

Report back the success or problems you have. Thanks
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Old 02-23-2019, 08:32 PM   #12
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I saw this youtube video earlier today. They installed a 50 watt semi-flexible "stick down" solar panel on a box trailer roof. No roof penetrations to mount as it has 3M pressure sensitive adhesive on the entire back. They added lap seal on the border for insurance that it does not lift up in highway speed wind, but Eternabond would also work well for this (and look better). This is a $368 panel though (there are other less expensive and higher wattage units on Amazon, but who knows about quality). It also has a voltage regulator built in as they remarked to external circuitry was needed. 50 watts at 13.8v is 3.62 amps at rated capacity. Should do an excellent job of keeping a stored unit topped off, but no where near enough for recharging while dry camping. You may want to skip to about 3 minutes where he actually starts talking about the panel in the video.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...2777531f21f0e3

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Old 02-23-2019, 10:37 PM   #13
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Hey unless that panel costs a fortune I'd say Try it and learn how to make it work. I agree that the roof is better and I have read horrors about flex panels failing. Id try it if that is the way you want to go and be sure that if it is bigger than about 40 watts, put a charge controller between it and the coach, just to be safe.

Report back the success or problems you have. Thanks
Thanks
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Old 02-23-2019, 10:41 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by dward51 View Post
I saw this youtube video earlier today. They installed a 50 watt semi-flexible "stick down" solar panel on a box trailer roof. No roof penetrations to mount as it has 3M pressure sensitive adhesive on the entire back. They added lap seal on the border for insurance that it does not lift up in highway speed wind, but Eternabond would also work well for this (and look better). This is a $368 panel though (there are other less expensive and higher wattage units on Amazon, but who knows about quality). It also has a voltage regulator built in as they remarked to external circuitry was needed. 50 watts at 13.8v is 3.62 amps at rated capacity. Should do an excellent job of keeping a stored unit topped off, but no where near enough for recharging while dry camping. You may want to skip to about 3 minutes where he actually starts talking about the panel in the video.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...2777531f21f0e3

Very interesting! Thanks for sharing.
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Old 02-24-2019, 07:36 AM   #15
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I mounted a 100 watt flexible panel on my roof with silicone caulking. When I sold my first camper, I couldn't remove it. I mounted another one I got on eBay for $180 on the roof of my new camper. I don't like roof penetrations either, so I ran a conduit down the front of the camper. It lasted about 3 years before the plastic turned milky. I've also read that heat buildup is a problem with solar panels. My next installation will be with a standard panel silconed to the roof. I'm convinced that will stick. You do need a charge controller. I used a Morningstar and it works great. The best part is that it keeps your battery fully charged in storage.
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Old 02-24-2019, 11:01 AM   #16
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I've also read that heat buildup is a problem with solar panels.
I would be concerned that the greenhouse heating effect in close proximity to the windshield would quickly deteriorate the flexible solar panel, thus shortening its life.

Another unknown would be the reduction in energy due to a tinted windshield filtering the solar spectrum.

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Old 02-24-2019, 05:29 PM   #17
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I would be concerned that the greenhouse heating effect in close proximity to the windshield would quickly deteriorate the flexible solar panel, thus shortening its life.

Another unknown would be the reduction in energy due to a tinted windshield filtering the solar spectrum.

Both excellent points. I had wondered about the heat factor knowing the temps inside the windshield can get quite high. Didn't know how much impact that would have on panel longevity. Would that be worse than a roof mount in the middle of summer in AZ?
Hadn't thought about the tinting. Humm.
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