Solar Panels on Trucks and Trailers

Since you have not read the entire thread, this might be a good time for a recap because you missed the fact that I have had solar panels already mounted on my truck for over 4 years now that answers questioning the damage part out since these are the old traditional solar panels.......




Now the new peel and stick panels I just installed on the front are mounted and are not coming off because the adhesive used has these panels rated for a 185 mph wind load. Believe me after sticking them down they are not coming up. These new flexible panels can withstand tree limbs, hail and flying debris because they are like a rubber door mat that those things would just bounce off them with no damage to the panels.




Now those are 3 of those panels stuck side by side and will be wired together to a separate charge controller from the other panels so I can see the difference in the 2 systems that I am re-wiring into a box. Both controller with a separate meter that will mounted in my sleeper that I can monitor and track the voltage in, battery voltage, temperature and how many amps has been delivered to the system along with other data. These are overkill and I have been using one of these for 4 years. It is meant to charge 2 separate battery banks that I will not have, but I like the meters on them that give great feedback.




Now to the battery isolator you bought up that I have owned and never installed for 4 years now due to not satisfied with the results of 2 battery banks, the isolator and the amount of batteries needed to get 10 hours of sleeper AC on a very hot day without idling. Here is the isolator that is not required anymore (it is for sale if anybody wants it)....



But now with the Maxwell ESM that takes the place of the isolator and having another 3 or 4 battery bank to just start the truck....



The Maxwell ESM is allowing me to use the 3 batteries in the driver side tray and now adding 4 more batteries on the passenger side allows me to have 7 AGM deep cycle (non-cranking) batteries with 735 AHs of energy to run a sleeper AC for 10+ hours that solar panels with insure that the batteries don't discharge over 50 to 60% of their capacity that will not stress them and insure a long battery life.

I don't know where you are getting the $12,000 number you posted, but I would like for you to show where you came up with that number? I will not have a 1/3rd of that in mine including all new batteries, the Maxwell ESM, the solar panels, the AC unit and even swapping out a modified sine wave inverter for a brand new pure sine wave inverter/charger that I can hook up to shore power to run everything and charge the batteries. I also do most of my own work on it too that has been a fun and educational project for me.



The new inverter/charger also has a control panel that I will also mount in the sleeper to monitor battery and inverter conditions.

I am not on here to sell anything to anybody (I thought about it), just trying to help others who considering going this route instead of an $8,000 to $10,000 diesel powered APU that needs maintenance and burns fuel.

I will hopefully know soon what kind of amps can be sent to the batteries from the solar panels on these very short winter days that will probably be around half of what it will be during the long summer days when it will be needed for cooling that will be a lot more than what I will need during the winter months.

 

I have had a higher output alternator for a long time, but the idea of the solar panels charging the batteries instead of the alternator is the reason not to idle saving fuel and being able to stretch the available battery amps further too.

 

The panels I used were 9'-4" long that is from the top of the visor supports all the way back to the edge of the top fairing. You can't trim these down, so you might want to measure to see if they will even fit?

I had to remove my air tabs and re-stick new ones on top of the solar panels once they were in place.

 

Somebody is making them for golf cart roofs that are a bit pricey form those guys. Maybe a few searches you could find where to buy the panels from directly.

Here is semi-flexible panel on E-Bay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Semi-Flexib...d=100011&prg=1005&rk=1&rkt=5&sd=280784910929&






It is 51" x 21-1/4" that may fit better, but you might have to glue it down yourself.

 

"used" ?

If you are asking what they are used for is simple they are to keep the batteries charged up without idling the truck.