Rooftop solar installation

Vonbrown

I would like to install 2 100 watt renolgy solar panels to the rootop of my 2018 T@G

Any ideas how?

Martog

I'd contact nucamp and ask them where you can attach items to the roof since you don't want to put a hole in the wrong place.

tagurit

What is the advantage of rooftop solar? A solar suitcase can be placed where it gets direct sun and moved if needed, already has a charge controller built in, is protected from impact and vibration when traveling, and can be left home when not planning to boondock. It can be less expensive than buying panels and a controller separately and certainly easier to install.

Martog

@tagurit said:
What is the advantage of rooftop solar? A solar suitcase can be placed where it gets direct sun and moved if needed, already has a charge controller built in, is protected from impact and vibration when traveling, and can be left home when not planning to boondock. It can be less expensive than buying panels and a controller separately and certainly easier to install.

This is why I didn't opt for the rooftop solar. I won't get any just yet, I might just get a generator honestly, unsure. If not a briefcase solar panel is what I'll get. I'm only going out once this year and I'll have 30A shore power.

Chaverim

I’ve been looking at it both ways for convenience and weight and everything and am getting a higher quality controller than comes with briefcase panels and then will get panels later that are briefcase style without a controller.

Vonbrown

I have spent the money. I'm new to solar and made my first mistake

Chaverim

I’m new too. I am getting an mppt controller with Bluetooth so I can see the power levels on my phone. Even the battery level when the solar isn’t attached. And I’m putting SAE connectors between the controller and the panels and a connector for a load connection too.

Vonbrown

I have made arrangements to return the Renology 200 watt starter solar panels and purchase the 100 watt suitcase.
I'm glad I made this mistake as a solar newbie because I got to be involved in the whole process. Hey, I may become a real expert someday! By the way, I only lost out on shipping cost to return it.

Martog

Loosing shipping cost isn't horrible at all, glad you were able to return it. Check out ZAMP, fairly popular and you can get a 200W suitcase kit. The dealer where I purchased my trailer from has a huge catalog and ZAMP is listed in there.

Sharon_is_SAM

@Vonbrown, you are on the right track. There is definately a solar learning curve. Keep reading.

Renogy is an excellent and reasonably priced company to deal with. We are not handy at all and with the Renogy tech’s help, my DH was able to string together 2 Renogy solar suitcases, 30 feet of 10 gauge wire, multiple MC4 connectors, required fuses and an inexpensive Renogy PWM controller. All of this more than sustained our 150 amp AGM battery out west this past spring. Your controller should be as close to the battery as possible - not 30 feet away attached to your panels like the Zamp suitcase arrangement. The only thing I would change with our system is to maybe upgrade to more flexible, 10 gauge wiring - more expensive, but much easier to roll up and store. We used the more flexible 10 gauge on the pigtails coming off the battery and charge controller and it makes it much easier to connect. Was able to buy flexible wire remnants from Amazon, so limited waste. If you are not in a hurry, do not hesitate to check out the Renogy and Amazon Open Box specials. We saved a bundle and still received quality products. If you read enough, you will find that a PWM controller is fine for more limited wattage panel arrays (up to 600-700 watts). You gain very little using an MPPT controller under those wattages.

Handy Bob’s Solar has a lot of good info (can be a fun challenge to slog through his writings) as well as Northern Arizona Wind and Solar tutorials.

https://handybobsolar.wordpress.com

https://www.solar-electric.com/learning-center

Have fun! Sharon

Michigan_Mike

I have a 200 W Zamp portable suitcase setup and it is robust. They have a waterproof solar controller and I used it out in Arizona to charge up my 4-6-volt batteries on a travel trailer I have parked out on site in a campground. Renogy does have good panels but I've stuck with Zamp Solar panels because they are manufactured here in the US (Bend, Oregon), they are rugged, monocrystalline panels (similar to what the government uses at their installations) and they have excellent customer service too. Yes, they are more expensive than other brands but I consider them the Cadillac of solar and you do get what you pay for. My last four teardrop trailers have been wired for Zamp panels and it is always comforting to know that I can live virtually off the grid non-stop and via free power.

Solar isn't necessarily cheap, nor is it for everyone. Before jumping into the solar arena you should evaluate your actual power needs and just how much boondocking you plan to do. If you plan to camp in campgrounds with shore power the majority of the time you probably don't need a solar panel. But if you enjoy remote camping and plan to boondock the majority of the time you may indeed want to consider a solar setup.

I have seen people mount panels on Yakima style roof racks and they do make the flat panels that can be mounted flat to the surface. If you have questions on mounting you could contact Austin Jones down at the nuCamp maintenance facility and he could give you some mounting tips on the surface mount style flat panels.