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Which solar panel for Trooper?

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Post by andrewedmondson Thu Sep 23, 2021 10:01 am

I'm about to buy the following. Please let me know if I'm making a mistake about the weight.
200W mono rigid solar panel from Photonic Universe. Weighs in at 15kg.
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Two lengths of aluminium Z section, fixed using 4 bolts each side along the length of the panel. Probably another 7kg.
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Sealed using sikaflex (not the adhesive, for easy removal).
So around 20kg weight distributed along two sides of a 1.3m panel.
Will the roof take it? I'd use a strip of thin wood on the underside of the roof.

I'll run the cables to the back, through the roof, then drill through the van wall into the wardrobe MPPT solar charger, then behind the units to the driver seat battery.
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Post by IanH Thu Sep 23, 2021 11:21 am

Per ally strip you have 1/2 the panel weight and the strip weight, lets guess the strip is 40mm wide.
So the contact area is 1300 x 40mm2 = 52000mm2 or 520cm2 (hope maths right!)
If total weight is 22kg 11Kg of it is on each strip so roof loading, under each strip is 1kg/47cm2.

IMHO that should be ok, but, also IMHO, why do you need 200w panel? I've now had 5 on different MH's, 4 were 100w and this one is 160, frankly I don't notice the difference between this one and the 100w ones.

Also are you using a dual battery solar controller? With all that power you could/should be charging both batteries, Photonic do a very good one (not mppt but frankly I don't think that matters) with a remote display have now had 5 all perfect, always have 2 x 100% full batteries too!
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Post by andrewedmondson Thu Sep 23, 2021 11:55 am

That's reassuring. I'm using a victronic Bluetooth 20A solar charger and a victronic B2B 30A l, both to the two 85Ah leisure batteries. 
This panel is 1m wide, so thay it doesn't interfere with the raised ribs on the roof.
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