It's attached, there's a self-tapping screw at each end. I basically followed this example: $11 DIY Portable Solar Panel Stand: 7 Steps (w/ Photos) - Footprint Hero - https://footprinthero.com/diy-solar-panel-mount
Rubicon Solar Power Experience (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter Cruiserdrew
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
100w Solar panel is finally small enough to fit flush inside sunroof opening of my home brew fake gamviti rack. Wiring through the snorkel.
I see them, thanks
Sure thing! It's been a fun project overall. There are apps but there's also a gov website that you can get tilt and azimuth for any time of the day without all the app ads. NOAA Solar Position Calculator - https://gml.noaa.gov/grad/solcalc/azel.html
Then with a compass and inclinometer the panels can be positioned. So far I've only gotten a max of about 150-160W but that really keeps things topped off. The only other use for this battery right now is charging phones/headlamps/gps so it's kind of over-spec'd but I wanted to be able to handle many days of little to no sun and/or non-ideal campsite conditions we all sometimes get forced into.
Last edited:
another advantage of the bigger than needed panels is that you may not need to reorient at all. Just lay them horizontal and forget about it. The difference in production capability is not as large as one might expect in the Southern part of the US. You can check this out easily using software that calculates solar panel production.
added: actually, there is even an easier way to figure this out, at least qualitatively. Take a piece of paper, hold it flat and perpendicular to your line of vision. Note how big it is. Than tilt it slightly, at say 10 or 20 degrees. The paper will appear slightly smaller. Well, the relative difference is (close to) how much you'd lose in power generation by having the panel be at a similar angle wrt to the direction to the sun. For instance if you tilt it at 10degrees, say, you will see (subjectively of course) little difference. Then you can decide whether that is worth bothering with reorientation, or whether your excess nominal capacity is enough to do the needed job. Note that one good thing about keeping it horizontal is that the loss will be smallest at solar noon which is when you normally get the most power anyways, so don't worry too much about early and late in the day unless the power situation is critical, may not make much difference, at least in southern areas.
I know it's tempting for nerds like me to want to optimize things as much as possible and run around checking where the sun is all day, but there is also something to be said for sitting in a comfortable camp chair with a cool one and enjoying the scenery...! So if you can afford it and have the space, get a panel that's 50% bigger than needed and just enjoy the luxury of keeping it horizontal at all times...
added: actually, there is even an easier way to figure this out, at least qualitatively. Take a piece of paper, hold it flat and perpendicular to your line of vision. Note how big it is. Than tilt it slightly, at say 10 or 20 degrees. The paper will appear slightly smaller. Well, the relative difference is (close to) how much you'd lose in power generation by having the panel be at a similar angle wrt to the direction to the sun. For instance if you tilt it at 10degrees, say, you will see (subjectively of course) little difference. Then you can decide whether that is worth bothering with reorientation, or whether your excess nominal capacity is enough to do the needed job. Note that one good thing about keeping it horizontal is that the loss will be smallest at solar noon which is when you normally get the most power anyways, so don't worry too much about early and late in the day unless the power situation is critical, may not make much difference, at least in southern areas.
I know it's tempting for nerds like me to want to optimize things as much as possible and run around checking where the sun is all day, but there is also something to be said for sitting in a comfortable camp chair with a cool one and enjoying the scenery...! So if you can afford it and have the space, get a panel that's 50% bigger than needed and just enjoy the luxury of keeping it horizontal at all times...
Last edited:
