Solar Panels Installed On LandCruiser

[unwiredadventures]

I keep my Engle fridge running always and don't always drive enough too keep everything charged. This keeps the batteries charged with enough extra charging power to keep everything cold in the fridge and run other accessories.

Panels bolted on to Inti rack with rubber spacers and metal washers. Washers were threaded to keep bolts retained on panels for installation on roof rack:


Both installed:


Solar charging Controller:


Installed:


All that remains of the install is to route the power cables properly. They've been installed on the roof for a couple of months and it's great to have the fridge cold and the batteries completely charged even when the truck has not been driven for several days.

[sdnative]

delete

[DaveK]

Frank:

Very nice set up.

What is the wattage of the two panels and with two panels are you able to use a MPPT controller?

Some info on the equipment, please.

[unwiredadventures]

What is the wattage of the two panels and with two panels are you able to use a MPPT controller? Some info on the equipment, please.

Two 30 watt panels. So 60 watts total.

Both panels wired parallel into the the controller. It's a 3 Stage PWM type controller.

Do you worry about other cargo shifting and damaging the panel?

I don't normally have too much in the rack. Anything loaded on the rack is in it's own container and secure. I do plan on adding another bar to prevent shifting onto the panel.

[toms]

What was the total cost?

[unwiredadventures]

What was the total cost?

The controller I used is $31.00

You'll find better deals and more sizes of 12vdc solar panels on Amazon.

[unwiredadventures]

What is the wattage of the two panels and with two panels are you able to use a MPPT controller?

Dave,

Which controller did you use?

[DaveK]

What is the wattage of the two panels and with two panels are you able to use a MPPT controller?

Dave,

Which controller did you use?

I started off with a MPPT controller, but with a single panel with only 80 watts, the benefits, if any, were just not there. If I had been able to get two 40 watt panels, that fit into the space I have available, then it would have worked. With two 12V panels, connected correctly, you can take the 24V and run it through a MPPT controller and get it's full advantage. For you, an MPPT controller would make sense, but they are more expensive. I've seen estimates of the MPPT controllers giving about 10% more power.

Since I already had the panel and couldn't find two 40s that fit, I stayed with a PWM controller made by Ramsond (the mfgr of my panel.) The nice thing about this controller is that it was made as a flush mount, allowing me to mount it in the cab, out of the way.

The advantage of an MPPT controller is that you can squeeze a little more power from the panel. I have tested mine out (with the PWM controller) and during the day (from about 10:00AM to about 4:00PM, I am pulling about 5-6 amps. It would be nice to get a little more, but that seems to work, at least for now.