Hood Mounted Solar Panels

[ShadowsPapa]

Late to this thread... I'm one of the early purchases of the Cascadia solar system, so I paid for part of the R&D on it. Would I buy it again possibly. I've got the 85w one, I can leave my JT parked for well over a week and be at a 13.1-13-7v charge. This is one of two systems I have on mine. The second I planned out and wired 200w system.
One long-term faults is the rubber gasket by windshield washer nozzles, it shrinking and started blocking it. I trimmed the rubber a week or so back to not block it. The directions were good and complete one stop shopping, with added benefit less glare off hood. If I had a Rubicon I probably would not buy it to little for to much $$$, you can build a better than that for way less unless the cost is way less now.
No, it's not ideal and does have a losses from heat. But I've had no battery problems yet my JT is a Nov 2019 build date. now I've jinxed myself.
You could definitely build as good and better systems, my second one cost way less and over double output. (Other that the battery I have added). That is an area of concern depending on temperatures your system is subjected to. LiPo batteries don't like to hot and especially to cold. The latter has shutdown it on mine a few times and days over a week actually.

That reminds me - was at a car show a couple of weeks ago. It was lower 90s and rising quickly after noon. My car has the Pierre Cardin interior but the basics are all black. Sun coming in windows and the original untinted windshield. As I was driving home I sat my phone on the passenger seat and then at a stop sign, picked it up to launch a speedometer app to check my car's speedometer with all the mods that have been done.
Phone was dead. Got home, sat it on the counter and a few minutes later it said the phone shut off due to heat. That battery on the back of the phone still felt hot when I picked it up.
Solar panels don't like heat, either. They get plenty hot.

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[Blade1668]

Trip went fine.
I wish you had crashed it. You'd have been able to watch at least one crash due to a slick track or "driver error" and enjoyed FREE FOOD from a couple of the vendors at the swap meet (and some free drinks, I hear)
Would be great to meet some of the forum people. Like my wife reminds me "all of your friends are hundreds of miles away, mine are 20 minutes away". Yeah, I know.

Well hmmm is there any good 4wheeler trails nearby you. currently I'm in E. KY with my trailer hauling my 4wheeler too. When I leave out from here I might drop trailer and 4wheeler at friends house. Soi can travel more economically, gasoline prices.... close to $150.°° yesterday.

My phone overheated just driving and in charging.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Well hmmm is there any good 4wheeler trails nearby you. currently I'm in E. KY with my trailer hauling my 4wheeler too. When I leave out from here I might drop trailer and 4wheeler at friends house. Soi can travel more economically, gasoline prices.... close to $150.°° yesterday.

Someone said down by Lake Redrock there's trails, and I'm not far from the Des Moines river.
One Jeep guy said he knew of places but we had to leave before I got specifics.

 

[Blade1668]

Someone said down by Lake Redrock there's trails, and I'm not far from the Des Moines river.
One Jeep guy said he knew of places but we had to leave before I got specifics.

I'd like to be able to afford to risk one of my Jeeps but having a trailer and 4wheeler are better choice for off-roading with me right now. Especially when I have this to play on.

I changed out tires on it for less aggressive AT tread from the tractor tires.

 

[Sunnysideup]

I have used the cascadia panel for two years now. It's maiden voyage was in the summer... I have a rugged ridge fridge that I let run constantly in temps over 100 across Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, California, Idaho, Oregon, and back to Montana. The fridge ran day and night for 7 weeks. Several days the truck sat and was not run at all- in Az it sat for two days in 110 plus weather. Food stayed cold, batteries stayed full, and it has worked flawlessly for 2 years. Winter time-I've had the fridge running, but with less sunlight... less activity with the fridge cycle in the cold so it worked out fine. I have a seperate panel on the roof of my tent- that I use for charging up a battery pack... I use that to run tent lights, radio, fan, charge phones...etc... so it is never connected to the other batteries. I can get two days on the pack. If the pack runs dead, I re-charge it the next day from the tent top charger. My Interior topper lights all run on triple A's -led touch lights- I have not had to repalce batteries in two years. They light up my cooking areas. If I leave them on- I'll not have any issues starting the truck. We get pretty remote- and I don't want to risk killing the truck batteries. What I'm afraid of is the diesel heater killing the truck batteries in the winter if it ran all night.... still have not tried that out.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Solar panels will obviously work better on average in higher elevations. Lower elevations the energy in the wavelengths panels use is filtered out to a larger extent.
I compare to me being out in the sun all day around home or at midwest car shows and such and hardly tan - then I go to Colorado Springs and have to use sunblock eve if outside for a few hours with filtered sun

 

[Blade1668]

This is a screen shot from yesterday state of charge parked.

The lower one is Jeeps stock batteries with just the Cascadia solar system. Not running just parked for few hours. Unfortunately the Redarc doesn't really monitor Jeeps BTW that was at 7:28 p.m. batteries charging in E. KY.

 

[LTCSlacker]

Solar panels do not like heat, it kills their efficiency. You'd probably be better off with a larger stowable solar blanket you can deploy when you set up camp.

I find the Cascadia system to be good for overlanding, when parked. Yes, the panels don't like heat, but I'm looking to stay topped up when off grid and doing other things, when the truck is of, and, therefore, not generating engine heat. It works well for me.

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