I Installed a Mobile Power Plant | No Drilling Holes for Panels RV Roof

[@FrugalRepair]

Do you have an RV or camper with solar? What is your setup like? Thanks for watching!

[@mt.sylvania9218]

Great video to see some options. Better than drilling more holes for L brackets. We usually camp with our motorhome in the shade so have a a suitcase solar panel on long wires. Definitely better than running the loud built in generator and we usually only need around 35 Ah per day.

[@DeFiDuke]

hi so you did both series and parrallel? interesting, to start I'm only going to have 2 (mismatched) - one 200 amp and one 100 amp - should I do series? or does it matter if you only have 2 ? I'm going to be using it in conjunction with a Oupes mega 2 power station which does support advanced mppt. i think for my install i won't need a switch? thanks!

[@litnoregrets7551]

I was so excited to see the release of these panels. I hope they release these in more sizes in the future. For example, I know they just released a blanket style panel. This size is just too long and cumbersome to transport for me. Thanks for your review. Love the bit about how many diodes they have. This is info I love to know, so I have validation they do better with partial shading.

[@FrugalRepair]

Yes, I was skeptical at first but after playing with them (not on the RV roof) they did produce over 100% when pointed at the sun, did great in cloudy weather, and when shaded. I'm eager to see how they hold up on the RV roof through our travels this summer.

[@litnoregrets7551]

@@FrugalRepair since my last comment, I bought and received the folding version. I am anxious to run it through its paces. Then, I need to figure out how best to use it when I am camping.

[@FrugalRepair]

I’m curious to hear how it goes. I ran a test today and the panels on the RV roof were making about 193w each!

[@lawrencewiddis2447]

In the last 11 months (since installation) has heat been an issue?

[@FrugalRepair]

Not that I have seen. I am keeping my eye on any changes but so far they still have been producing better than what I have expected.

[@SuperSushidog]

For a small system on a rig with limited weight carrying capacity I think they are great. Those panels don't look like the cells will crack and arc, causing a fire like I've seen mono cells do. They appear to be a little underrated too, which is a plus. The downside is their low efficiency of only 16% so they take up more roof area for a given number of watts. I mounted 2, 310watt Canadian solars to a liftable array on the side of my motorhome. I did this to leave my roof free to rack 8, 460-watt Bluesun bifacial panels about 13" off the roof of my motorhome to keep both them and my RV cooler. The downside of these rigid double glass panels is that they are heavy. With the aluminum racking, I'll be adding about 575-580 lbs on my roof - not an inconsequential amount, but within the carrying capacity of my RV. In my application I should get another 10% off the back of these panels (boosting their efficiency to well over 23%) so they will perform similar to 500-watt single sided panels, and they only cost $262 each from Signature Solar for an effective cost of only 52 cents/watt (63 cents/watt when the racking material costs are considered for an apples-to-apples comparison to these CIGS self-adhesive flexible panels of $2.89/watt). This will give me the equivalent of 4,000 watts on my roof. Being flat mounted, they will produce 25-30% less than the liftable panels on the side of my RV. So I estimate that their real-world performance will be in the 2,500-3,000 watt range on a bright sunny day. When I add the 620-watt array on the side I should have sufficient solar to charge my approximately 23Kwh of batteries to power all my electrical needs, except for rare occasions. When necessary, I can use my 5,500 watt generator to put 80 amps into my 12v 560ah bank via my Progressive Dynamics Converter/Charger, and 40 amps into my 310ah 48v bank via a Sungold Power all-in-one 48V, 5,000W inverter/charge controller/battery charger.

[@FrugalRepair]

Great to hear about your solar setup!

[@IuseanXboxController]

Dang and I'm over here wishing I had the money to just buy a cheap used tear drop to pull behind my Bolt EV and put some panels on the top of both of them to see how that all works out. lol one day I will get there, one day....

[@matthewknight5641]

Best stuff I've found for holding wires down neatly is 2 inch roof tape. It's like 20 or 30 bucks but makes for a clean looking install

[@DeFiDuke]

hi thank for the response! on another forum they mentioned I can use the bathroom vents sometimes they go straight into the electric area..

[@worldwide_wes]

Why did you do them all misaligned? Looks like you had the space to make them straight

[@FrugalRepair]

I was attempting to minimize shading on the panels, considering cable placements, and though a small consideration, get a more average angle of incidence across all panels.

[@worldwide_wes]

@@FrugalRepair ah ok thanks for the explanation

[@matthewknight5641]

You can go over the 30 amps of the controller you just need to stay under the voltage point. The 30 amps your controller is rated for I the output amps to the batteries that the controller is capable of. Lots of people over panel their controller by 20 or even 30 percent so that they are making the 30 amp output for a longer time each day

[@minutemanprep]

Awesome install! It should work great.

[@FrugalRepair]

Thanks!

[@paydaypayday3506]

Great video. I am planing on mounting 4 of these on our nwemar

[@FrugalRepair]

Thanks! I hope it goes well. These panels have been performing better than I expected and had no issues after a long cross country trip.

[@SOUTH-BUSKERS-CLUB]

I want to know the temperature of the front and back of the flexible solar panel in summer. Can you tell me?

[@FrugalRepair]

I couldn't tell you because temperature changes all the time given the conditions. I did give example temperatures in this video.

[@SOUTH-BUSKERS-CLUB]

@@FrugalRepair Thanks for the value this video brings, it’s great! Maybe you can test the temperature on the front and back with a thermal camera

[@diySolarPowerFunWithRay]

Wow, those are pretty nice. That is really good output. I like the diodes and that was a really good idea of leaving extra length to charge a power station. I think I'll try and add these on my next RV

[@FrugalRepair]

Thanks for watching! Yes, I’ve been happy with them.

[@Gratefulwon]

Would really like to see how the heat affects the roof membrane over a few years!

[@FrugalRepair]

That’s something I am definitely curious about. I wanted to give these a try though. So far they have performed much better than I expected.

[@frederick6008]

I just added a 200w on my camper van. I get 11a at 18v not direct sun. How are your panels one year later?

[@FrugalRepair]

Nice! So far they are still performing well. I want to do some more testing on them this summer.

[@frederick6008]

@@FrugalRepair great. I'll keep an eye out.

[@tzarza]

I just got these, and been getting flack about heat. How have they been so far directly mounted to the rubber roof?

[@FrugalRepair]

They've been great all this past summer. What kind of issues are you having?

[@tzarza]

Nothing yet. Just haters saying flexible panels suck. Just installed them yesterday.

[@FrugalRepair]

Keep me posted. I have been impressed by these panels so far.

[@nick_nathas5442]

have you considered making a way to plug it into your house's solar to give to the power company or use for yourself if needed whenever you're not using it and it's just parked? or would that not be worth the costs and efforts?

[@FrugalRepair]

Yes, good thought. I'm not backfeeding power to the grid but I can use it for other power needs. I installed a 30 amp plug on the AC output that I could use our just with a regular extension cord. A some point I'd like to put in a generator inlet and a transfer switch on the house so the RV can power the house when needed.

[@nick_nathas5442]

@@FrugalRepair wow sounds cool thanks for answering

[@DeFiDuke]

how are these holding up? i heard this type can overheat and damage the roof? thanks

[@FrugalRepair]

They have been holding up well so far and producing better than I had expected. Time will tell how it goes but I’ve not had any issues and had plenty of power on our travels this past summer.

[@DeFiDuke]

that's awesome i just picked up 2 on ebay for $475 ! open box specials one 100watt and one 200watt @@FrugalRepair

[@DeFiDuke]

just curious how long your rv is - i have a 30foot fleetwood flair 2021@@FrugalRepair

[@FrugalRepair]

I think you will like them. Ours is a 38' RV.

[@DeFiDuke]

ahh ok that's why you can fit soo many lol @@FrugalRepair

[@seeking70]

What charge controller are you using?

[@LittleSpot]

This sounds awesome. Do you have an update to this panels? Whats about degradation and surface cracks? My small camper in germany has 550W on top. Good for cooking during my summer camping trips.

[@FrugalRepair]

Yes, they are great panels. I'm about at the one year mark after installation. The panels look great and continue to perform great. These CIGS panels don't get surface cracks to my knowledge. I will keep an eye on production values but I haven't noticed anything significant so far.

[@LittleSpot]

@@FrugalRepair Good to hear. A 4 year old video from Will Prowse is very negativ about the longtime life of flex panels. Great that BougeRV made a improves solution. 👍

[@FrugalRepair]

I haven't seen that video you are referring to but my guess is that was a different thin film technology (ie not CIGS).

[@LittleSpot]

@@FrugalRepair it is 5 years old, and in my option the technology has improved: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZ-wi5Kah7h5i9U

[@s.mendez7160]

Wait, the 30Amp max rating is at charge voltage (14.4) output from the Solar Controller. So wire the panels in series while not exceeding maximum input voltage to the Solar Controller (60v). Victron Solar Controllers can handle up to 100VDC, and some go higher, such as 150VDC.

[@FrugalRepair]

I’m not sure what your question is. I’m not using a Victron controller here.

[@s.mendez7160]

@@FrugalRepair It wasn't a question, we were citing Victron Solar Controllers as an example of higher input voltage capability for wiring panels in series.

[@DeFiDuke]

which one are you using? @@FrugalRepair

[@RomansapienMVision]

How does this solar panels handle golf size hails?

[@FrugalRepair]

Because these are basically thick pieces of plastic I bet they would hold up pretty well.

[@DeFiDuke]

what size mppt controller are you using?

[@FrugalRepair]

I’m currently using the EcoFlow power kit in the RV.

[@DeFiDuke]

which model? is there a link ? thanks@@FrugalRepair

[@AnthonyDigi1205]

Ok so its been almost a year can you make an update vid ?

[@FrugalRepair]

What particular aspects would you be interested to see? The system performed better than I expected all of last summer. I'm eager to see how it does this summer.

[@AnthonyDigi1205]

@@FrugalRepair great well id like to know if the solor panals stayed glued to the roof i love the idea about the “ no drill holes in roof idea “ but im concerned about them flying off and something happens when the glue wears off also what are you going to do if one panel breaks and have to change it how is that done 3m tape is very strong

[@FrugalRepair]

Thanks for letting me know. They are using butyl tape. So far after 5,000+ miles of hiway and one hot summer, they are still on there with no movement.

[@FrugalRepair]

To get them off, you would use directed heat and slowly peal them off. Then some solvent to clean it up if you wanted. I’m not speaking from experience, just what I would expect if I had to

[@marsrover001]

Unfortunately flexible panels suffer from 2 major issues. One is to be flexible it's made of plastic, which yellows with age and this kills output. The other is by being stuck to the roof it does not have enough airflow and you guessed it. Heat hurts the lifespan and active output of the panel. Sure it's faster to install. But if money or longevity is the priority this is probably not the play.

[@diysolaradventures7894]

That's what I'm trying to do find a decent rv and convert it to solar

[@FrugalRepair]

Hope you can do it! We took a trip around the country this summer and the panels did great. I made a video on the trip in case you're interested.

[@diysolaradventures7894]

@FrugalRepair oh ok I'll check it out I'm already living completely off grid in Ohio but I'm ready to leave here..

[@Idahoprepper71]

The amperage rating is the max output of the solar charger not the max input. You can over amperage a charge controller but can over voltage

[@FrugalRepair]

I was referring to the MPPT input specifications if I remember right (and we are talking about the same thing). And I think you meant you *can’t* over volt.

[@matthewknight5641]

Cool panels tho

[@FrugalRepair]

Yes, they were really easy to stick down and they have been performing better than I expected.

[@millsbrian55]

Beautiful installation… but holy moly, $2000 (Canadian) for ONE 200W panel! Ouch!

[@FrugalRepair]

Thanks for watching! I just checked, that’s not the normal price, it says it’s out of stock in Canada. A few weeks ago, at least in the US amazon, I saw the 200w panels on a 30% discount from their current price.

[@craigosterberg5045]

Thanks for sharing

[@Kardall]

I am curious, in the state you live in, what is the buy back rate for your electricity? In Saskatchewan Canada they have their "Net Metering Program" set to ~50%. We have longer winter months, so you would have to take your average usage of power during the winter months, and multiply it by two, and that's how many kWh you have you supply back to the grid during the normal year just to make it affordable. I am curious if the US ones are any better.

[@FrugalRepair]

I’m in Pennsylvania. We have 1-1 net metering. If interested, check out the video on how I earn with with solar array. I explain the production and various credits we can get.

[@OStarman]

One possible issue: NEC 690.9 (A) (2020 Edition) electrical code says panels installed in parallel need a fuse on each sub-circuit if the total array max amperage (24A) exceeds the maximum series fuse rating for each panel - I couldn’t locate the max series fuse rating for these panels. Other than that, these are over three times the cost of solid panels! Longevity is also questionable with any flexible panel, so check the warranty.

[@FrugalRepair]

What do you mean by fuse rating on a panel? Do you mean Isc?

[@FrugalRepair]

Thanks, I see it's 10A so I'm adding the 3 fuses.

[@OStarman]

@@FrugalRepair Great idea to be safe! Take extra fuses! Have fun!

[@aliemlek]

👍👍👌👌

[@monkeybarmonkeyman]

Cables will slap themselves silly on the roof if you do any serious road mileage (imo).

[@FrugalRepair]

Actually this is not true. Thousands of hiway miles later there has been no discernible movement. Everything has held up very well without issue.

[@mt.sylvania9218]

Any worries just add some RV Eternabond tape to hold down the wires.

[@DeFiDuke]

are you slapping yourself silly?

[@---tr9qg]

🔥🔥🔥👍

[@jackmehoffer7819]

$599.99 on Amazon little to rich for my blood

[@FrugalRepair]

Yeah, the prices have gone up since I made the video. They have pretty good coupons sometimes so you can keep an eye out if interested.

[@DeFiDuke]

hi curious why you didn't use 8 gauge wire? i just watched a youtube video about how much more efficient 8 is: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fH7cmYR3rMaqaLM

[@FrugalRepair]

The short lengths I had to deal with didn't rise to the level of needing to bump up in gauge. So maybe I might have gone from .75% to .5% voltage drop. For DC circuits you really need to factor it in when talking about longer runs.

[@cairnsandy1]

i enjoy your channel , skills and presentation , but it must be said , your unfamiliar with an Electrician's , conduit cabling system. Your install is the extreme end of crap , obviously i would like to see you redo it professionally , i'm pretty sure you'll find the cable conduiting process , satisfying. Are you cool , with people laughing at your work , it's out there for everyone to see.

[@lenorelestrange]

Bro wants me to drop $3,600 on 12kwh max. That's $3/wh which by normal standards it's $0.46-0.54/wh per normal monocrystalline panels. Nuts, insane, no. Buy a solar array and make money from the grid for that price.

[@FrugalRepair]

I don't want you to buy them, to be clear. They aren't for you unless it's going to save you time or it may be the best option for solar due to their design. The prices for these seem to have gone up since I made this video. I had also regularly seen large discount coupons for them so that may still be happening.

[@dahof2789]

'Bro' needs to chill. Not everything that leaches into 'bro' brain needs to go in the comment section of a good well meaning video. Bro.

[@philg4678]

How much current was created from those solar panels?

[@FrugalRepair]

24amps going to solar controller

[@DeFiDuke]

which controller? @@FrugalRepair

[@larryphillips4164]

$550.00 Jesus! Dunno about that Gerald…

[@danmichelucci]

Same here, over over overpriced!!!!

[@drewskatmyselfdotcom]

At $580 a panel this is way OVERPRICED.

[@paydaypayday3506]

471.99 using hobotech28 code. I just ordered 2.

[@DeFiDuke]

they have come down alot

[@danmichelucci]

Insanely expensive…