Tilting solar panels

Looks like you got it about right Jeff.
 
On thing with tilting ... What if you are parked in the wrong direction? Unless you are in an open field, you usually cannot choose how you park, and often limited at the most to driving in nose first or tail first and that is it. So yes, tilting is good but limited unless you can also rotate.
 
wildebus said:
On thing with tilting ... What if you are parked in the wrong direction? Unless you are in an open field, you usually cannot choose how you park, and often limited at the most to driving in nose first or tail first and that is it. So yes, tilting is good but limited unless you can also rotate.
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Maybe that's true but you're no worse off than anyone else with flat panels if you can't park in the direction and your miles better off than them when parked in the right direction ;) I've seen the results when Jeff @Exwindsurfer tilts his 🤔 If I had a panel van I'd tilt mine but I'm not so sure of the strength in the roof of a coachbuilt especially if your going to use actuators to lift them up. Of course if your coachbuilt has a factory fitted roof rack your could perhaps use that to mount them on 🤔

Regards,
Del
 
alwaysared said:
Maybe that's true but you're no worse off than anyone else with flat panels if you can't park in the direction and your miles better off than them when parked in the right direction ;) I've seen the results when Jeff @Exwindsurfer tilts his 🤔 If I had a panel van I'd tilt mine but I'm not so sure of the strength in the roof of a coachbuilt especially if your going to use actuators to lift them up.
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alwaysared said:
Of course if your coachbuilt has a factory fitted roof rack your could perhaps use that to mount them on 🤔
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My coachbuilt has a factory fitted roof rack on which I mounted my 3-panel array :) and I bought all the bits to have a tilting system :) and I have a factory-fitted ladder which I can climb up the roof on :) and I decided "sod it". and left them fixed and flat :) to much hassle for not enough return.
Yes you can get more harvesting, but ONLY when you are parked at a certain position. For example, Jeff gets great harvesting with his panels at home, for example. If I tilted my panels when at home it would make less than zero difference as would be pointing the wrong way most of the time.
And when you are out and about, who knows what angle you get to park at? maybe you get lucky? chances are you don't as there are more wrong ways to park than right when it comes to tilting.
I used a portable panel recently and tilted that and pointed it the right way. But .... for maximum effect you have to keep moving the panel to follow the sun. It is a bit of an annoyance with a portable panel. fixed to a van, no chance unless the panels rotate. tilt+rotate is the only really good system to go for and commercially the price of those is a joke.

Tilting is a nice little extra, like a portable power station say, but it is certainly not an everyday way to get more power. better to invest in an extra battery IMO.

alwaysared said:
Regards,
Del
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I went for the more panel approach seems to work quite well. 360w into 120A lithium is enough to charge up what we use. Generated just over 1kw the other day.
 
wildebus said:
On thing with tilting ... What if you are parked in the wrong direction? Unless you are in an open field, you usually cannot choose how you park, and often limited at the most to driving in nose first or tail first and that is it. So yes, tilting is good but limited unless you can also rotate.
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That goes with out saying David that you can not always park they way you want to all the time and as the sun is getting higher there is less need to till for me .
 
QFour said:
I went for the more panel approach seems to work quite well. 360w into 120A lithium is enough to charge up what we use. Generated just over 1kw the other day.
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Like you I also when for more panel as well as tilting 590watts .I say you can never have enough.
 
wildebus said:
My coachbuilt has a factory fitted roof rack on which I mounted my 3-panel array :) and I bought all the bits to have a tilting system :) and I have a factory-fitted ladder which I can climb up the roof on :) and I decided "sod it". and left them fixed and flat :) to much hassle for not enough return.
Yes you can get more harvesting, but ONLY when you are parked at a certain position. For example, Jeff gets great harvesting with his panels at home, for example. If I tilted my panels when at home it would make less than zero difference as would be pointing the wrong way most of the time.
And when you are out and about, who knows what angle you get to park at? maybe you get lucky? chances are you don't as there are more wrong ways to park than right when it comes to tilting.
I used a portable panel recently and tilted that and pointed it the right way. But .... for maximum effect you have to keep moving the panel to follow the sun. It is a bit of an annoyance with a portable panel. fixed to a van, no chance unless the panels rotate. tilt+rotate is the only really good system to go for and commercially the price of those is a joke.

Tilting is a nice little extra, like a portable power station say, but it is certainly not an everyday way to get more power. better to invest in an extra battery IMO.
Click to expand...
With nearly 600watts of solar and 400amps of lithium I think I've got it covered lolol
 
Exwindsurfer said:
The thing with that Neal you have to find somewhere to store then when you traveling.
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Yes it isn’t an option for a lot but quite a few I see now have a loose panel or folding panel they have at an angle in Winter. Would be better vertical for most 👍
 
where I live, I couldn't risk having panels at an angle! I have lost count how often I have had to pick up the panels I have (usually) flat on the shed roof from the grass when they have been blown off the roof!
They would probably get ripped off the van roof in the same way awnings get damaged.
 
I would never put my panels up when it's windy or leave them up and wander of for a walk .say that I've had them up in some really strong winds and they have never moved
 
Exwindsurfer said:
The thing with that Neal you have to find somewhere to store then when you traveling.
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I was lucky in having a good sized garage in my last 2 vans. The problem with most big vans is the garage just consists of a space with little consideration of storage for large items. I made a lightweight storage frame ( 30 x 20mm wood and 5 mm plywood) so that I could fit large plastic boxes on securely. I left a small gap at the bottom with wooden guides so that I could slide a solar panel in and out. The garage had one shelf with about a metre of fresh air above it, so I added 2 more shelves and cured my problem with the millions of accumulated small items necessary to the motorhomer. :giggle:
 
wildebus said:
On thing with tilting ... What if you are parked in the wrong direction? Unless you are in an open field, you usually cannot choose how you park, and often limited at the most to driving in nose first or tail first and that is it. So yes, tilting is good but limited unless you can also rotate.
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At meets we try to have habitation doors facing south. Therefore getting the best of available sunshine into the motorhome, nearly typed, camper then.
So having panels hinged on the habitation side would be the side of choice, at Motorhomer.com meets.
1, Don’t ask me how I know.
2, Other meeting places are available.😳
 
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