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Old 08-20-2022, 02:32 PM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Question Skoolie solar

Hello!
I am going to be building out my 2005 Chevy Bluebird G3500 5-window bus. I am looking into solar. I have a question from you that have set solar up for yours.

Solar Panels:

Rigid or Flexible Panels and why did you choose one over the other?

I am thinking about the weight of rigid and longevity and quality of the flexible panels. I am trying to cut down weight where I can, to allow for other important installs. Any input is appreciated!

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Old 08-20-2022, 02:39 PM   #2
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Admins, I tried to move this post to the correct category and couldn't figure out how. I noticed there is an Electrical/Solar category. Please move if you can. Thank you!
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Old 08-20-2022, 11:31 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by BongoBus View Post
Hello!
I am going to be building out my 2005 Chevy Bluebird G3500 5-window bus. I am looking into solar. I have a question from you that have set solar up for yours.

Solar Panels:

Rigid or Flexible Panels and why did you choose one over the other?

I am thinking about the weight of rigid and longevity and quality of the flexible panels. I am trying to cut down weight where I can, to allow for other important installs. Any input is appreciated!



DEFINITELY RIGID.
Flexible panels mount directly to the sheet metal of the roof.

Solar panels are DARK and absorb heat.
HOT panels are less efficient than cooler ones AND hold transfer that heat to the roof sheet metal which then works it's way into your bus.


Rigid panels can be mounted off the roof and thus remain cooler due to the ambient air temperature below them. They can also be mounted level in a rack designed for them thus eliminating the difference created by the angular difference between left and right rows of panels if you have a row down each side.
They also shade your roof thus reducing the solar heating load on the roof and helping to keep your interior cool.
They are also cheaper and on a bus, the weight isn't much of a consideration.
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Old 08-24-2022, 12:20 PM   #4
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Thank you! After I posted I did more research and discovered the flexible lifespan is much shorter than the rigid as well. My decision has been made! Much appreciated!
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Old 08-24-2022, 03:59 PM   #5
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Thank you! After I posted I did more research and discovered the flexible lifespan is much shorter than the rigid as well. My decision has been made! Much appreciated!

Anytime.


NOW, in your search for panels there is nothing wrong with used solar panels that are in good condition.
We just picked up 12 panels (two to resell to friends) that are just five years old and were removed from a commercial solar installation. 290 watt panels cost us $110 each (originally asking $125ea or 5 for $600) or about $0.38 per watt.
So...our panel budget went from $2500 for as much as that would get us to (we're only using 10 and selling the other two) 2900 watts for $1100. That definitely helps with the budget.
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Old 08-24-2022, 09:06 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BongoBus View Post
Hello!
I am going to be building out my 2005 Chevy Bluebird G3500 5-window bus. I am looking into solar. I have a question from you that have set solar up for yours.

Solar Panels:

Rigid or Flexible Panels and why did you choose one over the other?

I am thinking about the weight of rigid and longevity and quality of the flexible panels. I am trying to cut down weight where I can, to allow for other important installs. Any input is appreciated!
Wow!! That's amazing! Do you have any suggested sources in mind?
Thanks again!
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Old 08-24-2022, 09:16 PM   #7
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Wow!! That's amazing! Do you have any suggested sources in mind?
Thanks again!
One word...well, two. SanTan Solar. They are based in Gilbert AZ but recently opened an office in Georgia. I buy their panels a couple pallets at a time and have installed hundreds of them without a single problem so far. Their 250W panels are commercial grade and work great.
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Old 08-24-2022, 10:26 PM   #8
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One word...well, two. SanTan Solar. They are based in Gilbert AZ but recently opened an office in Georgia. I buy their panels a couple pallets at a time and have installed hundreds of them without a single problem so far. Their 250W panels are commercial grade and work great.
Hello! Thank you! I think I have heard of them! I have watched a TON of youtube videos of other's builds for ideas. I appreciate the response! I will have to check them out!
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Old 08-29-2022, 07:49 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by HamSkoolie View Post
DEFINITELY RIGID.
Flexible panels mount directly to the sheet metal of the roof.

Solar panels are DARK and absorb heat.
HOT panels are less efficient than cooler ones AND hold transfer that heat to the roof sheet metal which then works it's way into your bus.


Rigid panels can be mounted off the roof and thus remain cooler due to the ambient air temperature below them. They can also be mounted level in a rack designed for them thus eliminating the difference created by the angular difference between left and right rows of panels if you have a row down each side.
They also shade your roof thus reducing the solar heating load on the roof and helping to keep your interior cool.
They are also cheaper and on a bus, the weight isn't much of a consideration.
I was with you right up to the shade your roof part. That's what I thought when I installed 12 panels on the roof a few years back. Turns out I hadn't figured the radiant heat from the underside of the panels. That heat that the top of the panel absorbs has to go somewhere. Here in the Chihauaun desert, it is right onto the metal roof of the bus.
We have addressed that issue with an insulated area under the panels.

Otherwise spot on. By the way flexible panels are less efficient and dont last as long as rigid panels.
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Old 08-29-2022, 10:10 AM   #10
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I was with you right up to the shade your roof part. That's what I thought when I installed 12 panels on the roof a few years back. Turns out I hadn't figured the radiant heat from the underside of the panels. That heat that the top of the panel absorbs has to go somewhere. Here in the Chihauaun desert, it is right onto the metal roof of the bus.
We have addressed that issue with an insulated area under the panels.

Otherwise spot on. By the way flexible panels are less efficient and dont last as long as rigid panels.
I had never considered this to be a problem. Thanks for the info.
I figure you're sacrificing some measure of panel efficiency with the insulation. Would you say you're still ahead of the game over having to airspace at all? Is the insulation far enough off the back of the panels to allow for some airflow?
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Old 08-29-2022, 10:01 PM   #11
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I was with you right up to the shade your roof part. That's what I thought when I installed 12 panels on the roof a few years back. Turns out I hadn't figured the radiant heat from the underside of the panels. That heat that the top of the panel absorbs has to go somewhere. Here in the Chihauaun desert, it is right onto the metal roof of the bus.
We have addressed that issue with an insulated area under the panels.

Otherwise spot on. By the way flexible panels are less efficient and dont last as long as rigid panels.

Well I'm planning a sufficient air gap and air flow to put the air next to the metal of the roof at ambient air temp. There may some radiant heat but it will be minimized with reflective paint. There should be substantially less heat load than without the gap and since our 10 panels will cover almost the entire roof (all but 95" lengthwise and about 16" down the center (room for hatches and maintenance walkway).
We also don't plan to spend a lot of time in the desert in summer months but believe the setup will keep us comfortable should we find ourselves doing so.

And..... if it doesn't provide the necessary comfort, we can add fairings and a fan or fans to force air through.
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Old 08-30-2022, 04:24 AM   #12
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I had never considered this to be a problem. Thanks for the info.
I figure you're sacrificing some measure of panel efficiency with the insulation. Would you say you're still ahead of the game over having to airspace at all? Is the insulation far enough off the back of the panels to allow for some airflow?
The way we did our insulation was to do a hillbilly roof raise. We built a box over the roof, which we filled with blown in insulation. The panels the are spaced above the roof for air flow.

Before we insulated we had an air gap under the panels. The thing is that the radiant heat heated the metal more than it did the air between the panels and the roof.
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Old 08-30-2022, 09:54 AM   #13
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Cool. Thank you much. Don't know how I'm going to address this potentiality, or if I'll address it at all (your solution not being an option). But as we're putting our panels up in October, it's good to know it's another thing to consider.
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Old 08-30-2022, 08:05 PM   #14
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I second San Tan (they're not far from me) and rigid panels. I will also say make sure you have at least a 4 inch air gap! I had panels mounted on the roof of a step van build I did and only left two inches (below the panels not frame, 1 inch gap below the frame) and it blistered the paint. The curved roof will make this an easier thing in a bus but I still wanted to add this.
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Old 08-31-2022, 03:51 AM   #15
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Tucson az..can you elaborate..
Two inch between the panels and the roof, not the frame,
You mean frame of the solar panels? How thick was the frame? How much space was then available in the gap between frame and roof for air to flow thru / escape / ventilation?
Thanks Johan
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Old 08-31-2022, 04:18 AM   #16
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For your reading pleasure,
More complicated as usually expected.

https://physicsworld.com/a/solar-pan...eview-reveals/

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Old 08-31-2022, 09:01 PM   #17
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Tucson az..can you elaborate..
Two inch between the panels and the roof, not the frame,
You mean frame of the solar panels? How thick was the frame? How much space was then available in the gap between frame and roof for air to flow thru / escape / ventilation?
Thanks Johan

I will say, not the best design, let me see if I can find a picture. Okay, so I was trying to pull of a few things, the biggest being maintaining stealth on that trip since I was on the West Coast in major Cities.



Anyway, that limited height and making the panels too visible. So the frame was an inch thick and an inch off the roof so there was only a 1 inch gap for air to flow. I knew at the time that wasn't ideal but wasn't expecting it to be as bad as it was. Half way through the trip I actually stopped and got some XPS to put under the panels so I could stay alive in that toaster oven!
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Old 08-31-2022, 09:22 PM   #18
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Did the Chocolate Donuts melt ?
A friend had the same problem with solar panels on his tin shed -- and fixed it by adding a very shiny metal roof on the tin shed with a 8" air gap and then the solar panels 8" above that -- now the tin shed is much cooler.
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Old 09-01-2022, 02:28 AM   #19
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Did the Chocolate Donuts melt ?
A friend had the same problem with solar panels on his tin shed -- and fixed it by adding a very shiny metal roof on the tin shed with a 8" air gap and then the solar panels 8" above that -- now the tin shed is much cooler.

They didn't melt but the temps were 50 degrees hotter there than on the white areas!
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