Roof mounted solar panel vs Jackery combo

[Van Diesel]

Hi nvo, thanks for the prompt reply!

Do you mean that the van is still below 2m, rather than above? (just checking )

the roof looks lower in the rear...look at the top of the page. D

 

[Van Diesel]

I would definitely recommend a solar panel on the roof. I installed a 160W one from https://www.4sun.eu and there has been no need to charge the battery for a long time. I use it to charge laptops when my wife and I work, I use it for the fridge and heating, so ... I use to the max and have never had a situation where I ran out of power. Another argument for ... is to prolong the efficiency of the AGM battery, which like to be charged to the max.

sounds interesting... can you add some photos please?
i would like to see a custom version of the solar roof.

 

[Halsall-]

Hi all, next question…

I need to uplift the amount of power available to me when camping. As a family we go ‘off grid’ no longer than 7 days (imagine North Coast 500) but would like to be able to keep the fridge running constantly throughout.
I believe my 2 options are either to get a solar panel fitted to the roof to constantly feed supply or for about the same price, buy a Jackery 500 and solar panel.
Can anyone offer any advice on both options? Would either options fulfil my requirements? I don’t want to power the grid, I just want to keep things fresh for a week.
Thanks in advance. R

We bit thr bullet and bought the Jackery 1000 and two 100w Jackery solar panels. We put the panels on top of the awning roof. The battery we plug into the outside socket of the van and feed the cable through the rear tailgate. The cable does not get crushed when the tailgate closes. The battery they acts like you are running with mains connected. We also run an infrared radiator to heat the inside of the van. It only consumes 100w/hr, The rad sites between the two front seats. The rad has a thermostat, so overnight the battery drops to about 50%. The two solar panels then top the battery up very quickly during the day. But you can also charge the Jackery battery through the cigarette lighter cable that comes with the battery. We tend to only stop at one site for 2 days max, so the setup works really well.

 

[TOPadVANture]

Someone asked for pictures of our solar - we are now on a trip around Sardinia and we have enough power all the time to run 2 computers and charge cameras, smartphones and appliances in the kitchen, e.g. the malaxer

 

[TOPadVANture]

What puzzles me is the sense of looking for 'amateur solutions' in an 80,000 Euro van. I have ordered a professional solar installation, and I don't need an external 230V power supply. The battery is non-stop charged to 100%, which for this type of AGM battery is crucial for its reliability. In addition, I often see among German colleagues how the cable from the panels to the reflector is fed through the tailgate. According to the experts to whom I showed this solution, this is a big mistake and a fire hazard. There is a lot of 24V Ah going through this thick cable, which causes a lot of heating, so such cables should go through special grommets (as in my photo). The holes in the roof are on the outside and this has no effect on comfort. The 160W panels are screwed into a frame (so that they can be replaced when they wear out) and the frame is glued to the roof (so as not to spoil the roof structure in the area above the bed). I have been testing the whole thing for 6 months, now I am on a trip around Sardinia and I have no problems with the electrical balance of the car. A.I use: heating, fridge for 3-4, blender, light, 12V/230V inverter to charge 2 computers, hoover, 2 smartphones, 2 battery torches and I have peace of mind. I recommend proven solutions

 

[Halsall-]

What puzzles me is the sense of looking for 'amateur solutions' in an 80,000 Euro van. I have ordered a professional solar installation, and I don't need an external 230V power supply. The battery is non-stop charged to 100%, which for this type of AGM battery is crucial for its reliability. In addition, I often see among German colleagues how the cable from the panels to the reflector is fed through the tailgate. According to the experts to whom I showed this solution, this is a big mistake and a fire hazard. There is a lot of 24V Ah going through this thick cable, which causes a lot of heating, so such cables should go through special grommets (as in my photo). The holes in the roof are on the outside and this has no effect on comfort. The 160W panels are screwed into a frame (so that they can be replaced when they wear out) and the frame is glued to the roof (so as not to spoil the roof structure in the area above the bed). I have been testing the whole thing for 6 months, now I am on a trip around Sardinia and I have no problems with the electrical balance of the car. A.I use: heating, fridge for 3-4, blender, light, 12V/230V inverter to charge 2 computers, hoover, 2 smartphones, 2 battery torches and I have peace of mind. I recommend proven solutions

The main issue with fixed panels is you cannot carry a roof box, paddle boards etc which we do. There is no issue with the cable through the tailgate, the rubber seal has so much compression the cable does not crush. Which is probably what your guy is thinking about. You could always go through the small side window if you were worried. The other main problem if you installed fixed panels and tap into the electrics on the vehicle is you throw away the warranty, we took out the 5 year warranty. We asked Mercedes about the warranty before going with the flexible solution. We had the bubbles on the roof and had the roof replaced and its happened again. If we had fixed the panels, Mercedes would not have replaced it. I am a trained electrical/electonics engineer and found a solution that is very flexible, very safe, we secure the panels with a security cable, so extremely difficult to steal. Battery is left in the rear of the van. We can also use the solution when we go to the beach with one of our other vehicles and want to power our barbecue ninja. But effectively we can use the 230v sockets in the van and dont need other inverters to charge, but its not a cheap solution (£1,500). But it provides you with a portable solution, you keep your vehicle warranty and you can still use your roof space to carry top boxes etc