Flexible Solar Panels

Mate, I got my fingers burnt with those semi flexible solar panels with the aluminium backing. They worked great all year in hot sunny conditions up near the Palmer River in Far North Queensland and produced good power.

Then 1 panel died and on the next trip to other one went also. They are open circuit and produce no voltage, even when in sunlight.

When working on a replacement, I decided to go back to solid panels as all the research I did, told me that those semi flexible panels have a short life.

Hope this helps you?

Chris

The latest flexible panels work well and are slightly more efficient than the solid panels BUT earlier versions gave problems with moisture getting between the aluminium substrate and the panel and causing corrosion which leads to them dying.
The current crop are available with an aluminium or acrylic substrate and the latter might be the better choice. They also don't seem to be affected by heat as earlier versions.
The big problem is that they get so hot they could affect whatever they are bonded to, there have been reports of composite panels separating plus do you really want that sort of heat conducted into your van, camper or motorhome.
The current thought is to stick them to 10mm corflute or similar and then stick that to the roof or make an aluminium frame to mount them on. Making a frame seems silly to me as you may as well fit standard panels.
Sika is the go but make sure surfaces are clean and prepped with the correct primers. The only problem is getting the panel off if required.

I have two direct stuck on the roof and they are brilliant. Phil from solar4rvs.com has tested panels with no air gap against the same panel with a gap and published the result on his website. The difference was insignificant.

I have 2 @ 200 watt flexi panels mounted on the back of dual cab toyota.
Originally they were to be mounted directly on roof with sicoflex, however muggins here mis judged the size. So I had to mount on a aluminium roof rack frame with sicoflex.
Each one weighs 3kg, more than happy with the result.

I have 4 x 50watt panels stuck to the roof of my van (in my avatar they had not yet been fitted). They've been in place for two years now.

Performance has been fine but I have had some problems with adhesion. Due to ignorance I did not use the Sikaflex primer first time around and lost one when it peeled off in the 100kph breeze when towing. Now properly fixed and with 3 small screws on each short edge as secondary fasteners for insurance :-).



Cheers

There are several brands available. No doubt some are better than others.
Came across Voltech recently. They make an aluminium based one and an acrylic based one. No idea how good.
No doubt they will get better and cheaper in time as demand increases.

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 Motorhome

Sikaflex is great until you want to remove it, then not so good. I stuck a couple on the roof of a Jayco camper a couple of years ago, they worked well, heat was not a problem and the Sikaflex worked well. I wouldn't use it again though, you never know, you may change your mind.

Rosss
I have these, and use them as portable panels when camping.
They are efficient, as efficient if not more than the rigid framed panels they replaced.
But boy they get hot. When moving or adjusting them for the moving sun, they are literally too hot to touch.
I applied some felt strips when I prepared for the trip, thinking that i can put it on the bonnet of the car. But after experiencing the extreme heat of the panel i decided against that idea.
CJ

I have a semi flexible sikaflexed to a sheet of marine ply which I use as a portable, I haven't noticed any heat buildup when handling. About the only thing I have noticed is Sikaflex doesn't stick to marine ply very well - heat?

My only concern would be the problem that could be experienced getting the b*&%^y things off if/when they stop working!
I'd be much more comfortable with a solid unit and an airgap. But that's just me, I guess! ;)