I see a lot of vehicles, during my winter months in the desert, that
have larger multiple panels semi or permanently  mounted flat on the roof
of the vehicle...  That seems like it would be handy and effective at
helping reduce inside temperatures also..  Yes, you'd rarely get maximum
efficiency from the panels having them flat on the roof but the vehicles  I
see usually have 'over-kill' with a few rather large panels mounted so they
produce adequate juice without worry of optimizing the panel's orientation
to the sun....A little costly initially but mindless, once mounted.... and
there IS the extra thermal factor of keeping the sun off the roof.

  There are also roof-mounts with sliding prop-up systems that allow the
panels to be raised to either side of the vehicle without much fiddling
around...So the panel stays on the roof and when you park you can raise
which ever side you need for best solar exposure.

  Stowing an adequate panel inside a Vanagon is a challenge and deploying
that panel properly can also be troublesome.   One should always consider
the wind when you set out a solar panel..I find it takes a lot of ballast
to keep a solar panel from blowing away... sometimes it's prudent to just
fold them up or lay them flat......It would be sort of convenient to have
it securely  on the roof...
 Personally I have  a small panel that lives between my drivers seatback
and the fridge/sink cab...but I don't use much electricity and I sometimes
do find my small aux battery too low to properly charge my laptop, phone
and Garmin...

  I'm pleased that solar is getting less expensive...wish the US were
pricing things like other countries, where it is even cheaper, but even
here the cost of solar has declined a lot recently...If the established
power providers don't squash it, alternative renewable energy seems like it
soon may be competitive.

On Sun, Sep 7, 2014 at 10:07 PM, Tom Hargrave <thargrav@hiwaay.net> wrote:

> That's a good price for a permanent install but the panel is too large for
> anything portable.
>
> Thanks, Tom Hargrave
> www.kegkits.com
> www.stir-plate.com
> www.towercooler.com
> www.grow-sun.com
> www.raspberryproject.com
> http://goo.gl/niRzVw
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf Of
> Rob
> Sent: Sunday, September 7, 2014 11:28 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: 100w solar system
>
> $155 from Amazon for a 100w system, the panel is 40"x27".   Might be
> of interest to someone.
>
> <
> http://www.amazon.com/RENOGY%C2%AE-Solar-Bundle-100W-Polycrystalline/dp/B00
> FM235Y4/ref=sr_1_35?ie=UTF8&qid=undefined&sr=8-35&keywords=renogy>
>
>
>
>
> Rob
> vwrobb@gmail.com
> Volkswagen Enthusiast ....
> -----
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