Installing the Solar Panels

The first step was to remove the old solar panel. Yep, you read that right. My conversion van actually came with a 5W solar panel back in 1991. Solar panels have a long lifespan--just not quite that long, especially considering it was 1991 technology.

The 5W panel. Clearly, it's seen better days.

What's underneath? Pine needles. Of course.

Not galvanized. Tsk, tsk. That, or the galvanization committed suicide sometime after its second decade of waterlogged misery.

After reviewing the prices and types of solar panels available, I decided to get 2 of the 100W Renogy Monocrystalline Solar Panels. Luckily, solar has really come down in price over the last few years.  They were $150/each with free shipping on Amazon. The panels have very good reviews (4.8/5.0), and are also popular with the vandwelling crowd due to their sturdy design. Monocrystalline panels also feature better lowlight performance than polycrystalline panels.

The Renogy panels arrive!

To install the solar panels, mechanic friend and I took a trip down to the outskirts of Cincinnati to visit electrician friend, Rob. Mechanic friend drove so he could put the van through its paces on the highway and listen to its responses.

You can tell you're in Ohio when...

You can REALLY tell you're in Ohio when...

Unboxing the solar panels and checking their voltages. Open circuit voltage in direct sunlight will be close to 20V.

Rob had some 14/4 wire laying around (being an electrician and all). Since I have a pwm controller, the panels have to be wired in parallel--extra voltage from wiring them in series can't be utilized without a mppt controller.

He had a LOT of big spools of wire.

The seamstress in me wanted to sew with them.

We made a run to Menards (midwestern home improvement store) for angle brackets, C channel, bolts, nuts, and washers. We also took some time to drill through my engine firewall and run some 2/0 CCA from the alternator back to my power shelf. (This lets me charge my lifepo batts off of the alternator in a pinch.)

Placing the solar panels.

We drilled a hole in my roof on the right side and ran the 14/4 through this connector.

The solar panels finished!