Tilting vs non-tilting?

[baphenatem]

Originally Posted by unyalli

If your paranoid of heights by all means don't go on your roof. For the rest, ever watch a race? IMSA, NASCAR, what ever? RV's everywhere with people on the roof partying. If your agile and capable jump up there and tilt those puppies when the sun is low. AM Solar and Windy Nation look to have the easiest to operate mounts.

- Jeff

Paranoid?! Your choice of words is questionable, given that I've worked at heights and in places that most folks here probably can't even imagine. However, those jobs were done while wearing fall protection gear and when I was considerably younger. Yes, people defy the odds every day and get away with it, while others buy the farm on their first attempt. The point is that when deciding whether to have a system with tiltable modules a REALISTIC risk/benefit evaluation should be done.

Alas, many in the RV community are in the same precarious boat that I now find myself in; i.e. the mind is still 25 years old, but as for the body the warranty has long expired. All it takes is once to have one's years, golden or otherwise, cut short by an avoidable accident. Just sayin'.

May you all be blessed with many happy years, and may it never be noted that your last words were, "Here, let me do that!" or even worse, "Watch this!".

[Timon]

Originally Posted by baphenatem

... Alas, many in the RV community are in the same precarious boat that I now find myself in; i.e. the mind is still 25 years old, but as for the body the warranty has long expired. All it takes is once to have one's years, golden or otherwise, cut short by an avoidable accident. Just sayin'. ...

I hear ya, I used to climb towers without a second thought but now I have a hard time working near the edge of the roof.

That's the whole reason I'm working on my tilter.

[unyalli]

Originally Posted by Timon

That's the whole reason I'm working on my tilter.

Did I miss something? Are you designing a power tilter?

- Jeff

[MisterT]

My portable rear hitch mount solar system(200w) gives me the option to tilt, I built it that way.

: While we can probably all agree that at Noon, with the sun directly overhead, we will all get the best amperage readout, for FLAT panels

But, using 10am and 4pm TILTING, I received 40%-50% MORE amps versus leaving the panels flat

[Timon]

Originally Posted by unyalli

Did I miss something? Are you designing a power tilter?

- Jeff

Yep, it's in Sketchup and looking good.

The south side was easy, the north side is the hard part in order to make sure the panels stay out of the shadows of the AC, and anything less running down the center, when they tilt.

The plan was is to be able to drop right in to the AMSolar mounts for the 160W panels.

If I'm able to pull it off the mount it will be a kit build. Keeps both the tilter and shipping costs down.

My DS just had a knee replacement so I won't be back on the project for another couple weeks while I take care of her.

[unyalli]

Originally Posted by Timon

Yep, it's in Sketchup and looking good.

The south side was easy, the north side is the hard part in order to make sure the panels stay out of the shadows of the AC, and anything less running down the center, when they tilt.

The plan was is to be able to drop right in to the AMSolar mounts for the 160W panels.

If I'm able to pull it off the mount it will be a kit build. Keeps both the tilter and shipping costs down.

My DS just had a knee replacement so I won't be back on the project for another couple weeks while I take care of her.

Can I contribute?

[baphenatem]

Originally Posted by MisterT

My portable rear hitch mount solar system(200w) gives me the option to tilt, I built it that way.



: While we can probably all agree that at Noon, with the sun directly overhead, we will all get the best amperage readout, for FLAT panels



But, using 10am and 4pm TILTING, I received 40%-50% MORE amps versus leaving the panels flat

And as an old work partner of mine used to say as I was goaded up the ladder, "You can't fall off the ground!" Nicely done.

[cruzbill]

Mr T, how do your tilting panels fare when the conditions are like those in your photo above? Just saying that shade, any, removes all advantage from tilting. And who wants to park in full sun? Trees and shady spots are great for camping and are death to solar.

[MisterT]

the pic was of the solar panel deployment as I tested the operation of the mechanism in the driveway - I was not necessarily 'using' it there, though for several hours after mid day it was working nicely, about 12amps max, but even 4 or 5 with shade.
My first real test came last month - parked in full sun, mostly, and tilting as needed, getting up to 12amps at times. Hardly needed to generator except once overnight.

the real test will be the Alaska trip next month - I expect 20hours of sunlight per day - we'll see.

the nice things about this setup:
- no climbing on roof
- made use of any existing unused bike rack
- easy way to carry/store the panels
- tow vehicle still has plenty of room
- panel(s) are operating even when traveling, or not deployed
- panels can be deployed easily to 'facing up'
- panels can be tilted either direction(side to side)
- panels are removable if needed, though still mounted
- panels can be removed and placed elsewhere, such as around the corner of the coach
- additional extension cable allows for another 20', for best placement
- security is not an issue because they are not 'free' for the taking! They are mounted to the bike rack, which is mounted to the hitch, with a lock... while easy to deploy, the weight would make it difficult to pull out of the hitch anyway.

[ByeTheWay]

My guess is they end up on the roof.
The glare they will create will either offer privacy or upset someone enough to test the glass for strength with a hammer.

[vanion2]

Originally Posted by MisterT

the pic was of the solar panel deployment as I tested the operation of the mechanism in the driveway - I was not necessarily 'using' it there, though for several hours after mid day it was working nicely, about 12amps max, but even 4 or 5 with shade.
My first real test came last month - parked in full sun, mostly, and tilting as needed, getting up to 12amps at times. Hardly needed to generator except once overnight.

the real test will be the Alaska trip next month - I expect 20hours of sunlight per day - we'll see.

the nice things about this setup:
- no climbing on roof
- made use of any existing unused bike rack
- easy way to carry/store the panels
- tow vehicle still has plenty of room
- panel(s) are operating even when traveling, or not deployed
- panels can be deployed easily to 'facing up'
- panels can be tilted either direction(side to side)
- panels are removable if needed, though still mounted
- panels can be removed and placed elsewhere, such as around the corner of the coach
- additional extension cable allows for another 20', for best placement
- security is not an issue because they are not 'free' for the taking! They are mounted to the bike rack, which is mounted to the hitch, with a lock... while easy to deploy, the weight would make it difficult to pull out of the hitch anyway.

Did you build that mount for your panels or buy it from somewhere? That's a great idea that I would like to get my hands on.

I have 2 roof mounted panels currently laid flat and I have 2 free panels I call "floaters" that I deploy once parking is complete. The ability to relocate them and tilt them allows me to park the TT in the shade while still pulling in a minimum of 200W for dry camping. The roof mounted panels are the flexible type and I plan on mounting those on the aerodynamic slope on the front of my new TT for better tilt without having to climb.

And I would like to point out that no matter how you tilt your panels they always have to face south so tilting is only one of many factors you have to account for. The question becomes how much do you want to spend to maximize panel efficiency when you are supposed to be relaxing on your travels? For me it's a combination of roof mounted and floater panels and the rest of the day is mine.

[MisterT]

this 'port/deploy/tilt' platform was built from a unused 4 bike rack, which happens to have several pivot points already built into the frame - one a the bottom(I suppose it's for those who want to use this on the rear of a car, and be able to lower it down for access to the trunk/rear door), and another at the top(so that when bikes are not on it, you can pivot the 'carry arms' down out of the way).

with this foundation, a few aluminum parts and pieces, and a lot of engineering, it's a fairly simple design, though I don't know that it's something everyone wants to 'easily' tackle. I had a LOT of time on my hands for a month, so it worked for me.

We're in Saskatchewan now, on the way thru AB, BC, the Yukon, and into Alaska next month. I'll try to report how she's working, as she was designed to give us battery recharging during drycamping stops in the 24/7 Alaska daylight weeks ahead.

[MisterT]

Originally Posted by vanion2

... For me it's a combination of roof mounted and floater panels and the rest of the day is mine.

yes, easy to deploy and tilt is the name of the game - I certainly thought of just storing two 'floater' panels, which might work just as well, but when the bike rack usage came to mind, with the 'automatic' carrying of the panels, too, I had to try it.

but, for the rest of us:
Could you just store the panels in the basement? yes.
Could you easily bring them out and 'tilt' them where needed? yes.
Are they heavy and cumbersome? maybe... that could be the tie breaker.

Here they are:
Angle Inlet, MN, the northern most point in the continental US, so they say...you are surrounded by Canada -
panels deployed at the rear, facing the sunset, 4pm... no tilt needed in this case... but they helped to cut down on the amount of generator usage since the sun was out until well after 8 or 9pm on the panels, and probably 10:30 otherwise...

[cruzbill]

Good article on PV panel tilting:

Optimum Tilt of Solar Panels