The Choice of Solar Panels for Self-driving Tours

foldable solar panel

Recently, Facebook has had a lot of discussions among car friends that they should consider installing solar panels to solve the electricity problem when traveling by car. What about this problem? I think we ITEHIL have a great say, so let's discuss this topic together!

1. The advantages of installing solar panel
The advantage of installing solar panels comes from the comparison with generators.
1. The installation is simple and the initial investment is not high.
The current solar panels are very simple to install. If you have a ready-made secondary battery, it can cost a few hundred yuan. Two 100W-150W monocrystalline boards, ranging from 400 yuan to 600 yuan, plus a charge controller, just make a stand by yourself.
2. Environmental protection and pollution-free, protect the battery from loss of electricity.
Wherever there is sunlight, electricity can be generated, inexhaustible. The use of solar panels will not pollute and harm the environment, which is unmatched by generators. The solar panel can easily charge the spare battery and prolong the service life of the battery.
3. One-time input is maintenance-free, saving worry and effort.
Solar panels are not only low in initial cost, but also maintenance-free and can be used reliably for a long time. The generator needs fuel to work, and the fuel cost is not low. At the same time, it needs to add lubricating oil, and the maintenance cost is relatively high. Therefore, solar panels are less worry and labor-saving than generators.
4. It is more convenient to use.
Generators are divided into self-provided generators and on-board generators. Self-provided generator for refueling is a problem. Gas stations may not refuel; the on-board generator is fixed on the chassis, and it will cause resonance and noise in the car when it is started. Therefore, the solar panel is more convenient to use and will not produce vibration. Problems with making noise.

foldable solar panel

2. How to solve the shortage of solar panel
1. There will be wind resistance, which will increase fuel consumption.
Solar panels occupies a large space and are generally placed on the top of the vehicle body. During driving, wind resistance is inevitably increased, which leads to an increase in fuel consumption. If calculated on the basis of an increase of 1 liter of fuel consumption per 100 kilometers, solar panels can not generate 1 kWh of electricity a day. It is not as good as using 1 liter of generators to generate more electricity, so it is not cost-effective.
Solution:
Install the best monocrystalline silicon solar panels or install flexible solar panels.
Monocrystalline silicon solar panels because of the same size, the photoelectric conversion rate of monocrystalline silicon solar panels must be much higher than that of polycrystalline silicon solar panels and flexible solar panels. It also shows that the monocrystalline silicon solar panels you install The more battery panels you have, the more power you have, but you don't need extra power, so you need to determine how much power your RV needs to run fully when you buy money.
Flexible solar panels are also called amorphous silicon solar panels because they are made of thin films. It is a solar panel made of resin-encapsulated amorphous silicon as the main photoelectric element layer on a bottom plate made of flexible material. Features: bendable and foldable, easy to carry. Therefore, its installation on the RV will not affect the space occupied by the RV and cause resistance to the RV, which will increase the fuel consumption of the RV, but the conversion efficiency is slightly lower than that of ordinary rigid solar panels.

2. Actual usage is far from expected.
After installing solar panels, many car owners complain that the power generation is too low. Because the power generation efficiency of solar panels is not high, it is difficult for us to meet the ideal requirements in daily use, plus your improper use method and irregular maintenance and cleaning of solar panels.
The solution is as follows:
(1) The surface of the solar panel should be kept clean and maintained regularly. If there is dust, it will affect the effect, and the air pollution will also affect it. At the same time, due to the large amount of gray layer on the surface of the solar panel, the light cannot be in the traditional solar module. Therefore, photoelectric conversion cannot be performed;
(2) The light-receiving surface of the solar panel must be directly exposed to sunlight at 90 degrees to achieve the best effect, which is difficult to achieve on a car;
(3) Generally, the light conditions that cannot reach the rated power of solar panels can be approached only at noon.

3. Great damage to the car body, which will damage the paint.
The temperature under the solar panel is generally high during work. If it is close to the car body or poorly ventilated, it will burn the paint surface of the car body over time, especially the flexible solar panel that is attached to the car body, which will cause more damage to the car. For obvious reasons, if you remove it when not in use, the body will be scarred.

foldable solar panel

Solution: There is currently no specific solution, unless you buy a mounting bracket for solar panels, but this will still cause damage to your car when installing the bracket. It is recommended that you buy portable solar panel (foldable solar panel), which saves time and effort.

4. Unstable electricity consumption.
The solar panel must be connected to the auxiliary battery for use. It is not advisable to connect the electrical appliances directly from the controller. In theory, as long as the voltage and current match, it can be directly connected to DC power consumers. But in fact, solar power generation is affected by factors such as the intensity of sunlight and ambient temperature, and the output current and voltage are unstable. If it is directly connected, it will seriously affect the service life of electrical appliances, and it is not safe to use electricity.
Solution: The current and voltage output by the solar panel is unstable. If it is directly connected, it will seriously affect the service life of the electrical appliances, so we can configure it with an inverter for use, so that it will not cause any impact, because the inverter can perfectly control the amount of electricity.

foldable solar panel

3. How to choose?
1. Solar panels can only be used as auxiliary charging equipment, not as the main power supply method. If other charging methods are implemented and the electricity is still not enough, you can consider solar panels, which is also the way to go.
2. The area on the roof of the RV is relatively large and can be considered. A general bedcart can have a top surface of 2 square meters, which is very good, so you can just give it up.
3. Now there are smart telescopic solar panels on the market, which have a large enough area to receive solar energy. The solar panels can be stored in when not in use, and the area can be remotely enlarged by more than 2 times when used, making it more convenient to use when parking.
4. The difference between flexible thin-film solar panels and conventional solar panels.
Conventional solar panels are heavier and require a bracket when installing, which is not easy to move. Flexible thin-film solar panels are 80% lighter than conventional solar panels, and can even be bent arbitrarily, which is convenient to carry and has a wide range of applications.
The conversion efficiency of conventional solar panels is relatively high, and the conversion efficiency of flexible thin-film solar panels is relatively low.
5. Recommended choice
It is recommended to use portable solar panels, because it is more convenient to use than solar panels that need to be installed, and will not cause damage to your car, will not form resistance, and will not be caused by solar energy. The angle of the battery panel is wrong and no electricity is generated because it can be moved at any time, and there is no need for regular maintenance and cleaning. You only need to use it and clean it with water when it is packed and put away. For example, ITEHIL is portable solar panel, foldable solar panel are just like that.

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