Biard Semi Flexible Solar Panels?

EuroTrotters

EuroTrotters

Joined
Jul 18, 2009
Posts
12,311
Likes collected
21,124
Location
Manchester UK + Javea/Xabia Spain + Abu Dhabi
Funster No
7,543
MH
HYMER B644
Exp
2004
Hi,

Any more users happy/unhappy with semi flexible solar panels, Biard or others?

I have a space on the MH roof that only a flat panel would fit. It would also cover the old screw holes where I removed the Aerial for the Satellite dish.

There is also the weight advantage but the obvious heat issues.

Any suggestions welcome please?

Trev
 
We would have liked to put the thin light weight flexi Solars on. But the Roof is corrugated . So have to put the regular solid ones on.
 
I have fitted three 200 W Biard standard kits to mine and 2 friends M /H
There standard kits seem to be good quality.
 
i have just ordered 2 x 100watt panels but im perplexed as to how to fix them to the roof, ie silkaflex them straight on or space them off slightly to allow air flo under them. if spacig them what have others used?
i wish i could type as well as spell
 
i would stay away from flexible panels fixed directly to the roof as you dont get an air gap to cool the panels , more heat=less efficiency. just my take!

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if i give them an air gap are they likely to oscillate (must look up the meaning of that word it sounds good) with air flowing under them?
 
Saw them glued straight onto a Funsters van at the Peterborough show.
 
Speak to Chris at Southern Solar Alliance, he had some flexibles on his stand at Peterborough
 
Fitted two 100w Biard ones to my Hymer last year, working well(y)

001.JPG
 
I think heat issue is overblown, if its hot and sunny then you don't need so much power from them anyway, I think weight and aero counteract that(y)

And I have stuck mine flat to the roof with sikaflex(y)
 
i have had a 80 watt semi flexible sikaflexed to the roof for the last 3 years with absolutely no issues in terms of performance on negative impact on the roof. i did not want bracket type panel. the only point i would raise is that they are coated in a plastic on the solar surface and this attracts dirt so needs a wipe regularly.

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wizzer 59 thats a clean roof you have there love to know how you got it that clean.also where have you run the wiring?
 
friar tuck said:
wizzer 59 thats a clean roof you have there love to know how you got it that clean.also where have you run the wiring?
Click to expand...

@friar tuck
Sorry I've taken so long to see this, Re roof I use this to get it really clean then just a wash now and again with a good car wash keeps it clean, but use only as per instructions and wax after as it will remove all the crap and any wax ok.
Re wiring, I wanted everything to be as neat as poss so I found that siting the panels where I wanted them on the roof, if I drilled directly down the hole came just inside the cabinet doors, which in the Hymer is ideal cos they have a trim along the inside thats takes a stick on cable trunking so that it is very neat and invisible to the eye(y)
I will try and get some interior pics if I remember;)
 
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We've had a Biard 100w semi flexible panel on for about eighteen months but it suddenly became very inefficient and has now stopped working. It looks ok but has gone open circuit and it appears to be a fairly common problem with these units. Going to replace it with a better quality one made by SunPower. Might be due to heat or flexing.
 
i have an 80 watt sun power semi flexible panel in its 3rd year now, main thing i have noticed lately while giving the roof a good polish was that the " plastic coating has lost its shine, cant say i have noticed any loss of performance as yet.
 
I saw some recently where the plastic coating had gone quite opaque, not sure about performance.

Martin

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Apparently the latest ones are a matt finish for more efficiency and back wired.
 
Just put a 100W on the roof. direct fix with sikaflex. working Ok so far.

Pete
 
Whilst at Norfolk show I spoke to 2 traders selling both flexi and rigid panels and asked about the pros and cons of both versions, neither of them said that flexi would cause any problems and could be stuck directly to the roof.

As I've already got a new 60w flexi I'm going to be putting in on the PVC in a day or so as we go on holiday in just over a week's time for 6 weeks!
 
After fixing direct with Sikaflex, if the panel subsequently fails removal must be very difficult.
 
Larrynwin said:
After fixing direct with Sikaflex, if the panel subsequently fails removal must be very difficult.
Click to expand...
Cheese wire/guitar string ...

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MinxyGirl said:
Cheese wire/guitar string ...
Click to expand...
Good luck with that one. I used same to remove some angle stuck to my roof with sikaflex.......what a job that turned out to be on something 40mm wide. I wouldn't hold out much hope on something 400mm wide. Better off sticking new one directly over old panel. But then again, I think that in itself shows the advantage of using aluminum angle stuck to roof, panels are easily replaced. I am also one with the opinion a ventilated panel should be more efficient. Whether that is or isn't correct matters not really its all down to personal preference I suppose.
One thing I do know though, when stuck with Sikaflex (correctly) it's well and truly stuck. :-)
 
Wickolad said:
Good luck with that one. I used same to remove some angle stuck to my roof with sikaflex.......what a job that turned out to be on something 40mm wide. I wouldn't hold out much hope on something 400mm wide. Better off sticking new one directly over old panel. But then again, I think that in itself shows the advantage of using aluminum angle stuck to roof, panels are easily replaced. I am also one with the opinion a ventilated panel should be more efficient. Whether that is or isn't correct matters not really its all down to personal preference I suppose.
One thing I do know though, when stuck with Sikaflex (correctly) it's well and truly stuck. :)
Click to expand...
Having in the past removed 2 heavily tinted skylights to replace them with clear ones I know just how difficult it can be to remove sealant ... it takes ruddy ages! As we have a PVC in our case the panel would only be stuck on in 'strips' due to the corrugated roof structure so would be easier to remove than on a totally flat surface, however as panels are getting so cheap and we plan on keeping our PVC for quite a while, I doubt in the future whether I'd bother removing it to put on another van anyway.
 
MinxyGirl said:
As we have a PVC in our case the panel would only be stuck on in 'strips' due to the corrugated roof structure so would be easier to remove than on a totally flat surface,
Click to expand...
I totally agree, the corrugations would certainly work in your favour and provide a bit of airflow too. My problem wasn't moving panels to a new van, rather, removing the extremely poor botch job brackets strewn across the roof of the new to us van.
I also know what you mean about cost of panels, I have sold my last three caravans having fitted 100W and 200W panels and left them on for the new buyer. :-)
 
I've changed my Biard 100w panel without much problem, whole job took about 2 hours.

I put the first one on with Sikaflex 2 years ago and it failed at the end of a trip in June. Ive no idea why it failed but it just stopped producing power.

I considered the options and decided to fit another identical one to cover all the silicon. So very carefully got a small block of wood and worked my largest wood chisel under a corner, carefully working more and more loose, once I could get a grip with my hands it came off relatively easily. put the sikaflex around the edges and in a grid on the new one in the same way and fitted it excatly where the old one was and used the old wires to pull the new wires through the gland and joined them back up inside.

No big deal as a job and new one is working fine so far.
Jon

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