Flexi panels-Any good? (1 Viewer)

[Raul]

Have no personal experience but on the net a couple of blokes in a canal boat called foxes afloat, have got 6 of them on the metal roof of their barge and seem to be happy with them

They might be CIGS panels as boat ppl like them.

 

[Raul]

B*gger!

So if that's the case and given that I have a curved roof with a max of 1.5m x 1.0 available space, what should I be looking at?

Look at CIGS amorphous panels.

 

[jp11]

None of that whistle happens on my roof, I got two large panels and couple of weeks ago in Germany on A3 I was doing 150kmh. Not a problem. They are bolted not stuck on.

Whistling? I was only going by my experience of a roof rack on my car? And didn't want it on my van, especially after all the insulation I put into it.
The CIGS is interesting though. But depends on cost?

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[Raul]

Trust me lots of ppl have rigid panels and don’t complain about wind noise. Roof rack is a different animal. I carry ladders on roof rack, sometimes they make a hell of a racket, and sometimes don’t. It depends how I tie them down, if I’m in a hurry I stick the ladder clamps on, they are noisy. But, if I take my time, and put a ratchet strap, no noise. The panels are sat lower than a roof rack, and not over the cab like a roof rack.

 

[mitzimad]

A 100 watt ridged panel only weighs 7kg, 150 watt only 1 or 2 kg more.

dont let the truth interfere with his rant

 

[Ivory55]

They might be CIGS panels as boat ppl like them.

I think one of the reasons that they got those panels was they can be walked on, like in a lock etc and walking along the roof. They run their YouTube channel etc from their boat so I guess they need a fair amount of power.

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[Flairy]

I went to road pro and bought there most expensive flexible solar panels they said they are so good you can dance on them ,well they had 25 year warranty they didn’t last 1 year. The manufacturer didn’t want to know so roadpro at there cost replaced them with another flexible panel ,each time this is times 3 ,they failed after 6 months ,ok I give up they then fitted basic panels x3 100watt after spending nearly a day cleaning the glue off the roof that was about 6 years ago no problems with these ,but it’s not really what I wanted ,I can’t speak highly enough of there service they never walked away from the problem . We are very luck to have company’s like Road Pro and Van Bitz looking after our motorhomes thankyou.

 

[Coolcats]

You know, it amazes me how people write off certain kinds of technology. And group all products as generic. And influence Funsters' choice based on their own unfortunate experience. Certainly, your experience matters and needs to be taken into consideration when making a choice. But the technology differs between manufacturers and suppliers, not to mention countries of origin.
It reminds me of the arguments regarding lithium versus lead acid. Or perhaps diesel versus petrol. Or electric versus internal combustion.
Now, mine are only 4 months old, but I'm happy and confident. The conventional solar panels on my house are four years old, but I'm happy and confident about those also!

There are plenty of vans out there with flexi panels, maybe they can be a bit more efficient with airflow to help cool them. But it’s a Personal choice no technology is perfect but if it’s working for you and others it’s no one else’s business.

What would be interesting is an update over time some seem to degrade after a few years but then again all solar panels do.

 

[Zebede4500]

I have used them on both boat and camper, would not recommend !!
On the boat they left large rust damage when removed as they stopped working. Didn’t learn as on camper they ‘cooked’ the gel coat and left large brown marks when removed as they packed up also.
The heat generated damages the underlying surface so if you raise it up you may as well fit rigid ones!
I am not an expert just reporting personal experience.
Keep safe

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[Mike Warland]

About 12 years ago, when we bought our 5th wheel, I looked into a flexible solar panel for the roof but was consistently steered away from them by this and quite a few other forums so I went rigid..............so to speak.

12 years down the line, we now also have a little Romahome Duo for our time off and the 30 watt free standing panel is basically a waste of time at this time of year.
So, have things improved over the years? Have flexi panels got better? Can you recommend one?
These seem to get good reviews and I like the lightness for such a small van.............

Amazon product ASIN B07BMNGVV3

I had a 100w flexipanel solar on my T6 which I had for 5 years and it worked well. I now have a rigid on a larger van and it doesn't seem any better or worse charging the battery. I would say fitting an appt controller rather than a pwm is of far more benefit.

 

[Mike Warland]

Should be mppt damn predictive text.

 

[chrisandbev]

if you can not fix ridged panels to your van then stick on flexi ones as something is better than nothing, every van is different.

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[jongood]

The only flexible panels I would ever consider, are CIGS, the cristaline ones, never. The crystalline cells are not meant to be manipulated. Whatever anyone will tell you, or promise, the crystalline cells will micro fracture if not in a rigid structure, like aluminium frame with glass. The fractures will open and close with the thermal cycles, and deteriorate in output. Another downside is cooling, being flexible, they tend to be stuck on hard surfaces for added support. That kills the air cooling at the back of the cells. The CIGS don’t suffer from temperature li crystalline cells do, and they are better in low overcast light. Downside, they more expensive, and require larger area compared to crystalline cells. On boats the CIGS are the favoured choice for obvious reasons.

I went through 2 semi flexibles in about 3 years, I also think the glass element failed, definitely agree CIGS is the way to go, better in every way. There are 2 UK companies making them

Leisure - MIPV Solar

MIPV Thin Flexible Solar Panels Solutions Designed for Motorhomes, Campervans, Caravans Boats & Leisure. Extremely Light, Flexible and durable Solar Panels

mipvsolarpanels.co.uk

I can't remember what the other one is called but london based.

 

[Jim]

Yes, but you didn't call them rubbish!

But the ones he was referencing were rubbish. As were the ones I've had experience with. Regular panels lasts for years. I don't think I've ever seen a complaint about even the cheapest panel.

Some Flexi adhesive ones on the other hand fail in the first three years. They are so bad a fitter I was talking to last year now refuses to fit them, as replacing them is such a pain, as well as expensive for him.

 

[Lemut]

i had a 100w one it lasted no more than 4 years before it died. while it was new i am convinced it suffered from the heat as there is obviously no airflow under it.
it was a real B****D to get off.

The metal boat roof could have conducted heat away which is why they had good service from their flexible panels?
A 'plastic' roof is just made for a heat build up which will cook the panels. I would suggest going for a traditional panel with a cooling gap under it/them unless you really can't avoid going flexible.

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[gwyntaxi]

About 12 years ago, when we bought our 5th wheel, I looked into a flexible solar panel for the roof but was consistently steered away from them by this and quite a few other forums so I went rigid..............so to speak.

12 years down the line, we now also have a little Romahome Duo for our time off and the 30 watt free standing panel is basically a waste of time at this time of year.
So, have things improved over the years? Have flexi panels got better? Can you recommend one?
These seem to get good reviews and I like the lightness for such a small van.............

Amazon product ASIN B07BMNGVV3

I have read on various websites/forums that they don't have a very long life for some reason.

 

[gwyntaxi]

The metal boat roof could have conducted heat away which is why they had good service from their flexible panels?
A 'plastic' roof is just made for a heat build up which will cook the panels. I would suggest going for a traditional panel with a cooling gap under it/them unless you really can't avoid going flexible.

Would attaching a flexi panel to an aluminium frame solve the airflow problem, at least you haven't got the weight of the glass.

 

[Phill D]

The metal boat roof could have conducted heat away which is why they had good service from their flexible panels?
A 'plastic' roof is just made for a heat build up which will cook the panels. I would suggest going for a traditional panel with a cooling gap under it/them unless you really can't avoid going flexible.

It was replaced with a traditional panel and mountings which has been fine. Horses for course's as they say.

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[jongood]

I have read on various websites/forums that they don't have a very long life for some reason.

The two issues I ve heard are that the slim layer of glass cracks and the surface degrades - this would explain why they last longer on canal boats and actually the second reason being heat build up would as well as its always a bit cooler on the water.

 

[Minxy]

I went to road pro and bought there most expensive flexible solar panels they said they are so good you can dance on them ,well they had 25 year warranty they didn’t last 1 year. The manufacturer didn’t want to know so roadpro at there cost replaced them with another flexible panel ,each time this is times 3 ,they failed after 6 months ,ok I give up they then fitted basic panels x3 100watt after spending nearly a day cleaning the glue off the roof that was about 6 years ago no problems with these ,but it’s not really what I wanted ,I can’t speak highly enough of there service they never walked away from the problem . We are very luck to have company’s like Road Pro and Van Bitz looking after our motorhomes thankyou.

Perhaps you shouldn't have taken literally what they said and danced on them?

 

[Teedub]

We’ve had a 100w flexi panel on a Peugeot Boxer for three years with no problems. Over that time we’ve been out
in temperatures from -3C up to 30C and the panel has performed faultlessly. The boxer does have the ribbed roof so there is an element of airflow. We do regularly stay off grid for up to 5 nights at a time With no issue.

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[Bucket]

Anyone considering flexi panels is welcome to view the disaster on our roof. We now have a laminated set of 3 flexis stuck up there with the replacement rigid now sitting on top. So rather than saving weight it all just adds up.
None of the flexi panels lasted longer than 12 months, all a complete waste of time and money. The rigid appears to be still functioning I hope as I specified a premium make.

 

[pau1phi11ips]

About 12 years ago, when we bought our 5th wheel, I looked into a flexible solar panel for the roof but was consistently steered away from them by this and quite a few other forums so I went rigid..............so to speak.

I've got 6 100W in the garden connected to a grid tie invertor. They're currently kicking out 165W in perfect sunshine. They're angled directly at the sun too. The most I had last year was about 350W. They never go above 35W per panel now, they just don't last.

 

[pau1phi11ips]

We’ve had a 100w flexi panel on a Peugeot Boxer for three years with no problems. Over that time we’ve been out
in temperatures from -3C up to 30C and the panel has performed faultlessly. The boxer does have the ribbed roof so there is an element of airflow. We do regularly stay off grid for up to 5 nights at a time With no issue.

How much power per day you reckon you get from that 100W panel?

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[Raul]

How much power per day you reckon you get from that 100W panel?

He wouldn’t know, unless you test it with a irradiance meter. Without knowing what’s the sun irradiating down on the panel, it’s impossible to say for sure how much of its original output is still functional.
Another way round this, is side by side with a known good panel of the same rating, and compare the outputs.
When ppl compare full sunshine, can be anywhere from 700wm2 to 1200wm2. When irradiance exceeds 1000wm2 and temperature is 25C or below, the panel suppose to exceed the nameplate rating by quite a bit. If you never see your panel at name plate rating output in the summer, rest assured the panel has some degradation.

 

[jp11]

Anyone considering flexi panels is welcome to view the disaster on our roof. We now have a laminated set of 3 flexis stuck up there with the replacement rigid now sitting on top. So rather than saving weight it all just adds up.
None of the flexi panels lasted longer than 12 months, all a complete waste of time and money. The rigid appears to be still functioning I hope as I specified a premium make.

I think it's time contributors to this thread began to disclose the brand names of the disastrous fexi-panels. Perhaps the moderator could advise if this is allowed? I'm quite sure they're not all rubbish, as we can see in some of the posts.

 

[Raul]

Not all flexipanels are the same. Has anyone on here had a sunpower fail? I mean the real flex with the original cells. What other did, is copy sunpower cells. Nowhere near.

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[cyberyacht]

I had a cheap aluminium backed flexi on my caravan bonded to a "floating" alloy roof. Failed after about 18 months, I suspect because of the "rippling" of the roof panel. First moho - resin encased semi flex dimpled panels bonded to alloy sandwich roof(Solar Technology PV Logic)still going strong when I traded the van three years on. Fitted 3 x 100 resin encased semi flex dimpled panels (Photonic Universe) at the beginning of the year with sikaflex (minimal air gap between panel and GRP sandwich roof). So far so good.

 

[pau1phi11ips]

He wouldn’t know, unless you test it with a irradiance meter. Without knowing what’s the sun irradiating down on the panel, it’s impossible to say for sure how much of its original output is still functional.

I'd be more interested in the daily reading from his MPPT. I guess he might not even have a decent one with a small panel tho.