How can I fit solar to this curved roof?

[TobyQuest]

Hi

I want to ideally fit 300 or even 400w of solar to my roof if possible. The criteria is that I want rigid panels, not flexible because they last longer, longer warranties and harder to break.
You see I have a ridge that varies in thickness running up the centre of my roof and its about the same width a many solar panels which means if i get the corner mounts that most of them seem to come with, it will be touch and go if the mounts will be on the ridge or not if i mount them width-way across the van ie left to right.
But if i mount them lengthways front to back then maybe the curve at the front will be an issue or the fact that at the side it tapers off a bit.

Is there much flexibility with the mounts so that if you dont have a totally flat roof such as mine you can still secure the panels effectively?
Any other tips for mounts, or which is best or anything like that is appreciated.

Cheers

 

[pappajohn]

Tall standoff brackets.... 3" would do it.
Lay a panel sized piece of stiff cardboard level where you want the panel and measure from the roof to the edge of the cardboard on both sides.
Six panels is a lot of weight, do you have it spare?

 

[Terry]

Use 50 mm Ali angle for brackets. You can cut them in length to suit

 

[Phill D]

by using aluminium angle brackets which allow the panel to be straight. diffent heights and hole centres. alternatively you can use flexible panels fixed to the roof. although i am not a fan of those having had one and it lasted less than a few seasons.

 

[4Travel]

We had flexible panels fitted, they are the type that are fitted on the curved top of boats, would fit yours a treat. No idea what make they are, would be easy to goggle.

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[Mikeco]

If you are having that much solar then you will need a good few batteries otherwise it will be wasted.

 

[Minxy]

That seems to be an awful lot of solar! Why do you want/need so much? Have you also allowed for storing extra batteries and also importantly accounted for the weight of it all?

As for mounting solar panels - either buy a van roof rack or make a framework which you can mount on 'legs' and attach the panels to that, you could also incorporate a 'roof rack' section too for bits and bobs you might want to store up there.

 

[Campervan_man]

Aldi are selling a selection of £2.99 steel L brackets this week- ideal for solar panels.

 

[DBK]

The roof of my PVC is curved and it is easy to accommodate this. If you look at the the panel on the right in the photo below, the thin one, you will see the bracket is flat on the roof but tilted with respect to the panel. The trick is to mount the brackets on the roof first and then add the panel.

This a link to a description of the fitting. It hasn't fallen off yet.

https://tinyurl.com/y5hca5vp

 

[Minxy]

The roof of my PVC is curved and it is easy to accommodate this. If you look at the the panel on the right in the photo below, the thin one, you will see the bracket is flat on the roof but tilted with respect to the panel. The trick is to mount the brackets on the roof first and then add the panel.

View attachment 410624

This a link to a description of the fitting. It hasn't fallen off yet.

https://tinyurl.com/y5hca5vp

Don't you find the solar panels are affected by the shadow from the sat dish?

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[TheBig1]

Sorry, not sure if you are aware of the effect of putting too much weight on the roof of your van will have on both payload and handling? The best option shown is the 3 panel setup or even just 2 in the centre. I would cut a length of 50mm x 50mm x 3mm aluminium angle into 150mm lengths, bond those to the roof at the correct widths and screw those to the solar panel frames at suitable heights to account for the curve.

semi flexible panels are utter rubbish and have no lifespan compared to rigid panels

 

[Campervan_man]

Maybe you can join two panels together in the middle with pop rivets to span the roof and just attach feet on the roof edges or just buy large 260W panels instead { same idea }.

 

[DBK]

Don't you find the solar panels are affected by the shadow from the sat dish?

It can so when necessary I swing it out of the way.

 

[Don Campbell]

Repeat the question why do you need so much solar? 300w should be very adequate. Why not just fit one large 300w panel on any of the supports mentioned as long as the height of the supports clears the roof dome. Don't even look at fitting flexi ones as they will almost certainly only have a short life. Solar panels need space underneath for cooling.