Advantages when compared to flexible solar panels.
Air gap for flexible solar panels.
When panels run less hot their longevity is also improved.
The transfer rate of the flexible solar panels is also about 23 that is high when compared to traditional panels.
Solar cable glands bridge the gap between the roof and the interior of your van.
Mounting or gluing panels directly to the roof loses important cooling airflow from the underside.
We have hail during the monsoon season annually in prescott valley az about 1 4 to 3 8 inch in size.
They will run cooler as they have an air gap.
Rigid solar panels rigid monocrystalline polycrystalline and multicrystalline pv panels are suitable for mobile applications where weight can be accommodated such as bus coach conversions houseboats or if you only require a small system.
I have no experience with flexible panels as they are too expensive for my liking and you can mount ordinary panels easily with an air gap to achieve the objective to help keep them cooler.
Using flexible solar panels on a stealth camper van.
The watt price of the flexible solar panels is higher than the rigid panels.
A vented air gap allows heat to escape and helps the panel and the surface they are installed on maintain a lower temperature.
I bought a semi flexible solar panel to test it flat mounted and hail pitted it at least 2 or more layers down in the protective layers and shorted out the panel in less than 6 months of use after 2 hail storms.
They are small.
If you do not have a special reason for using flexible panels they are just too expensive compared to normal ebay panels of the same wattage perhaps 3x to.
Now what you need to keep in mind is that the flexible solar panels make use of monocrystalline wafers.
In india there is a team did a detailed thermal analysis on a typical roof top solar panel installation to arrive at optimum air gap and the same is.
A typical solar mounting system of roof top installation will allow for a sufficient air gap between the roof surface and the panel allowing airflow to have a cooling effect on the panel.