OK, let's get creative here - I want to build a camper where the solar panels ARE the roof of the camper. Not just mounted to it. Ideas?

[nsbohn]

I'm going back and forth between buying a All Terrain Camper Shell, having it modified by them to the size I want, and then building it out from there... or just start from scratch to build my own ultra-light-weight camper.

At my old job, they have these carports where the roof of the carport is a solar panel. It's not a solar panel mounted to a roof, you literally park under the panel itself.

I want to take that idea one step further, and integrate a solar panel to actually BE the roof.

Who's got some fun idea? Let's brainstorm here.

 

[C p weinberger]

And when it is partially damaged in hail storm or to dumb luck you do what to repair it,?

 

[C p weinberger]

I wasn’t trying to be rude there, that was just a question

 

[Peter_n_Margaret]

The underside of the solar panels will get HOT, very HOT. The insulation under the panels will need to be commensurate with that.
And heat reduces the panel performance, the hotter they get, the less they will charge. This is why glass panels are always installed with an air gap underneath.
Slightly less of a problem with light weight panels, but expect a 10% lower performance without any underside cooling and you will still need the roof insulation to keep that heat out of the living area. Good quality light weight panels will survive large hail.

Start from scratch ….
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

 

[Neil]

The inside of your cabin will always be red hot when in the sun. You need a good air gap between the panels and the insulation.

It would be my view that making the panels become the roof is not a direction i would take.

Very interesring idea though, which i will follow

Neil

 

[S2DM]

There is a huge advantage to having a secondary roof, not to mention all the inherent issues with seams etc. Having an initial solar break, air gap then your roof creates whats known as a safari roof and keeps the interior much cooler. There are many ways to save weight, but trying to make the solar panel itself serve a dual purpose doesn't seem wise.

Check out my build thread. I used solar panels spaced tightly, a very think composite panel as their back, then a surfboard pocket, then my actual roof. Even in blazing mexico heat, it stays cool in there.

 

[brp]

There are peel and stick solar panels and Tesla's solar shingle/tiles. In these applications, there are no air gaps.

I am not sure why/how, but something to consider.

 

[nsbohn]

Thanks everyone for the speculation and consideration.

I hadn't considered the heating issue of the panels themselves... I'll have to look into that further. I suppose if you're using the panels in a cold environment, capturing that heat and conducting it into the roof might be an advantage, but down here in FLA it's certainly not desirable.

 

[luthj]

If you have pretty good roof insulation (R20?) then you could get away with bonding panels directly to the roof. You can source frameless solar panels. These have the tempered glass with plastic backing. They could be attached directly to the roof. You could also use a "flexible" panel. These replace the tempered glass face with a sheet of plastic. These are much lighter, but have a life measured in years, not decades.

You could design a frame using extruded aluminum. Then mount/slot the frameless panels into it. They are quite strong. You need to protect them from twisting though, as that can gradually crack the cells (microcracking). The seams between the panels would need sealed with a bonded Tee type extrusion or similar. Most of the panels weight is in the glass. The glass thickness varies from panel to panel, so lighter weight panels with glass faces are an option. \

While rare, it is possible to have a panel/cell failure that results in overheating, so a fire resistance insulation would be desirable in the roof cavity in this case.
As mentioned, without a decent air gap, the panels will see additional de-rating due to heating. Though flat mounted panels already have a higher de-rate compared to angled panels with more natural convection. You would be lucky to see 70% of rated power in summer, likely closer to 65%.

 

[dwh]

Search here on ExPo for a thread about "Shachagra" and you'll see how he did it.

And the double layer roof isn't called a "safari roof"; it's called a "tropical roof" - just in case you decide to do a search.