Hood Solar Panel

[Tielur]

https://www.cascadia4x4.com/product...6-present-vss-system-85-watt-hood-solar-panel

Is anyone running this or something like it? I feel like it's a great spot to put a panel that doesn't get in the way and will always be charging. I think it's mainly for when you are not camping, like when you are parked at a trail head for a hike or parked in your drive way, ect...

I feel like when I'm camping I want to keep the rig out of the sun so that's where I'll probably get a portable solar panel with a long extension to move it around, but this looks like a nice option for the above reasons

Thoughts?

 

[Tacomadad18]

https://www.cascadia4x4.com/product...6-present-vss-system-85-watt-hood-solar-panel

Is anyone running this or something like it? I feel like it's a great spot to put a panel that doesn't get in the way and will always be charging. I think it's mainly for when you are not camping, like when you are parked at a trail head for a hike or parked in your drive way, ect...

I feel like when I'm camping I want to keep the rig out of the sun so that's where I'll probably get a portable solar panel with a long extension to move it around, but this looks like a nice option for the above reasons

Thoughts?

Saw a guy at Windrock with one similar. Didn’t get to talk to him about it but it was pretty slick. He took it off when he was trailing but when it sat he put it back on the hood

 

[Tielur]

Yea I think the cascadia ones are more of a semi-permanent mount

 

[RevN3]

I really like the look of that

 

[Tielur]

I really like the look of that

I know right!? I'm also wondering how well it works for dampening light from say a lightbar on the roof. Kinda two birds with one stone if it does it well.

 

[TRDcement_taco19]

Two things advantage solar power and black hood cosmetic that cut glare! Save $ on hood wrap and get this I like

 

[NLV Taco]

I saw one of these on the Last line of defense YouTube channel. He hasn’t done a video on yet that I know of but I haven’t really searched it either

 

[RevN3]

Hmmmmmm...I think I want one

 

[RevN3]

So, I know some solar guys and I had them take a look and the general consensus was that this looked nice but is overpriced and isn't very high wattage.

I do not see the solar production efficiency nor mentioning whether it's a polycrystaline or monocrystaline panel along with no efficiency rating for the micro-inverter I am concerned. The positioning of the panel over a portion of the car that regularly gets hot also has be concerned with longevity and efficiency regardless of the panel is rated at. I would pass on this one and suggest a 250 W+ panel with 20%+ efficiency for monocrystaline panel and with at least a 300 W rated micro-inverter with at least a 96% efficiency. That should be ok since the roof shouldn't get as hot. Also if you're off-roading, mud shouldn't get up there and neither should water. So it'd be the safest place.

So my battery is 103AH. The panel can do a max of 85 watts. going in to a 12v battery, that means the panel will put in ~7amps max. granted, I would imagine the charge controller probably will charge the batter at 13.5 volts or so. That's ~6amps in and that is also without any loss from wiring, and the charge controller itself. The panel could supply 6amps every hour if the panel is perfectly aligned with the sun. Usually you don't want to drain a normal battery below 50%. So to charge my battery back up from 50% would take around 8.5 hours to charge back up. Now to keep it charged, and run a fridge, or charge devices.. that may be a little harder to do. BUT most of those things say what their input needs to be. So we'll look at the ARB (though, please don't ever buy the ARB fridge.. There are better and cheaper options) the largest ARB fridge looks to use about 1.07 ah. So running it during the day at full sun, your fridge would take up around an amp of your ~6amps of charge from the panel. Dang, those fridges are efficient. In perfect conditions, that little panel could actually be decent for a long camping trip. Just remember this is best case scenario. The price of that kit seems pretty expensive though. I like the idea of attaching it to your hood like that. and Im sure that is where the cost is. You could get a cheaper 100w rollup panel from amazon and get a decent charge controller for probably half the price.

But here's the thing, are you going to park your truck on a hill to perfectly align the panel to the sun? And then move it? The panel needs direct sunlight. It can't really be angled away at all, or the power generation sharply declines. So I wouldn't really ever recommend something that is stationary like that. The better approach is to get a panel, with a decent extension on it. that can then be plugged in using any number of connectors to wiring to the charge controller. The controllers are usually really small. You could most likely mount it in the engine bay or somewhere, and then run the wiring to your battery from there. In the end it would just be pull out the panel, and uncoil the wiring from it to the charge controller, and boom. battery is charging, devices are charging. With a panel on the "ground" you can move it throughout the day to keep the charge up, and then you can park your truck in the shade etc.

I'll be spending my money on a better battery instead

 

[StormRnr]

I want one. I also want a dual battery system. I wonder if this would be a better first purchase. I don't have a whole lot of electrical accessories at this point, but I'm paranoid about killing the battery and being able to roll start with the auto trans.

 

[RevN3]

I want one. I also want a dual battery system. I wonder if this would be a better first purchase. I don't have a whole lot of electrical accessories at this point, but I'm paranoid about killing the battery and being able to roll start with the auto trans.

It would be a whole lot cheaper just to buy one of those portable jump starters. I have a flashlight that will do it.

 

[StormRnr]

It would be a whole lot cheaper just to buy one of those portable jump starters. I have a flashlight that will do it.

For sure. And I have one. I don't necessarily trust it, and it has some maintenance requirements. And in 2 years it will probably be worthless. And it'll never help keep a second battery charged to run a fridge. Batteries that sit around and get used or charged infrequently aren't reliable.

 

[Kevinlj74]

I've been looking at the Cascadia 4x4 Hood solar panel as well. There is a company called Lenson that makes one for the Tacoma as well, but offers only the panel and no mounting solution like Cascadia. It would be up to the buyer to figure out how to mount it. I'm looking into Solar because I am FINALLY ditching my Yeti 65 cooler for a fridge for upcoming summer trips. I have been researching like crazy, trying to figure out how I want to power it without draining my starter battery. I currently have the Batteries plus X2 AGM 27F size for a starter battery and OV Tune running the Alternator at 14.5V. ( AGMs will not charge properly below 14V).
Right now I'm considering the simplest solution of running the fridge off a Jackery, charging it with a portable solar panel when parked, and off the truck with 12v adapter when driving. The Jackery is capable of pass through charging allowing me to charge it will its running the fridge. I don't think the Jackery can take 12v from the car and Solar input at the same time.
Any body have input on this? The cheapest I have priced out a dual battery system is approx. 1700.00 all in( including buying the fridge) and using a Jackery/Solar/truck DC ( including buying a fridge) is approx. 1200.00 .