Protecting flexible solar panels with glass?

[Dirk01]

Do you know about the attachment?

Cheers
Dirk

[JC Reefer]

Originally Posted by emelina

I read in some reviews that some people don't took off the adhesive protection sticked on the panel when they receive it, and despite this the panel was producing fine. So I guess putting a very thin transparent layer of some plastic sheet would be fine to protect the cells...

Keeping the plastic protection on there for a long time on the sun will cause you headaches later. I’ve seen the on new hatches that had been installed and the boat was in the yard getting other work done. 3 months of baking later the plastic started shredding from the exposure. Near impossible to peel because the plastic would rip apart and the heat made the adhesive really hold tight to the windows.

In my opinion, you are over thinking this. The engineers that designed your panels have put more time and effort into making the panels UV and heat resistant while also producing the most electricity. KISS.

[Dirk01]

Originally Posted by JC Reefer

Keeping the plastic protection on there for a long time on the sun will cause you headaches later. I’ve seen the on new hatches that had been installed and the boat was in the yard getting other work done. 3 months of baking later the plastic started shredding from the exposure. Near impossible to peel because the plastic would rip apart and the heat made the adhesive really hold tight to the windows.

In my opinion, you are over thinking this. The engineers that designed your panels have put more time and effort into making the panels UV and heat resistant while also producing the most electricity. KISS.

It's not all about the power drop of the panels when they heat up. It's also (IMHO more important) the heating of the cabin and the structure. Do you know how hot they can be? Up to 100°C (or more?)? This is only a guess and not a statement. But I think something to keep in mind...

Only my 5 cts.
Cheers
Dirk

[emelina]

Originally Posted by Dirk01

Do you know about the attachment?

Cheers
Dirk

Nope but it seems to be a good idea. Though it defeats the purpose of remaining stealth

Originally Posted by JC Reefer

Keeping the plastic protection on there for a long time on the sun will cause you headaches later. I’ve seen the on new hatches that had been installed and the boat was in the yard getting other work done. 3 months of baking later the plastic started shredding from the exposure. Near impossible to peel because the plastic would rip apart and the heat made the adhesive really hold tight to the windows.

In my opinion, you are over thinking this. The engineers that designed your panels have put more time and effort into making the panels UV and heat resistant while also producing the most electricity. KISS.

I'm not sure about the engineers taking much time to think about this problem since their marketing service want to sell more panels I never thought about the plastic starting to shredd and impossible to remove with time. Krrrrrrr this thing is more complicated than I thought !

Originally Posted by Dirk01

It's not all about the power drop of the panels when they heat up. It's also (IMHO more important) the heating of the cabin and the structure. Do you know how hot they can be? Up to 100°C (or more?)? This is only a guess and not a statement. But I think something to keep in mind...

Only my 5 cts.
Cheers
Dirk

Yep. This guy seems to have solved the problem at least for a good part, by adding a polycarbonate sheet under the panel to isolate it from the roof's hot metal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hROYaqY83v4

[ausnp84]

We’ve used flexible on a number of boats and a VW van for a number of years with pretty good longevity. I tend to fit wooden spacer strips beneath (3 x for a 100w panel) that are about 10mm high. This allows for airflow plus rain, etc to run through without getting stuck and full of gunk.

The van I just hit it with extra sikaflex and it was good for 80mph...

As above, definitely remove the plastic shrink wrap from the top... it’s a PITA to remove later!

N

[The Sun King]

I installed some peel and stick flex panels on a friend's RV. Don't recall the brand, but an RV accessory catalog should have something similar. On the leading edges and the cables, I poured the white liquid goop that turns to rubber to prevent any chance of air getting under the panels or flapping the cables. The goop is standard RV roof sealant. The install went well.


Hard panels on roof racks are more visible, but shade the van roof an offer cooler temps than something in direct contact with the roof. Glass overlay or hard panels add a lot of weight and may affect cornering.