eXodus
Solar Addict
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2020
- Messages
- 1,485
Link?When I added another 80" x40" panel it had to be mounted further forward than I wanted...Found these on Amazon and they work great...
I would not Rely on these for just for mounts but just for air foil effects...
Nice job! great creative use of the standardized material.When I added another 80" x40" panel it had to be mounted further forward than I wanted...Found these on Amazon and they work great...
I would not Rely on these for just for mounts but just for air foil effects...
I’m interested in learning about how to improve wind resistance at the tail of a vehicle. I have a 38’ travel trailer that I installed 10 solar panels with a 8” lift the front panels are to code to the edge and the path of the wind would obviously try to lift the panels and cause excessive wind resistance. I built a airfoil on the front to divert the wind over the panels as wel as giving a bit more strength to the front pane’s attachment. I’m curious if there is anything practical that could be done minimize the effect of the fact that the back of the trailer is completely flat.What about the trailing edge? I think what I have read about aerodynamics implies that a longer, smoother transition on the trailing edge is as important, or even more important, than smoothing the leading edge.
that would be a interesting topic to explore. But I want to get a lower profile A/C unit first. You can see that it's rather close the the Panels - so I would have to integrate that with the trailing edge fairing.What about the trailing edge? I think what I have read about aerodynamics implies that a longer, smoother transition on the trailing edge is as important, or even more important, than smoothing the leading edge.
when you look at the simulation (around post 100 in this threat) that only the angle of the panel in the front is already reducing the high pressure air zone above the RV.
very impressive install. pretty nice integration, I like the tent shape of the panels. You should share that somewhere in Show and Tell.I’m interested in learning about how to improve wind resistance at the tail of a vehicle. I have a 38’ travel trailer that I installed 10 solar panels with a 8” lift the front panels are to code to the edge and the path of the wind would obviously try to lift the panels and cause excessive wind resistance. I built a airfoil on the front to divert the wind over the panels as wel as giving a bit more strength to the front pane’s attachment. I’m curious if there is anything practical that could be done minimize the effect of the fact that the back of the trailer is completely flat.
Truckers use a fold out panel to draw air from the sides of the trailer, I wonder if something is available like that for rv'sI’m interested in learning about how to improve wind resistance at the tail of a vehicle. I have a 38’ travel trailer that I installed 10 solar panels with a 8” lift the front panels are to code to the edge and the path of the wind would obviously try to lift the panels and cause excessive wind resistance. I built a airfoil on the front to divert the wind over the panels as wel as giving a bit more strength to the front pane’s attachment. I’m curious if there is anything practical that could be done minimize the effect of the fact that the back of the trailer is completely flat.
I got a tent shape naturally by following the contour of the roof with my brackets. The tent shape dramatically increases the rigidity of the structure. It’s not obvious from my other pictures but I have a 14” cat walk on the driver’s side of the panels. This is convenient for sweeping off the slide outs and cleaning the panels. It’s also worth mentioning that this trailer is high off the ground and I put the tallest tires that I could on it so the frame is a full 2 feet off the ground. This might make a difference for wind resistance. One must also consider that since it is towed how the wind hits the trailer will be affected by the dynamics of the tow vehicle. I can’t get a straight on side view of the camper right now as we are parked in the trees and I can’t get a unobstructed view straight on.. from were the airfoil attaches to the front panels to the back of the trailer is 32.5 feet. There is a space where 2 panels are missing immediately after the first 2 panels because of the roof ac. My thought is to remove the roof ac and install a mini split and 2 more panels in that gap. While I am dreaming my ideal setup would be 12 of these https://a1solarstore.com/solaria-400w-solar-panel-mc-4-powerxt-400r-pm.html?msclkid=a7a6002f77611db1196562ace98e30f3&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=First bing feed&utm_term=4586612758817463&utm_content=BingAdGroup that would cover the entire roof and give me 4800 watts up there.very impressive install. pretty nice integration, I like the tent shape of the panels. You should share that somewhere in Show and Tell.
you could try posting a picture directly from the side like perfectly parallel to the RV. Some of the Simulation Wizards here could create a black and gray model and run it through the fluid dynamic flow simulation and try various tweaks.
True,One must also consider that since it is towed how the wind hits the trailer will be affected by the dynamics of the tow vehicle
not sure why you would do that? Bad roads where you are? That would likely kill most other gains you can make on aero. The less air you got underneath the vehicle the better. I'm going to add a front Air dam to prevent high pressure air getting sucked under the RV.I put the tallest tires that I could on it so the frame is a full 2 feet off the ground.
I live in a very rural area of the north east US.not sure why you would do that? Bad roads where you are? That would likely kill most other gains you can make on aero. The less air you got underneath the vehicle the better. I'm going to add a front Air dam to prevent high pressure air getting sucked under the RV.
Thanks for the link I had never heard of those before.You could try adding a leading edge with Airtabs (or similar) aerodynamic vortex spoilers to break up the air flow so that you don't create low pressure areas.
Airtabs
That's great news!1+ year later and thousands of miles - the Solar Hump is still on the roof.
I'm not sure if it did benefit fuel economy much. Certainly it didn't diminish it. The other good news - the RV feels more planted. I'm don't feel that we are getting blown around by gusts as much.
I read that others got reduced fuel economy when adding solar - so that don't have an impact on MPG and better driving experience - I see it as a win.
I don't like the A/Cs are on the roof period. They are heavy bricks poking holes in the membrane.Worst part of putting panels above the AC is overall height of the rig now.
Can you post some pics of this setup, very interested in being able to pivot the panels of up and out of the way when working on the roof.We have a low overpass in my town we call the canopener because it's 12'8" or so and claims a ton of trucks almost one a week.
I bought an XL2 which is about a foot shorter than the H3 model of many prevosts. There's a label that says 13'6" clearance but I think we're still just under 13' with the panels. Lowest bridge we went under was 13'8" and crawled through it.
Mines mounted using door hinges on my fake awning covers then uses threaded rods in the middle connected to aluminum bars. Takes just a couple minutes to unscrew the 2 sets of bars and lift it up half at a time, then use rope to hold it open.
I'm planning on adding another 1800w on the other side but I have real awnings so need to find another way to mount the end, then some wedge to angle the panels at the right angle. I'm still thinking about making them motorized to track the sun but they work pretty well so might not be needed.
Also still working on the ACs. I have 6 of them and only 2 are working fine, about to swap out 4 of them.