I mounted an Alrska 180W panel on the roof of my truck canopy. It is flat zenith mounted. It has a 16 mm gap under in addition to the 30mm aluminum frame. I want a low profile on the roof so it both fits in my garage and causes minimal driving efficiency impact. If I pull out a cool panel from the shaded garage, drive 60 mph, or spray it with a garden hose, the power increases to nominal levels, 110W which is the max of my River 2. In direct sunlight at 80F, sitting stationary a few minutes, the power drops down to ~30W. The River 2 occasionally has trouble finding the max power point, bouncing between 50W and the 11W. Unplugging solar and replugging it fixes that, but this temperature degradation is independent of that quirk.
At 80F outside, the panel surface temperature is 130F. This matches my house panel's surface temperature (20x 400W Rec Alpha Pure). The house panels output isn't dropping in the same conditions.
I oversized the panel to power my cooler (40W), and sadly, this panel's temperature degradation can't keep up and drains the battery while the sun shines on the panel.
It seems to be a defective panel. I've emailed Alrska support three times in the last month and they don't respond. Does anyone have any ideas or other experience with Alrska?
Photos attached: (1) setup with 30W output in noon direct sunlight, (2) temperature of various surfaces at 80F ambient
At 80F outside, the panel surface temperature is 130F. This matches my house panel's surface temperature (20x 400W Rec Alpha Pure). The house panels output isn't dropping in the same conditions.
I oversized the panel to power my cooler (40W), and sadly, this panel's temperature degradation can't keep up and drains the battery while the sun shines on the panel.
It seems to be a defective panel. I've emailed Alrska support three times in the last month and they don't respond. Does anyone have any ideas or other experience with Alrska?
Photos attached: (1) setup with 30W output in noon direct sunlight, (2) temperature of various surfaces at 80F ambient
