Club 80-90 Forums

Hi everyone, looking to fit solar panels to the roof of my camper. (1990 1.6td trooper).With it opening front to back not side ways ( see photo’s) is there any thing I should be weary of. Also having never done anything like this before, is there anyone in my area (derby / Notts) who could maybe come and point me in the right direction . I could possibly help with there project  in return .
I would like to run compressor fridge, charge I pads and phones and small electric appliances .
 Hope I am not asking for to much. Cheers Pete.

You could probably fit two flexi 130w+ panels on that roof. Put a grommet on the roof and feed the cables inside. Flexi panels are a lot lighter so probably the best option. You'll need an mppt controller as well to get the best out the panels.

Running a fridge you'd need a decent sized battery if you're just planning on running on solar rather than hookup.

I've fitted a system to my tin top over the past year. I have two portable trunk style compressor fridges, one 20L, the other 45L. I use thd small one for short breaks, large one for longer breaks. They draw around 2 (20L) and 3 (45L) amps for around 15 minutes every hour. I also have a diesel night heater. Also fed from the system are power and usb sockets, and a 1Kw inverter for rare occasions that a laptop needs charging.
I find that from May to September a single 100w flexible panel mounted flat on the roof is well up to the job. I have two rigid 100w panels mounted to a low profile roof rack for the winter months.
Just in case, I fitted a 20a dc-dc charger, but not yet needed. I usually only get down to 90% charge from full, though after overcast cool days when a blast of the heater is needed I have reached 80%. This from an Ecoworth 100th lithium battery. The rest of the system is Renogy.
With a small fridge and a few charge points it is likelly that a 100Ah battery would last 4-5 days with charging if you're happy to fully discharge it. Not good for longevity though.
I later discovered that the thick black cable that is used on solar panels is very stiff and is used because of its anti-UV propities. But inside the van cheaper cable with more copper and more flexible can be used.