Camping interior Solar panel fitted to a tintop

Solar panel on a tintop

(Covkid)

The reduced height of a tintop is good on most car parks, but they do pose their own problems when it comes to attaching solar panels.

A rigid panel with a frame is one possibility although if mounted flat they do tend to pool with water and it requires far more thought (though possible) in terms of fixing - ie drilling holes or buying extra material and gutter clamps. Flexible solar panels however, offer a quick and easy way to add solar power but the roof ribs do prevent you from fixing the panel down directly so you'll need to bridge the gap with stand-offs as follows.

Materials:

100 watt flexible solar kit (around the £140 mark). Mine had the connections on the underside which makes things tidier.

Builders exterior grade silicone sealant (clear) - about £3 (Silkoflex etc is way too messy for this and the silicone is strong stuff).

Wickes PVCU white cladding joint bead (2500m length) - £2.99 (Perfect for the stand-offs)

Planning:

Decide where you're going to run the cable first. I can't advise on this since its your vehicle. I drilled into roof just above B pillar and fed it down and out through the interior at the bottom, but you may want to route another way.

Make sure you TEST everything works before you begin fixing down the panel. You won't get your money back if its faulty and stuck down! Read the instructions carefully.

Creating Stand-offs:

Cut the joint bead to fit the gap between roof ribs (5 lengths) as pictured above. They sit slightly higher than roof ribs but the curve of the panel makes these perfect. Measure panel length and stick stand-offs down with blobs of sealant leaving sufficient gap for any moisture to escape in the future. Outside standoffs should fit flush with panel for a neat job (see pics). These outside edges can be made even tidier if you stick upvc strips to partially close them off. I didn't bother.

Allow to dry for 36 hours.

Fixing panel:

Fix panel with sealant, using bricks if needed to flatten edges of panel down. Clean off excess and use some kind of adhesive cable clips to tidy wires. Again, allow to dry for 36 hours.

Inside, connect battery to charge controller then connect panel. Follow the instructions carefully.