Solar Panel Van Roof Rack

Check out the super simple solar power set up we installed on our new camper van roof.

Solar panel van roof rack.

How to build a unistrut solar panel roof rack on a van step by step instructions. Two 100 watt solar panels will be mounted to the roof of your van and secured to your vehicle s roof rack. First purchase the unistrut also branded as superstrut. The unistrut for the side rails is 1 5 8.

Mark out on your solar panels where they are going to land on the strut channels. You can attach them to roof rack rails or directly on top of the roof. Top boxes gnarly light bars toilet vents or anything else that puts shade on a part of the panel is robbing you of solar energy. We use these renogy solar panels.

Installing the solar panels onto the unistrut. If you re interested in any of inergy s solar power products they re. These two solar panels will generate electricity harvested from the power of the sun and the energy that these two panels create will be passed through a series of adapter cables to your solar charge controller. Installing rigid solar panels on your camper van will require a few pieces of mounting hardware and a handful of holes.

Drill each mark on you panels with a 1 8 drill bit then drill again with a 1 4 drill bit and finally drill once more with a 1 2 drill bit. Fortunately the process is relatively simple and won t do a lot of damage to your rooftop. We used a cheap but effective solution. Installing the solar panels is done by using unistrut cone connectors 1 4 inch or 3 8 inch to attach to the slotted steel l brackets.

In this video i walk you through the details of my diy solution for mounting solar panels on my extended long wheel base high roof ford transit van. The panel goes over the top of mounted maxtrax but still allows your to access them. The unistrut used for the crossbars is 13 16. For this installation we bought 5 pieces of gold galvanized unistrut from hd lowes in the electrical section.

Even a tiny bit of shadow on a solar panel reduces its efficiency a long way. You need to get the cables from the panels into the van. Instructions for installing solar panels onto rack.