Grid tied solar panel mount

1: Measure the width of your rPod at the roofline, not counting the Keder rail. 

2. Get a 72 cell large format module with a length that is close (within 1/8 inch or so) of that width.  These are about 77-78 inches long and there are many available so when I looked there were several that would work. These will be in the range of 300-350 watts. You can often buy these on CL or eBay unused left over from projects very cheaply. 

3) Place the module on the roof and support it temporarily where and at the angle you want it to be mounted.

4) Cut two pieces of aluminum sheet (probably 0.125 thickness will be fine) to overlap the sides of the rPod by 1 inch and extend upwards to cover the end frames of the module. Remove the Keder rail where the aluminum sheet is going to be. Standing the module off an inch or two will help keep it and your roof cooler. 

5) Paint the aluminum black or other preferred color. 

5) Using self tapping fasteners attach the aluminum sheets tp the sides of the rPod. Get fasteners long enough to go through both walls of the 1 inch box tube framing along the tops of the walls of the rPod. The screw ttips will be inside the roof when installed.

6) Use SS self tapping fasteners to attach the module end frame to the aluminum sheets. 

This should be a very strong attachment technique since the screws will be in shear not tension so they cant pull out. And no roof holes! I think 4 fasteners at each interface should be fine, more wouldn't hurt,  

The drawback is you will lose the Keder rail in the area where the module is going to be mounted. I don;t use mine so its not a loss for me, if you do you might be able to shim out the Keder rail and put it back.

Standard grid tied modules are about 39 inches wide so you'll need to determine where you have enough room to place one. On my 179 the best place I found is behind the a/c.  

You will need an MPPT type charge controller to charge a 12V battery using these modules.

Flexible panels are fine as long as you accept their very short lifespan...a couple of years or so.

Rigid panels can last decades.

I'm not interested in the "payback" thing, nor do I intend to simply "believe" someone's statement in my professional area of expertise. If you want to make a statement in your area of expertise that is certainly another story. 

I am suggesting steps for mounting a grid tie module on an rpod. In one step I'm recommending a standoff mount of an inch or two rather than direct surface mounting, which is the only other alternative on an RV. There is no practical way to place the module a few feet above the roof. So of course the roof under the module is going to be hotter than if the module wasn't there, since it is a light colored roof and the module is designed to absorb as much light as possible. But it will be much hotter if its a direct mount. 

If you have another alternative for Ottr please feel free to suggest it.

 

To mount the panel to either the truck or our Pod I use braided cord and small line cleats which are attached to the bottom perimeter of our pod and to the camper shell.