SolarVector Remote Panel Tilting

[Obiwan Canoli]

Found out about these through another post on a different forum, and while it seems like a great idea, it's a pretty pricey option, especially for multiple panels. At $499, it appears that this is the price for ONE actuator, but their website isn't clear on this point, so I've emailed them for clarification. SolarVector

It's an interesting option, particularly for us older folks who've got no business climbing on top of our rigs to manually tilt those panels so designed... Has anyone installed these, and if so, what's your experience?

Thanks, MJ

 

[HueyPilotVN]

I have seen them. They are very well designed and a lot of work went into the development.

It is the best tracking system that I know of.

If you can afford them you will definitely get what you pay for.

The inventor and owner of the company is a long time member of this forum and I can definitely give him an excellent endorsement.

 

[solarman]

Just a small correction here.. the solar vector units do not track, they are manual position only.

 

[Heli_av8tor]

I echo Bill's endorsement.
I own four of them. They've been operational for over 2 years and have been flawless.
Yes, they are a little pricey but what isn't? I've never regretted the purchase.

 

[Obiwan Canoli]

Just a small correction here.. the solar vector units do not track, they are manual position only.

What you mean is that aside from remotely raising and lowering to the angle of the sun, they do not track the sun. And thanks to Huey & Heli, appreciate your input... Heli, I assume I was correct about individual pricing... $499 each unit (thus, 3 panels, $1,497?)

 

[Heli_av8tor]

Yes

 

[House Husband]

I visited with Kev 4 or 5 months ago, south of Q, and he does indeed make tilters that track. He had a couple of them mounted on his coach. Very kewl!
I have 3 of his early design tilters and they are excellent. Although the early design units were designed for about 120 watt panels, I pulled a couple of rabbits out of my hat and tilted a 235 watt panel with no problem. He makes good stuff.

Richard

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

One has to ask what's to be gained by tilting. Since these aren't heliostats (sun tracking) presumably they'd be used to adjust the panel angle to optimize illumination based on latitude. The benefit you'd get depends on how far north you are and the season but it can be assumed that in an RV it wouldn't be winter time, when panel tilt can make the most difference. Since you can't always park optimally, you can tilt to optimize illumination for the azimuth you're at but tilt can only make up for so much of that. Ultimately tilt vs no tilt under these conditions nets a minimal increase in daily output vs flat mounting so I'd be hard pressed to bother tilting manually, or investing as much or more in a tilt system than the panels cost for what amounts to be a few percent difference in net production. Something like switching from PWM to MPPT or other efficiency boosting methods, or simply adding more panels nets more power for less cost and complexity.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[Kevin Means]

I sent you a PM Obiwan.

Kev

 

[Obiwan Canoli]

Got it, Kevin, thank you.

 

[Frank B]

Found out about these through another post on a different forum, and while it seems like a great idea, it's a pretty pricey option, especially for multiple panels. At $499, it appears that this is the price for ONE actuator, but their website isn't clear on this point, so I've emailed them for clarification. SolarVector

Thanks, MJ

Kev helped me design my solar installation, and he knows his stuff. I opted for another solution that Kev has mentioned, and that is just adding more panels. Which will be best for you may be determined by how much space you have on your roof for panel installation. If you are short of space, and need every last watt, then use the panel tilt. If you have lots of space, then just add a couple more panels.

While most residential style panels are typically a meter wide (39"), there are narrower ones (32") made from smaller cells that may be a better fit depending on the layout of your roof.

The cost of panels has come down in the past few years, and I found that the cost of panels was a relatively small portion of the total install cost, with a good quality controller and shipping (I live in Canada) being the 'big ticket' items. More of the narrower panels did the trick for me, and I just flat-mounted them. As the roof of our unit is curved up in the middle (like most units today), the panels tend to self-clean in the rain as well,which means I very seldom get up on the roof. FWIW, you can have a look at what I ended up with here:

1230 Watt Solar Install

The price of residential solar panels is coming down as the popularity of home solar goes up. Residential panels are often 72 cell operating near 40VDC. The more common ones use 6" ingots to produce the panel, making them about 39" wide. A few use 5" ingots, giving a panel that is about 32"...

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