Solar for Your 4WD
We can help with portable camping solar panels power options for camping and 4WD off-roading.
Attaching a solar panel to caravans and four-wheel drive vehicles is becoming very popular. This can be done by installing roof racks to your vehicle and attaching a waterproof regulator to the rear of the panel or mounting a non-waterproof, standard regulator inside the vehicle. The panel is then able to be used to charge an auxiliary battery or the start battery.
The solar panel will charge a battery when it’s exposed to sunlight and stop when the battery is fully charged. If your appliances draw more power than the panel can make it will not be able to completely charge your battery. Usually, this type of set-up can run various 12V devices (fridge, lights, small appliances et) and an inverter to run 240V appliances.
We can mount any size panel from 100W to 320W and recommend the larger, more productive LG Neon panel. These panels are the very highest quality have a very sturdy aluminium frame. When mounting we endeavour to keep screw and pop rivets to a minimum so as not to compromise the panel in any way.
What our customers are saying!
We have just used HV Solar to expand our existing system and replace a failed inverter. Joel came to quote quickly, understood our needs and provided a very reasonable quote along with great advice. Job well done! Great tradesman! Very happy customers! Thank you so much Joel and team.
Heather Richard Carey
Great company to deal with. Professional and Informative. Answered all my questions and gave me information to help make the best decision that suited our needs. The quote was competitive. the work was completed on time and it was no fuss. I highly recommend.
The service that we received and how friendly they were was great to see. Joel and his offsider were so pleasant and treated us with respect. We can highly recommend they for any solar job. Honesty, reliability and a great solar system is what we got! Job well done.
Margaret-Anatol Dangel,
We recently had solar installed through HV Solar. We received excellent customer service from both Joel and Nicole, we had no wait time at all and the install was super quick.The HV Solar team were super professional and we couldn’t fault the service we received.Thanks again HV Solar.
Joel was amazing from the beginning. He was very informative and provided us with all information about solar, brands, usage, costs and the like. The communication from HV solar was 5 star and had constant follow ups. Highly recommended.
We are more than happy with how HV SOLAR communicated, quoted and installed our Tesla Battery in October 2022. We highly recommend this company for all solar need! Nothing was a problem, even aftercare was given!
Highly recommend HV Solar for their awesome service and very competitive and helping me understand all there is to know about solar.Very professional!Thank you Joel, Nicole, Reuben and Trae.
Joel and the team were very professional and helpful, answered any questions we had and completed the the insulation when they said they were going too. Would highly recommend HV Solar to anyone thinking of getting solar installed.
HV solar were unbeatable on their pricing on the quality solar edge inverter and Jinko panel‘s that suited me. Quality and fast install and very helpful with any information I needed. Can’t rate them high enough.
We have just used HV Solar to expand our existing system and replace a failed inverter. Joel came to quote quickly, understood our needs and provided a very reasonable quote along with great advice. Job well done! Great tradesman! Very happy customers! Thank you so much Joel and team.
Heather Richard Carey
Great company to deal with. Professional and Informative. Answered all my questions and gave me information to help make the best decision that suited our needs. The quote was competitive. the work was completed on time and it was no fuss. I highly recommend.
The service that we received and how friendly they were was great to see. Joel and his offsider were so pleasant and treated us with respect. We can highly recommend they for any solar job. Honesty, reliability and a great solar system is what we got! Job well done.
Margaret-Anatol Dangel,
Simple Steps
We aim to make your solar installation experience as straightforward as possible. What you need may be different to what your neighbour needs, so we’ll discuss your energy requirements and tailor a solution that works best for you. It’s as simple as picking up the phone.
Give us a call on (02) 4017 1181 to discuss what you require.
We’ll design a system that suits your needs – and your budget.
We’re qualified, reliable and skilled for hassle-free installation.
You can put your feet up and count your energy savings!
Cascadia 4×4 Hood Solar Panel Specs
I have a Jeep Gladiator Rubicon, so there are two hood vents that limit the size of the hood solar panel I can use. That meant getting the smallest 30-watt panel from Cascadia 4×4.
Here’s the specs on this bad boy:
- 8-layer laminate construction
- 3mm thick
- Optional plug-and-play MPPT solar charge controller
- Foam barrier to protect the vehicle’s paint
- Factory-like appearance
Let’s get to the nitty-gritty of some of these features and discuss them in more detail.
Cascadia 4×4 Hood Solar Panel Construction
The 8-layer laminate construction includes both fiberglass and high-tech polymers that give you a marine-grade panel with long-lasting durability. You can see the panel in the image above (during install, thus the blue painter’s tape I used to help me center the panel).
According to Cascadia 4×4, these panels will stand up to all sorts of harsh conditions, including rain, snow, ice, and mud. I’ve put my rig through all of those conditions since installing the solar panel, and I can attest to its durability in those situations.
The panel is also rated to resist damage from rocks, sticks, and other objects that might directly impact it while you’re on the trail. I have yet to have anything hit the panel directly, but when I was installing it, the strength of the panel (which is also a little flexible to help it flex as the vehicle moves) was plainly evident. I have no doubt it’ll stand up to the abuse of running on the trail.
If you’re heading off-road, you want well-made, durable products, and this solar panel has proven to be one such product thus far.
Cascadia 4×4 Hood Solar Panel Fit
These solar panels are vehicle specific. In fact, they’re called Vehicle Specific Solar Systems.
As I noted earlier, I have a Gladiator Rubicon, so there isn’t a ton of room for the panel between the two hood vents. But since the panel is specifically made for my vehicle, it fits like a glove. Above, you can see the vinyl base sheet that goes directly under the solar panel.
In fact, unless you know that I installed this thing, you might be fooled into thinking that the panel is an integrated, factory component. At just 3mm thick, it doesn’t awkwardly stand out, nor does it impact the smooth aerodynamics of my Jeep (LOL).
Part of the reason why it looks like a factory component is because you can get an optional custom cut vinyl base sheet that you put into place on the hood before mounting the panel. I found that this helped me get the panel positioned more precisely. Besides, the base sheet helps protect the hood paint from damage.
Likewise, there’s a 3M neoprene foam on the base of the panel that protects the paint even further. Again, this helps give the panel a custom-fit look that is sleek and seamless. This 3M foam also serves as a thermal barrier and helps improve cooling of the panel.
Cascadia 4×4 Hood Solar Panel Installation
As you can see in my video at the beginning of this article, the installation of this panel couldn’t be easier. Cascadia 4×4 says you can install it in about one-and-a-half hours, and that estimate is spot-on.
You can watch the video to see each step in the installation process. But I want to point out a couple of things here regarding the installation.
First, get the optional plug-and-play MPPT solar charge controller. It controls how much electricity gets to the vehicle’s battery and serves as a line of defense against overcharging. The unit is waterproof, heat-resistant, and vibration-resistant, so it can withstand those rough-and-tumble off-road outings you have planned. And since it’s plug-and-play, it takes the guesswork out of wiring the panel.
Second, be sure you get your hood absolutely spotless before installing the panel. The panel attaches to the hood using 3M VHB tape, so it needs a clean, smooth surface in order to adhere correctly. Cascadia 4×4 takes the time to prepare each panel so that it is perfectly clean and smooth to enhance the tape’s ability to bond to it. You need to do the same with your vehicle’s hood.
Again, check out the video to see the complete install.
Solar panel for 4wd
Projecta 80W Watt Portable Folding Solar Panel Kit 4wd Camping Hunting Spm80K
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Please note that terms and conditions apply to theft claims, including an excess fee of 10% of the retail value of the product or 150, whichever is lower.
If you ever need to make a claim, our team is on the job to get things sorted and have you back in business fast.
GENUINE PROJECTA FOLDING 12V 80W SOLAR PANEL WITH BUILT IN SOLAR CONTROLLER / REGULATOR BRAND NEW IN SEALED BOX WITH FULL NATIONWIDE Manufacturer Warranty MODEL P/N SPM80K
- Monocrystalline Solar Panel with a frameless design that folds up.
- Durable canvas making them travel-safe and easy to pack into your boot or trailer.
- A hard fibre glass backing allows the panels to be angled towards the sun for optimum performance.
- Includes support legs.
- Built in 8.5 Amp solar controller and 5m lead with battery clips that Maintains your battery in a fully charged state while protecting it from over charge and solar discharge.
- LED features GREEN LED: Indicates fully charged YELLOW LED: Indicates charging
- TYPE MONOCRYSTALLINE
- RATED POWER 80WATTS
- OPEN CIRCUIT VOLTAGE 21V
- SHORT CIRCUIT CURRENT 5.0A
- PEAK POWER VOLTAGE 17.5V
- PEAK POWER CURRENT 4.56A
- TEST CONDITIONS 1000W/m2, 25 ̊C
- FUSE 10A
- BATTERY CONNECTIONS Battery Clamps
- WEIGHT 4.7kg
SOLAR CHARGE CONTROLLER
- TYPE AUTOMATIC
- INPUT 12V SOLAR PANELS
- MAXIMUM INPUT 25V
- BATTERY 12V
- CUT OUT 14.4V
- CUT IN 13.3V
- START 9V
- APPROVALS EMC
- BATTERY SIZES 250–900CCA. 300-1000MCA. 20-140Ah
- CHARGE TIME 7–35 Hours
What is the performance of your solar panel dependent on?
The first factor influencing how much electrical energy you will generate is the size (otherwise known as rated power) of your solar panel. A larger panel ( more watts ) will produce more electrical energy (just as a bigger car engine has more grunt).But if we move past the obvious impact of size, the amount of energy your solar cells produce depends on how much fuel they are fed (just as the amount of energy a car engine will produce depends on how much petrol you pump into it via your foot on the throttle). In the case of solar cells, their fuel is the sun.
The amount of sun your solar cells are exposed to (and hence how much energy they will generate) depends upon:
- The of your installation (which you always try to optimise but depends on the situation)
- Whether there are shadows cast over your panel (due to trees, buildings etc)
- The number of daylight hours (governed by where you are located in Australia)
- The intensity of the sunlight (governed by where you are located in Australia )
- The number of hours of full sun vs cloudy days (governed by the weather)
If we exclude the first two factors, which you have a degree of control over, your location in Australia is the primary variable dictating how much energy your panel will produce. Hence, say a 100 watt system in Melbourne will typically not produce as much electrical energy over the year as the same system in Alice Springs.
Here’s more from the same category
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For the casual camper…
If you’re only heading away a few weekends a year, it’s understandable that you don’t want to spend the earth on solar panels and so portable folding solar panels are a great option. Though they tend to be bulkier and heavier than fixed panels or a solar blanket, this shouldn’t be too much of an issue for the infrequent traveller who is just looking to take the essentials on their weekend away.
Portable panels are easy to set up and angle in order to soak up as much of the sun as possible thanks to their adjustable legs. If the sun isn’t in the perfect position, they’re easy to move to make the most of any patches of sunlight.
For the frequent traveller…
If you’re planning to travel more frequently for longer periods of time, space and weight is something that needs to be taken into consideration. Especially if you’re planning to live in your van or car – space is definitely at a premium. Because of this, solar blankets are the way to go. While they may be more expensive than fixed or portable panels, you’re paying for quality, convenience, and a product that will last you a lifetime.
When buying a solar blanket, look for either SunPower Monocrystalline or Amorphous cells as they tend to be higher quality and are lighter and more compact than the alternatives. They are also more efficient, providing the best performance even on low light or overcast days.
Another benefit of solar blankets for travellers with space constraints is that they are foldable, meaning they take up much less space in your vehicle. They’re also more flexible when it comes to where to put them, drape it over the bonnet of your car, lay it on the ground, or hang it off the side of the awning to get the best possible position to soak up those rays. Then, when it’s time to go, fold it up and slip it underneath the car seat.
For the full-time traveller…
If you’re a grey nomad or full-time traveller, especially if you’re towing a camper trailer or caravan, then fixed panels are the perfect solar solution for you. As far as cost effectiveness, simplicity, and being able to sit back and relax once you get to camp goes, fixed panels are a great option. Being fixed to either your car, camper trailer, or caravan means you never have to worry about adjusting the angle, positioning, or setting up.
The compromise, when deciding on fixed panels over other options, is that in order to get the best results you will need to park your panels in full sunlight. While this might not seem like an issue, when it’s 30 degrees out, being in full sunlight isn’t ideal. Fixed panels are also the most efficient when the sun is directly overhead, so you can’t take advantage of the full amount of sun hours.
We recommend pairing your fixed panels with a battery management system or in-vehicle battery charger that uses solar, so that you’re charging your batteries via the car while you’re driving to the next destination and via solar when you’re camped up.
Whatever solar solution you decide is perfect for you, It’s important to make sure it’s the best quality for your budget as the last thing anyone wants is beers going warm or being stranded in the middle of nowhere with a flat battery. If you’re still trying to decide on a solar solution check out our solar calculator.
To learn more about keeping your batteries charged at camp with solar check out our video with Caravan and Camping Western Australia below.