Solar Panels for Vehicle Mounted Systems
​(I Make A Commission For Purchases Made Through The Links Below)

100 watt solar panels are a great size for vehicle mounted systems because they are extremely strong, easy to mount (try lifting a 300 watt panel onto a roof, its not fun) and they are easy to source locally or on amazon.com.

​You can use larger panels designed to work with houses, but they will be harder to source and not as strong as a 100 watt solar panel. If you use a large house panel on your vehicle mounted system, make sure the aluminum frame of the panel is double walled aluminum. 

Traditional Glass Solar Panels

​Pros:
  • Cheap
  • Extremely durable (can handle snow, rain, heat for years!)
  • Easy to mount
  • Last 25+ years, no problem

Cons: 
  • Heavy. Typically around 16 pounds for a 100 watt solar panel
  • Mounting glass panels to the roof of a moving vehicle is typically a bad idea. If one of these falls off your roof, someone can die. Make sure you mount all panels properly.
  • Requires air flow under the panel. Just an inch or so, not much, but it is necessary. 
  • Do not mount large glass panels to your roof unless you have a strong roof rack. 100 watt panels are inherently strong due to their size and are the best size to mount to the roof of a vehicle.

High Value New glass panels:

In recent times I have done extensive testing on nearly every "best selling" solar panel on the market and these are my favorite:
  1. Rich Solar 100 watt Poly Solar Panel
    This solar panel is my absolute favorite!! It is cheaper than most solar panels and produces more power than any of my 100w monocrystalline panels. 
     Click Here to buy now

  2. HQST 100 watt poly Solar Panel
    This is my second favorite panel because it has the same output as the rich solar panel above, but has slightly better rails and craftsmanship. It is practically identical to the renogy poly panel (renogy and hqst are owned by the same person), but 20 dollars cheaper. Great deal!
    Click Here to buy now
    ​
  3. Other basic solar panels that work well (most of these are rebranded anyways, so they are usually identical to each other. Buy whatever is cheapest or has the best warranty):

 CIGS Flexible Solar Panels

CIGS Flex panels are the only type of flex panel that I recommend. Everything else on the market is junk, and will have reduced output after 6-12 months.

​Other flex panels on the market cannot flex that much, and you will cause permanent damage if you flex it even once. They are fragile and like to fail often.

But CIGS are the only exception. They are flexible, durable and last much longer than any other flex panel on the market. They also handle shading really nicely, and can even produce electricity after being shot with a gun. 
​
Pros:
  • Lightweight. Typically 3 pounds for a 100 watt solar panel
  • Easy to mount (CIGS come with an adhesive backing so it takes minutes to mount them)
  • Aerodynamic efficiency (they are designed to be flush mounted on your roof, which means better gas mileage for your vehicle)
  • Durable. You can safely walk on these flex panels.
Cons:
  • Expensive! 

These CIGS solar panels used to cost $1000 for 100W only a few years ago, but manufacturing tech has reduced the price down to $250 for a 80W panel. Which is something I never thought I would see. These are still more expensive than glass solar panels, but they are worth it if you want a flex panel.

Click Here to purchase

Avoid these flexible solar panels:

I have tested nearly every flex panel on the market on the roof of my RV since they came out, and they have always given me problems. The only ones that still produce power are my sunpower cell flex panels, but they only produce 60% of their rated output. The junction boxes are usually made with a cheap plastic that breaks after a year or two, and if you fold these panels the cells will crack and the output will decrease even more. Avoid these like the plague! Ask anyone who has used these panels for multiple years what they think about them.

Full Size Solar System Panels (300W+)

Rich Solar 335W 

Made in the USA! And for a good price from a distributor that I always recommend. Great for Cabins, Tiny Homes or Large RV systems.
  • 5 buss bar solar cell configuration
  • Mono PERC Technology
  • Lightweight anodized aluminum frame
  • High Transmission, AR (anti-reflective) Coated Tempered Glass
  • Plug and play junction box
  • Industry standard quick connect cables work in series or in parallel
  • Certified to withstand challenging environmental conditions
  • Excellent low light performance on cloudy days, mornings and evenings
​
  • Maximum Power(Pmax): 335W
  • Maximum Power Voltage(Vmp): 34.1V
  • Maximum Power Current(Imp): 9.85A
  • Open Circuit Voltage(Voc): 41.6V
  • Short Circuit Current(Isc): 10.4A
  • Maximum System Voltage(Vmax): 1000VDC
  • Temperature Range: -40°F ~ 194°F 
  • Max Series Fuse Rating: 20A
  • Weight: 40.5 lb
  • Dimensions: 65.2 x 39.2 x 1.57 in

​Click Here to Purchase
These push some serious power! Especially for their size. They produce 40% more power than my solar shed's 270W panels, which means installation takes 40% less time.

I also noticed that less solar panels means less mounting hardware, and reduced shipping cost. Which can save a ton of money, even if each module costs more. 

Check them out here by clicking here
Bifacial means that it absorbs power on the front and the back of the panel (it has two faces). This means that if you mount these panels on a reflective surface such as a white roof or snow on the ground, your output can go up 25%!

These are not worth the added cost if you live in the desert! These are great for cloudy/cold locations only. And they  need to be mounted at least 3-5 feet off the ground to work properly. But when they do, expect 20-30% more output over the course of a day!

They are 10 pounds heavier than traditional panels because there are two layers of glass instead of 1.

Click Here to purchase Bifacial Solar Panels 

Small folding solar panel for
​portable solar generators

Easy to use fold up panel for jackerys, bluettis etc. Compact 100W panel with corner bumpers.

I love mine. If this is all you need, you will love it.

Click here to buy direct from rich solar

Click here to buy from amazon

Dirt Cheap, High-Quality, Large Solar Panels
​​(Affiliate Links Below)

Santan Solar sells used but inspected solar panels from Arizona. Every panel they sell is a high-quality name brand solar panel, and after selling 1000's of solar panels they have only had a handful of returns.

​These are a fraction of the cost of the solar panels I recommend above, and will work for a long time.

What people don't realize about solar panels, is that they last for decades, if not centuries. Most panels are rated for 25 years to 80% output, which is an extremely conservative goal. Most panels can produce well over 90% of their rated output after 30 years. They can also handle years of non-stop rain/hail/snow/wind without issue.

​For me personally, I go for the cheapest panels possible, because cost is not really a determinant factor of performance (such as the cheap solar panels I recommend above). After my real world testing of stacks of solar panels, many cheap panels can produce the same or more power than the more expensive ones, and they have the same safety ratings, and warranties.

​The problem with santan solar is that the shipping cost is pretty steep. So be sure to use this option if you plan to build a large array only.

Click Here to check them out!

Click Here to buy my favorite panel they make.
​250W Panel for $50!