Installing a solar pannel

One of the last accessories I wanted to add to Brutus was a solar panel, one that would fit on the large Zarges case which is installed on the roof rack. I found a 100 Watt panel which would fit the lid of the case nicely and which should be sufficient to keep the accessories battery charged and my refrigerator cooled. An EPSolar Tracer 10A 1215BN is selected as a charger.

To optimise performance I wanted to install the solar panel on a hinged construction so it could be tilted to face the sun. I found a hatch hinges with a removable pin which made this possible. I fitted the hinges on the solar pannel and Zarges case.

The cables from the solar panel are routed trough the snorkel into the engine bay where the solar charge controller is installed.

In the end the mounting of the solar pannel and the routing of the cables was most of the work, while installing the charger was a very easy and straight forward process.

The final installation, I’m happy with the result

I will replace two of the hinge pins with a padlock so the solar pannel is secured to the vehicle.