With the Autohome roof tents, Maggiolina offers a way to equip vehicles of all kinds for travelling. Equipped with an integrated solar system, these become a complete solution for self-sufficient expeditions even to remote locations.
For a long journey, this customer’s vehicle was to be equipped with a solar system. The problem: the roof was already occupied by a roof tent (Maggiolina Autohome Columbus Medium model), so there was hardly any space to fit the panels. A standard module was out of the question due to the structure of the top shell, so the area was measured for a custom-made photovoltaic system.
Since it was planned to move the vehicle regularly off the road, mechanical stress due to tree branches had to be expected. In addition, narrow and long modules are generally endangered by their own weight during transport and assembly. For these reasons, the Solbianflex SR series was selected: Mechanically highly resilient modules with excellent efficiency that can usually withstand even cell breakage without any noticeable loss of power. Pre-mounted adhesive and waterproof wiring routed directly below the panels to the inside of the top shell also provide optimal mechanical protection for the electrical connections. The cables run into a cable duct on the inside so that they are integrated in a visually appealing way.
Five integrated bypass diodes provide additional shade tolerance – 40% of the system can thus be covered without the voltage falling below the value required by the charge controller. The Victron SmartSolar MPPT controller offers easy monitoring and configuration, plus integrated battery protection through the programmable load output.
The charge controller is mounted close to the battery in the vehicle, and the solar system can be linked to the vehicle conveniently using a waterproof connector. Due to its low weight, the tent can still be folded up and down very easily.
310Wp provide enough energy every day, even in bad weather, to supply the refrigerator box, lighting and small electrical consumers – even a 230V inverter for coffee machine and laptop chargers can be operated. In summer, this system charges approx. 90-130Ah per day @13V in Central Europe.
Technical data:
Power: 310Wp
Panel series: SR
Weight: 5kg
Battery voltage: 12V
Battery type: Gel
