I've received a number of comments about covering our roof with flexible solar panels.
Most were positive. Some wanted to point out that rigid panels are better.
And others have been asking about how they've been holding up over time.
So I wanted to go ahead and make another video just to address some questions.
At some point I got a link to a Will Prowse video explaining all the problems people have
been having with flexible solar panels and that you should avoid them like the plague. I hadn't
actually seen this particular video before, but about a year ago I had watched a bunch of his
videos on lithium batteries and found him to be super helpful. And, I just want to say I don't
consider myself to be a solar expert whatsoever. I have a little bit of an engineering background,
but my experience with solar setups is just limited to what I've put up on the roof of our RV
and in our cargo bay. I can at least say that nine months in after our install, our Renogy flexible
solar panels are still working flawlessly. I would also agree that rigid panels really are better.
They're better in just about every way. They are a whole lot cheaper per watt. They dissipate heat
better, and because of that they generally last a whole lot longer. So there you have it. Rigid
panels are better. Right, so why then did I cover our roof in flexible solar panels? Because of the
weight. Many of the equivalent rigid panels weigh up to 30 pounds a piece. These ones weighed six.
So I saved up to about 400 pounds of cargo weight by using these ones instead and that's a really
big deal in an RV. If I was doing a residential install, I would use rigid panels in a heartbeat.
And it's also worth noting that with the flexible panels I didn't have to drill a bunch of extra
holes in our roof for mounting, which isn't a deal killer but it was nice not to have to do that.
I would like to think that in the two years since Will Prowse made that video that manufacturing has
hopefully come a long way and flexible panels have gotten a little bit better, but my advice here is
just don't go buy knockoffs or the cheapest panels you can find. These Renogy panels that we went
with have a 25-year power output warranty. And not only that, but Renogy is a pretty well known
American company, and if I end up having issues with those panels I'm pretty sure they'll still be
around long enough to make use of that warranty. So ironically enough it looks like I actually
followed some of Will Prowse's advice without even knowing it. In the end of his video he also does
mention to make sure that if you are gonna buy flexible panels to go with a reputable supplier.
So far, if I were to do this project over again I would not hesitate to use the same
panels again. The only way I was gonna safely get that much wattage up on our roof was with
lightweight flexible panels. And in fact since the install nine months ago they still look good,
they're working well, and I've actually set some new peak power records lately. Now, there's a lot
of reasons why that might happen. The most likely one being that in the last couple months we've
been a lot further south than we were say last summer, but I do at least take that as a sign that
our panels haven't begun to degrade prematurely. I also use an infrared thermometer to check
for hot spots every now and then. So far I haven't found any parts of the panels getting hotter than
any of the rest of it, and I also haven't seen any temperatures outside of their rated range,
even on the hotter days. That's not to say that I won't have problems down the road. And if
one or more of them burn up then I'll definitely make a video about that,
and I will also happily use Renogy's warranty. So this was the right decision for us. I'm
completely comfortable with that. I would even say if you're looking for a lighter weight solar
solution that you should look into this as an option, but definitely do your research. Anyway,
that's why we went with these particular panels. I hope that answers some questions for everybody,
and if you do have more questions feel free to leave them in the comments below.
And stay tuned for a one year update in a few more months where I'm going to share some more
information about wattages we've been seeing in various conditions and especially if any
problems develop. See you next time. If you like our content, make sure to subscribe. And hit the
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