Sprinter Build - Solar Panels

We finally got solar panels installed. Our plan was to have the panels a long time ago but we wanted the FreedomVanGo roof rack with a floor to walk on and custom solar panel mounts to angle two large panels up front. This allows for two 160 watt Renogy panels that will clear the front roof vent while still allowing storage space on more than half of the roof. Owl Vans fabricated the solar panel mount and it turned out great, in our opinion.

As for the wiring I initially thought series was the way to go, but quickly found that two panels this large paired together was pushing too many volts to the charge controller and thus throwing errors. So I switched the wiring to parallel which ups the amps but holds the volts steady at around 12. This meant the charge was within spec for the controller and was no longer throwing any errors. For good measure I put an inline 30 amp fuse on the positive line from the panel running to the charge controller.

I should be able to stay charged from the solar without much dependency on the alternator. I will test out the performance on our next road trip to the backcountry and will report back.