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Old 04-29-2022, 11:23 AM   #2
Bill
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Location: The mountains of Scottsdale, AZ, and the beaches of Maine
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Kory -

Be a little careful here. A solar panel is made up of strings of series-connected solar cells. A common number of cells in a string is 36, though there are other arrangements.If even one cell in a string is shaded, the entire string drops out. That is an issue with small (single-string) panels. (I have a 5-watt panel keeping my boat battery topped off.)

Larger panels are often constructed as multiple strings, and the panel incorporates what are called bypass diodes so that if one string is out, the other strings continue to operate. In more expensive solar panels, diodes may bypass smaller groups of cells, rather than the entire string. In this case, output is reduced, but not all the way to zero.

If you have a shaded area on the panel, you will certainly lose the string that is in the shade. The question is how all the strings that make up the panel are physically laid out. If the layout is such that a cell in every string is shaded, you won't get any charge when the camper is folded - when you are on the road, for example, or the camper is closed in storage.

BTW, I have no knowledge of the particular panel you are describing, and you didn't name it, so I can't go further. But if the panel is in your hands, you might want to check this out before you proceed with mounting it.

Bill
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