For those owners who want Solar, but want to avoid the weight, Ebay seller 'recycledgoods.com' is selling 90W CIGS panels (just 4.6 lbs each!) at about $1.50 per Watt. These are from a bankrupt Oregon company 'Solopower' which, like the notorious Solyndra, went bankrupt while trying to use 'exotic' technology to build thin panels.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SoloPower-SP...l/191414606314
In comparison, other lightweight panels (form Chinese companies) are going for $2.20 per Watt and higher. (Note that the even cheaper 136W Uni-Solar panels are built too long to fit any model of TM roof, so they don't count).
Note that the sun is never at a good angle for roof-mounted panels. Therefore, with a new installation intended for actual boondocking, I would recommend 3 or 4 of these, not just 1 or 2. I pondered doing an upgrade to 4 * 90W myself, but my current 200 Watts would become leftover junk - and my wife would not be pleased by seeing me "toss them" on Craigslist, or the local newspaper.
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There are two disadvantages with this implementation.
First, flex panels are said to wear out faster (a lifespan 10-15 years on a roof at 80%+ of original power, versus 25+ years for heavyweight panels under glass).
And 2nd: These panels
require an MPPT controller, at additional cost of $150 - $350. (They are 24 volt panels, and the TM uses a 12 volt battery configuration.) A $30 "PWM" Controller would only get a
maximum about 50W from each of the panels. (In the "real world", with rooftop panel angles - maybe 30W).
GREAT DEAL on 'discontinued' Flex Panels...
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