avandalen said:
Hi John,
What do you mean, I don't understand, the varnish is on top of the epoxy?
Have you made your own PV panel?
Thanks for the tip, I shall consider a clear marine varnish also. I am currently testing encapsulations.
As you can see at my site, batteries are really needed!
I use the bike only for recreation and for touring many days.
Epoxy/fiberglass can be very clear, but all epoxies will yellow from UV, so a few coats of marine varnish is how they keep those beautiful wood/fiberglass/epoxy boats from yellowing. I have a few different mobile applications requiring lightweight but strong solar panels, so like you I'm still trying to figure something out. I need some curve in mine, so I can't use honeycomb panel for rigidity and strength.
Another alternative is a very thin lexan sheet as the top surface, then a thinned clear non-acidic silicone layer to encapsulate the front. That will give me a tough front, but no strength, so I would get the strength on the back side using fiberglass/epoxy. My problem issue is the bond at the silicone with the epoxy. If I can figure out a good way to do the fiberglass first so it is completely cured before doing the front, that would work, but I worry about getting the smooth even surface I want without too much silicone fill.
I think solar charging is very doable for touring, and I wouldn't even worry about trying to go big with the horizontal surface area while riding. Instead, I'd go with a folding panel with only one of 3 or 4 surfaces exposed while riding. Then schedule just a long lunch stop around noon. With the bike parked, you anchor the bike to something and fold out the rest of the panels at a perfect angle for a nice strong charge while stopped. Then what you're able to get while riding is bonus juice. I ride fast, so my moving time is quite low, and I am most interested in solar charging while parked.