I've been researching DIY panels and looking into replacing my sunroof on my Neon w/ plexi and an array. I figure I can get 60~80 watts in there pretty easily to help reduce alternator load, charge while parked, and run some fans in cab for cooling when parked in the sun.
My research suggests getting a small charge controller for your experiment. They will only send the power from the solar array to the battery if the voltage is lower than a specific value (pending controller/battery setting).
Seems most people suggested ~18v for the array. The charge controllers seem to be able to take up to 22v pretty easily.
Hope that helps any.
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