Here’s an argument for small is big.
Take your boat for example. There is already not much room on a boat to put a solar panel. Some manufacturers dream of placing glass panels on powerboats near the rear. Really? When was the last time you put glass that can shatter in the way of people that want to get in and out of your boat to ski or dive?
So at the very least, try to find the most dense power per foot panels. There are also mounts that permit you to avoid drilling the boat deck or even placing the panel on rails (the ultimate because you can then point the panel to the sun and even double the power you receive from your panels). For ATV’s make sure your wire leads are long enough to come down from a shed roof. Nobody I know leaves a solar panel outdoors hanging around on their motorcycle or ATV. It’s clumsy and not practical. Besides your friendly neighborhood bear might mistaken it for dessert…
Another example is RV’s. Most people do NOT wish to drill holes through the roof of their valuable “second homes”. So try to find a solar panel with “feet” that you can glue down. In Europe, gluing is standard practice, but not yet in America. Ask your RV dealer or favourite store if they have such accessories.
For RV winterization/maintenance, find a panel small enough that it fits just above your air conditioner but powerful enough to maintain the battery.
For RV large power applications, find some flat spaces that won’t interfere with your desire to park yourself on your roof at the next NASCAR race! Remember to position the panels so that if you later on wish to expand your system (over 25% of RVers expand their solar systems later on) you can easily do it.
Anyways, just a word of caution. Bigger is not better in solar. Think japanese. The more compact the full-featured cellphone, the more valuable it is. You can usually rate the technology of the product you are buying by its “real world” power density.
Knowledge is power. Small is big.
Sass