Sure, as long as the surface to which the flexible panels were mounted was a decent-enough conductor of heat. Steel van roof ? You bet. Fiberglass ? Not so much. So in the second case, the weight of the add’l cooled mounting surface would negate some or all of the saving of the thin, light panels themselves.

You don’t want to do that. Solar panels of any sort get hot and need airflow on top and underneath. Otherwise you’ll get greatly reduced lifespan. I know some folks who live in the Southwest that glued down flexible panels right to their RV roof. The things had heat-related failure in just a few years (good rigid…

All solar panels get hot and need airflow around them to get any decent lifespan. Rigid panels also just last longer.

Bigots always think their stereotypes “exist for a reason”...

Yeah! They could pitch it to the boss by incl. a visit to a Volvo factory or something... ;)

For a 69 yr old with admitted “limited technical skills” ? Come on... I like Linux as much as the next geek, but it isn’t always the answer.

So if another person does something wrong that means it’s OK for you to behave similarly ? Got it. 

Boomer and older GenX - ::nod their heads knowingly::

Unfortunately, you’re up against two very strong American knee-jerk reactions to basically every (even somewhat minor) problem:

Thank you. This “late stage Boomer” is a Social Democrat (intend to vote for Eliz. Warren in my state’s primary), knows that climate change is real, supports Black Lives Matter & marriage equality, and thinks every Republican president since Eisenhower was a complete dumpster fire.

Same here. Born on the tail end of the “Boomers,” we’re members of a group sometimes called the “Baby Bust”. In a socio-cultural sense, Baby Busters have as many thing in common with GenX as they do with the dreaded Boomers.

British onion gravy with dishes like bangers & mash or haggis with neeps & tatties is Da Bomb.

And even more heinous, forced them to write a multi-line comment...

But it has spanners. SPANNERS! Those cost at least ten times as much as your plebeian wrenches...

Shame it has to be said. You’d think that “Don’t be a dick” (esp. to low-paid service industry workers with no control over stuff like this) would be something we all learned at an early age.

Oklahoma just passed a law that said residents don’t need any sort of license to open-carry firearms. Like NONE. That’s the most Oklahoma thing I can think of (and heck, I live in Texas...)

No slandering of Hershey’s! Plenty of people like it, and it will be around long after Cheeto Mussolini is just a pointed lesson in history. Besides, shouldn’t an American president give out candy from an American company ?

The thing about flexible panels is that all solar panels need good airflow underneath, as they generate heat. Heard more than one story of flexible panels bonded directly to an RV roof that have very shortened lifespans due to overheating (admittedly in places like the desert Southwest in the Summer).

Second all the Texas suggestions. Esp. Buc-ee’s. Best travel stop EVER.

Man, I’m loving this story. Please keep us updated!