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transporting flexible panels:




Initially I was expecting to just toss the panels onto the top of the pile on the truck after it was loaded
up, but this quickly became a problem as I accumulated more panels. They'd slide around and get folded at
uncomfortable angles and I was getting worried about them being damaged in transport. Also, simply moving
them from the truck to the shelter was a problem because they slide around and fold and flop and are just
generally awkward to carry several at a time. And I'm always catching myself trying to grip a panel by the
sides of a cell, putting dangerous pressure on it. I tried using duct tape to just lash them together and that
worked great until it was time to take them apart. Duct tape for some reason sticks really well to that
surface, and again I was worried about panel damage due to the bending going on when I was trying to remove
the tape.

I thought for awhile about how to make a "panel bag" to carry the panels together all at once, something like
a big hand-bag. Some portable solar sets are actually sold this way too. But these panels were too big for
that, so I was going to need to come up with my own idea. I finally spotted "portfolio totes" the artists
use to carry around their portfolio of big (like 2ft x 3ft) drawings in. They're not quite long enough, but
they are wide enough, I think sturdy enough, and have carrying straps.

So I bought one cheaply off Amazon to try and modify. It has a zipper on top that's never going to be used,
and I just left that closed and cut the sides open. I lined them with duct tape to stop the cut nylon mesh
from fraying, and also added a few layers of reinforcing tape along the bottom to prevent the panels from
cutting into the bottom of the portfolio and damaging it. As expected, the panels extend out the ends, but
they're held securely, and even the panel cords are managed. It's proven to be an excellent solution to the
problem of transport, and the panels store pretty compactly on their edge like that.

After picking up another 8 panels, I got another bag and used gaffer's tape to modify it. That both works and
looks much better than duct tape. It's no problem to carry both bags at once, so transport is really easy.



Art Portfolio ($16 at Amazon)


black Gaffer's Tape, 2" ($35 for 4 rolls at Amazon)


black Gaffer's Tape, 4" ($32 for 2 rolls at Amazon)

modifying portfolio for panel transport


art portfolio dimensions:


solar panel totes:



highest resolution images
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