I purchased two large (about 48″ by 22″) solar panels that I want to make portable. I need to be able to easily move these panels from one location to another and keep them from being damaged. The unmodified panels are reasonably light and can be moved individually, but I fear that the panel face will be scuffed or broken if not protected. Putting them in a case to protect them is heavy and overkill. My original quick thought was to hinge the panels with the panels facing each other, but that plan changed to panels that could still be separated from each other.

This is the 200W solar kit that I picked up: http://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Monocrystalline-Solar-Starter-Wanderer/dp/B00BCRG22A If this link disappears, you might still find the kit on Amazon by searching for the title: Renogy 200 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Solar Starter Kit with Wanderer I spent $340 for this kit.

This kit includes two Renogy Premium Grade A High Efficiency 100 Watt Monocrystalline Solar Panels, a Wanderer 30A PWM negative-ground charge controller, 6mm2 (10ga) cable, and connectors to use in this project. The roof-mount brackets that came in the kit were not used.

The aluminum frame of the panels will be easy to modify, adding latches and handles for carrying, and a “kickstand” for changing the angle of the panel to best capture the energy of the sun. The plan will be to make the panels portable enough for one person to lug around and set up by attaching handles and other hardware to the panel frame. You can see in the photo above that the frame is conveniently wide. The frame width makes it rigid during transport and also easy to attach latches, handles, and an adjustable rod for panel angle adjustment. Holes drilled into the side of this aluminum frame need to be in the center, or at the edge away from the glass to avoid damaging the glass.