Grand California 600 solar panel retrofit

[Steve Gray]

Hi all. Found this on a post and thought it might be useful for GC 600 owners who might be thinking of retro fitting a solar panel. Not sure if VW dealers can upgrade to solar for you?
Image shows additional possible panels to bring up the capacity.

Thank you for your enquiry and interest in our products. Please excuse the delayed answer, we are receiving an extremely high number of requests at the moment.

We manufacture the original solar panels for the Grand California and have permission from VW to supply these identically - except for the connector and the VW label - to you as the end customer. It would also be possible to mount additional modules with up to 220Wp on top of the roof - enclosed you find a rendering with possible modules (depending on the configuration on the roof).

Here are the system costs (104Wp Grand California 600):

SolbianFlex custom VW GC600
€ 1126,68

Pre-mounted adhesive
€ 37,00

Victron SmartSolar 75/15
€ 120,00

Shipping EU
€ 12,90

TOTAL
incl. VAT
€ 1296,58

excl. VAT
€ 1080,48

…shipping to the UK is 80€.

There are no specific installation instructions for the VW module, but as the cables have already been placed here is some information:
- Enclosed you will find a picture showing the cable assignment on the original charge controller - the Victron controller is to be connected in exactly the same way. From the roof (the cover is fixed with Velcro) there should be cables in red (+) and black (-), these are connected to the PV connection. From the fuse block should come red with a white stripe (+) and brown (-), these cables are connected to the BATT connection. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that the cables have already been laid in your vehicle and that the cable colours correspond to this assignment, but so far this seems to be the case with all vehicles.
- Apart from our material, you only need tools and sealant for the joint around the module (Sikaflex 295-UV, see below).

Here is some more information about the installation:

Installation (2 people recommended):
Solar cells are relatively sensitive as long as they are not yet glued - handle them as carefully as possible and do not bend them too much.
1) Cut the protective film on the back in the area of the cables so that you can easily pull it off without getting caught on the cables.
2) Place the module on top and mark the cable positions. Then drill holes for the cables - we recommend a rectangular cut-out slightly larger than the cable foot with a multitool or jigsaw.
3) Clean the surface thoroughly, e.g. with acetone - it must be clean and free of grease.
4) Place the module on top and fix the half without cables with tape so that they can no longer slip.
5) Lift the module on the side of the cables, fold back the first 10cm of the protective film on the back and press the edge (approx. 1cm, not more!) of the module onto the roof. The tape can now be removed and the module can no longer slip.
6) While one person carefully lifts the module (the cells must not be bent strongly, which is why the area with cells should not yet be pressed on in step 5), the second person slowly pulls off the protective film and meanwhile presses the module onto the roof step by step with a cloth.
7) As soon as the entire module is glued on, carefully press the entire surface again, especially the area around the cable gland and the outer edges are important here.

For caulking, we recommend Sikaflex 295-UV in combination with smoothing agent N, which works much better with this sealant than soapy water. The edges of the module and vehicle should be masked off to protect them - we usually caulk as follows:
1) mask the edges
2) Apply sealant
3) Press sealant into joint with finger and plenty of smoothing agent to prevent air pockets and gaps.
4) Peel off excess sealant with jointing tool
5) Remove tape
6) Carefully finalise joints with finger and plenty of smoothing agent, here the edges remaining from the masking tape are still smoothed out

If you have any questions during the installation, please do not hesitate to contact us by phone.

With kind regards
Michael Körner

Sailectron GmbH
Michael Körner
Geschäftsführung | Sailectron GmbH
SOLBIAN Solar DE & AT
Neufeldweg 147F/2, A-8041 Graz
DE: +49 1520 4096530
AT: +43 650 5709366
web: www.solbian.solar
email: m.koerner@solbian.solar
SOLBIAN-Solar_GC600-addon_v2-SP-324Wp

 

[Mr T]

Hi Steve, @andyinluton can take credit for this, he got this info and posted it on a thread here then it got copied to Facebook. Useful to put it on a thread of its own though as it is easily lost in amongst the other thread. Thanks

 

[Steve Gray]

Hi Steve, @andyinluton can take credit for this, he got this info and posted it on a thread here then it got copied to Facebook. Useful to put it on a thread of its own though as it is easily lost in amongst the other thread. Thanks

Thanks, I did try to find it on the club site and as you said it is not instantly visible so I posted to help others. All credit to Andy for getting this really good info. I agree info like this should have its own thread as it does get lost.

 

[WelshGas]

Hi all. Found this on a post and thought it might be useful for GC 600 owners who might be thinking of retro fitting a solar panel. Not sure if VW dealers can upgrade to solar for you?
Image shows additional possible panels to bring up the capacity.
View attachment 91170
Thank you for your enquiry and interest in our products. Please excuse the delayed answer, we are receiving an extremely high number of requests at the moment.

We manufacture the original solar panels for the Grand California and have permission from VW to supply these identically - except for the connector and the VW label - to you as the end customer. It would also be possible to mount additional modules with up to 220Wp on top of the roof - enclosed you find a rendering with possible modules (depending on the configuration on the roof).

Here are the system costs (104Wp Grand California 600):

SolbianFlex custom VW GC600
€ 1126,68

Pre-mounted adhesive
€ 37,00

Victron SmartSolar 75/15
€ 120,00

Shipping EU
€ 12,90

TOTAL
incl. VAT
€ 1296,58

excl. VAT
€ 1080,48

…shipping to the UK is 80€.

There are no specific installation instructions for the VW module, but as the cables have already been placed here is some information:
- Enclosed you will find a picture showing the cable assignment on the original charge controller - the Victron controller is to be connected in exactly the same way. From the roof (the cover is fixed with Velcro) there should be cables in red (+) and black (-), these are connected to the PV connection. From the fuse block should come red with a white stripe (+) and brown (-), these cables are connected to the BATT connection. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that the cables have already been laid in your vehicle and that the cable colours correspond to this assignment, but so far this seems to be the case with all vehicles.
- Apart from our material, you only need tools and sealant for the joint around the module (Sikaflex 295-UV, see below).

Here is some more information about the installation:

Installation (2 people recommended):
Solar cells are relatively sensitive as long as they are not yet glued - handle them as carefully as possible and do not bend them too much.
1) Cut the protective film on the back in the area of the cables so that you can easily pull it off without getting caught on the cables.
2) Place the module on top and mark the cable positions. Then drill holes for the cables - we recommend a rectangular cut-out slightly larger than the cable foot with a multitool or jigsaw.
3) Clean the surface thoroughly, e.g. with acetone - it must be clean and free of grease.
4) Place the module on top and fix the half without cables with tape so that they can no longer slip.
5) Lift the module on the side of the cables, fold back the first 10cm of the protective film on the back and press the edge (approx. 1cm, not more!) of the module onto the roof. The tape can now be removed and the module can no longer slip.
6) While one person carefully lifts the module (the cells must not be bent strongly, which is why the area with cells should not yet be pressed on in step 5), the second person slowly pulls off the protective film and meanwhile presses the module onto the roof step by step with a cloth.
7) As soon as the entire module is glued on, carefully press the entire surface again, especially the area around the cable gland and the outer edges are important here.

For caulking, we recommend Sikaflex 295-UV in combination with smoothing agent N, which works much better with this sealant than soapy water. The edges of the module and vehicle should be masked off to protect them - we usually caulk as follows:
1) mask the edges
2) Apply sealant
3) Press sealant into joint with finger and plenty of smoothing agent to prevent air pockets and gaps.
4) Peel off excess sealant with jointing tool
5) Remove tape
6) Carefully finalise joints with finger and plenty of smoothing agent, here the edges remaining from the masking tape are still smoothed out

If you have any questions during the installation, please do not hesitate to contact us by phone.

With kind regards
Michael Körner

Sailectron GmbH
Michael Körner
Geschäftsführung | Sailectron GmbH
SOLBIAN Solar DE & AT
Neufeldweg 147F/2, A-8041 Graz
DE: +49 1520 4096530
AT: +43 650 5709366
web: www.solbian.solar
email: m.koerner@solbian.solar
SOLBIAN-Solar_GC600-addon_v2-SP-324WpView attachment 91170

Would be worth posting in the "Resources" thread as it will be easily found in the future.
@andyinluton

 

[andyinluton]

I have now added this to the resources - in the upload I have also included a a couple more photos that they supplied showing cable routing, where to drill etc

 

[The Blue Merle]

Hi all. Found this on a post and thought it might be useful for GC 600 owners who might be thinking of retro fitting a solar panel. Not sure if VW dealers can upgrade to solar for you?
Image shows additional possible panels to bring up the capacity.
View attachment 91170
Thank you for your enquiry and interest in our products. Please excuse the delayed answer, we are receiving an extremely high number of requests at the moment.

We manufacture the original solar panels for the Grand California and have permission from VW to supply these identically - except for the connector and the VW label - to you as the end customer. It would also be possible to mount additional modules with up to 220Wp on top of the roof - enclosed you find a rendering with possible modules (depending on the configuration on the roof).

Here are the system costs (104Wp Grand California 600):

SolbianFlex custom VW GC600
€ 1126,68

Pre-mounted adhesive
€ 37,00

Victron SmartSolar 75/15
€ 120,00

Shipping EU
€ 12,90

TOTAL
incl. VAT
€ 1296,58

excl. VAT
€ 1080,48

…shipping to the UK is 80€.

There are no specific installation instructions for the VW module, but as the cables have already been placed here is some information:
- Enclosed you will find a picture showing the cable assignment on the original charge controller - the Victron controller is to be connected in exactly the same way. From the roof (the cover is fixed with Velcro) there should be cables in red (+) and black (-), these are connected to the PV connection. From the fuse block should come red with a white stripe (+) and brown (-), these cables are connected to the BATT connection. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that the cables have already been laid in your vehicle and that the cable colours correspond to this assignment, but so far this seems to be the case with all vehicles.
- Apart from our material, you only need tools and sealant for the joint around the module (Sikaflex 295-UV, see below).

Here is some more information about the installation:

Installation (2 people recommended):
Solar cells are relatively sensitive as long as they are not yet glued - handle them as carefully as possible and do not bend them too much.
1) Cut the protective film on the back in the area of the cables so that you can easily pull it off without getting caught on the cables.
2) Place the module on top and mark the cable positions. Then drill holes for the cables - we recommend a rectangular cut-out slightly larger than the cable foot with a multitool or jigsaw.
3) Clean the surface thoroughly, e.g. with acetone - it must be clean and free of grease.
4) Place the module on top and fix the half without cables with tape so that they can no longer slip.
5) Lift the module on the side of the cables, fold back the first 10cm of the protective film on the back and press the edge (approx. 1cm, not more!) of the module onto the roof. The tape can now be removed and the module can no longer slip.
6) While one person carefully lifts the module (the cells must not be bent strongly, which is why the area with cells should not yet be pressed on in step 5), the second person slowly pulls off the protective film and meanwhile presses the module onto the roof step by step with a cloth.
7) As soon as the entire module is glued on, carefully press the entire surface again, especially the area around the cable gland and the outer edges are important here.

For caulking, we recommend Sikaflex 295-UV in combination with smoothing agent N, which works much better with this sealant than soapy water. The edges of the module and vehicle should be masked off to protect them - we usually caulk as follows:
1) mask the edges
2) Apply sealant
3) Press sealant into joint with finger and plenty of smoothing agent to prevent air pockets and gaps.
4) Peel off excess sealant with jointing tool
5) Remove tape
6) Carefully finalise joints with finger and plenty of smoothing agent, here the edges remaining from the masking tape are still smoothed out

If you have any questions during the installation, please do not hesitate to contact us by phone.

With kind regards
Michael Körner

Sailectron GmbH
Michael Körner
Geschäftsführung | Sailectron GmbH
SOLBIAN Solar DE & AT
Neufeldweg 147F/2, A-8041 Graz
DE: +49 1520 4096530
AT: +43 650 5709366
web: www.solbian.solar
email: m.koerner@solbian.solar
SOLBIAN-Solar_GC600-addon_v2-SP-324WpView attachment 91170

I’ve just ordered a sobian sp 118 panel for my new joker comes with 5yr warranty uses sunpower cells (800x855x2) fits inbetween my two skylights. Not sticking down will be making a carrier for it.
Ordered through what was Bardens (Ecobat battery’s) very helpful good price a lot cheaper than advertised on web think I wangled trade discount.
Takes 3wks to come so will update you in a month or so when up and running.

 

[michel_nenemac]

I've just installed the Solbian pack on my grand california. It's working as expected
The wiring was already present. The procedure above works well.
Thanks

 

[ArunAlec]

I’ve just ordered a sobian sp 118 panel for my new joker comes with 5yr warranty uses sunpower cells (800x855x2) fits inbetween my two skylights. Not sticking down will be making a carrier for it.
Ordered through what was Bardens (Ecobat battery’s) very helpful good price a lot cheaper than advertised on web think I wangled trade discount.
Takes 3wks to come so will update you in a month or so when up and running.

I will be interested in how you get on with your installation…. thinking of going Solar!

 

[Kevthegas]

I've just installed the Solbian pack on my grand california. It's working as expected
The wiring was already present. The procedure above works well.
Thanks

Can you post some pics of your install ?
Thx Kev

 

[Mr T]

I've just installed the Solbian pack on my grand california. It's working as expected
The wiring was already present. The procedure above works well.
Thanks

Which panels have you fitted? Thanks

 

[andyinluton]

I've just installed the Solbian pack on my grand california. It's working as expected
The wiring was already present. The procedure above works well.
Thanks

I would be interested in how many panels you have installed and whether they were
In addition to an original installation or starting from scratch
CheerS
AndY

 

[The Blue Merle]

I will be interested in how you get on with your installation…. thinking of going Solar!

Solbian panel has been performing amazing, only had it fitted for couple of months.
It’s on a frame and doesn’t overheat like the previous ones I had stuck to my old van, so performance is a lot better.
Supposed to be 118w but have been getting up to 130w.
Still managing to stay unplugged.

Campersales have all the spec, if you want them to do install. Panel is very expensive though retails £750 on bardens/ecobat website.
I was lucky enough to wangle trade discount.

 

[michel_nenemac]

I would be interested in how many panels you have installed and whether they were
In addition to an original installation or starting from scratch
CheerS
AndY

I've installed the 104wh as the original, the cg was delivered whitout panel.
Michel

 

[ArunAlec]

Solbian panel has been performing amazing, only had it fitted for couple of months.
It’s on a frame and doesn’t overheat like the previous ones I had stuck to my old van, so performance is a lot better.
Supposed to be 118w but have been getting up to 130w.
Still managing to stay unplugged.

Campersales have all the spec, if you want them to do install. Panel is very expensive though retails £750 on bardens/ecobat website.
I was lucky enough to wangle trade discount.View attachment 99594

Looks good.

 

[GrandCaliforniaFI]

Hey! I purchased some Solbian panels this summer and installed them in our GrandCali —see the photos. A Solbian electrician did the cabling when we were passing by Graz, Austria, in the summer, and I installed the panels and connected them. So far, so good; my panels have also been performing amazingly; they’re super efficient.
My next upgrade is to replace the AGM battery with a lithium one. One with a heating feature so that I can still charge it in subzero temperatures.

Any recommendations on well-performing lithium battery brands?

 

[Mr T]

Hey! I purchased some Solbian panels this summer and installed them in our GrandCali —see the photos. A Solbian electrician did the cabling when we were passing by Graz, Austria, in the summer, and I installed the panels and connected them. So far, so good; my panels have also been performing amazingly; they’re super efficient.
My next upgrade is to replace the AGM battery with a lithium one. One with a heating feature so that I can still charge it in subzero temperatures.

Any recommendations on well-performing lithium battery brands?

View attachment 99959

View attachment 99960

View attachment 99961

Thanks for sharing! That is great to see, glad they are working well.
Be interested to know the wiring route taken, I assume an additional hole is put in the roof under one of these panels near the rear?
@GordonH this might interest you too.

 

[andyinluton]

Be interested to know the wiring route taken, I assume an additional hole is put in the roof under one of these panels near the rear?

@Mr T
Its an educated guess, but I would bet my house on there being one hole under each panel.
There's a bit of a clue in the second photo.

 

[Mr T]

@Mr T
Its an educated guess, but I would bet my house on there being one hole under each panel.
There's a bit of a clue in the second photo.

Ah yes, if I zoom in I can see the holes! Thanks. Looks like the outer roof skin is cut away in a rectangular shape around the pair of wires too.

 

[GordonH]

Hey! I purchased some Solbian panels this summer and installed them in our GrandCali —see the photos. A Solbian electrician did the cabling when we were passing by Graz, Austria, in the summer, and I installed the panels and connected them. So far, so good; my panels have also been performing amazingly; they’re super efficient.
My next upgrade is to replace the AGM battery with a lithium one. One with a heating feature so that I can still charge it in subzero temperatures.

Any recommendations on well-performing lithium battery brands?

View attachment 99959

View attachment 99960

View attachment 99961

Thanks for sharing. Assume you have a new MPPT controller? Did you need to update the fuse on the Cali fuse board supplying the MPPT solar ?

 

[GrandCaliforniaFI]

Hey!

It actually required two holes for each using the drill head you see on the photo, then connecting them to cut out about 0,5cm rectangular hole. Drilling four holes on a van roof is stressful! The solar panel has two cables attached to it, but there is also some raised sealing around them and it is in rectangular shape. That’s why the cut is needed in the same shape, otherwise there would be a bump when I stick the panel on the roof which may cause the double sided tape to give up at some point.




The wires are connected to the controllers in the cabinet. I have now two controllers, Victron MPPT 75/15. I replace the existing one. In addition, I also added a Victron Battery Sense which both Solbian and the electrician recommended so that the controllers gets the battery data. The control panel in the van works as usual, but I can also get the data on my phone via Bluetooth now. See the image below (it’s dark here now, so they don’t produce anything ).

The cables are connected to the controllers. From there, they go straight up towards the ceiling behind the wall “cover”. From there, they’re routed towards the front of the wet room inside the ceiling. Then positive and negative separates: one goes to one panel and the other one to other panel. The panels are connected to each other in parallel.

 

[GrandCaliforniaFI]

Oops! It seems like I attached the mobile app screenshot three times. Sorry about that!

 

[GrandCaliforniaFI]

One more thing I forgot to mention is that I didn’t need to do any changes in the fuse board.

 

[GordonH]

One more thing I forgot to mention is that I didn’t need to do any changes in the fuse board.

You should check with Solbian if you should change to 20A as the 2x new panels plus original can in theory produce a total of 238W so unless there is a limit set by the MPPT chargers this would exceed the 15A fuse that is fitted by VW

 

[The Blue Merle]

Plus Solbian panels seem to generate more my 118w has hit 133w a fair few times. Best panel I’ve come across and had a few over the years (guess that’s why they are so expensive).

 

[GrandCaliforniaFI]

You should check with Solbian if you should change to 20A as the 2x new panels plus original can in theory produce a total of 238W so unless there is a limit set by the MPPT chargers this would exceed the 15A fuse that is fitted by VW

@GordonH that’s a good point, I’ll definitely check it with Solbian.