Thinking about some solar power

ensign · 02-11-2015, 07:39 PM

Hello friends,

With the declining Canadian dollar I want to do more off grid camping next summer while in the U.S.

I have a nice generator, but want to add a bit of solar, to keep the batteries topped off.

Has anyone tried this product? Lots of good reviews on Amazon. Any other suggestions for some good introductory solar product. Thanks in advance

Ensign

http://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Foldabl...275486-5816653

brianca2 · 02-12-2015, 08:17 AM

We picked this up this winter. http://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B009MIP...&pi=SX200_QL40 . I have not tried them yet, but the Renogy look good too. In a day you could get 45 to 50 amps recovered.

licamp · 02-12-2015, 08:52 AM

They all look good but my question is you are out camping. So during the day you are out and about exploring. You leave the panels out in the sun and when you get back, you are no longer charging because someone else is now the owner of the panels.

brianca2 · 02-12-2015, 08:55 AM

I am getting 2 chains to attach mine to the frame if the trailer.

Caryl · 02-12-2015, 09:27 AM

Two summers ago I boondocked from mid May until mid October. For solar panels I just picked up the cheap set up from Harbor Freight.

I found a coupon and got the set for $139. http://www.harborfreight.com/45-watt...8751-8527.html

That set is more than enough to recharge a single rv battery. I actually had three batteries in a chain so I could store more energy.

I am getting a much smaller camper to take on the road this year and plan on mounting solar panels to the roof. (Attached, out of sight and out of mind).

When you are using solar power you are limited as to what appliances you should and should NOT run. Usually, the use of your microwave is out because most affordable converters are not suited to the type of power a microwave draws.

Anyway, I switch most of my lights over to LEDs and purchased 12v Fans for cooling the camper off. http://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-121.../dp/B0066CP786

It is very do-able but there is a lot to learn if you want to heavily rely on it. Simple lights and fans, no problem.

SecretCoveDave · 02-12-2015, 09:28 AM

We had ours mounted on the roof - not always in the sun, but work enough to keep 2 - 6 volts happy.

Caryl · 02-12-2015, 09:31 AM

Even though I was stationary (not moving my camper) I felt that I needed to get them up out of harms way. I did not want any of them broken by a wayward ball or a stone from a lawnmower.

Seann45 · 02-12-2015, 09:46 AM

Well the ones you are looking at I say stake them down so the wind does not take them and lock them down so light fingered Louis does not take them..

Seann45 · 02-12-2015, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brianca2

We picked this up this winter. http://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B009MIP...&pi=SX200_QL40 . I have not tried them yet, but the Renogy look good too. In a day you could get 45 to 50 amps recovered.

Way over priced... You can get much better for less money...

RoyBraddy · 02-12-2015, 10:02 AM

It is alot on how you like to camp off the power grid.

Back in the TENT CAMPING days just using flashlights and candles seemd to be all we wanted to do to.

Today camping with all of the 120VAC and 12VDC appliances it is a different style of camping.

In our case we will draw around 22 AMPs DC Current from our three 12VDC Interstate batteries (255AHs total) from 6PM to 11PM each evening which will run them down to their 50% charge state by 8AM the next morning. This allows us to do almost the same thing we do at regular camp sites with electric hookup with the exception of NO AIR CONDITIONING or HIGH WATTAGE MICROWAVE. Everything else is used to a degree. When the temps is cold the PROPANE HEATER 12VDC Fan becomes a problem with it pulling 6-8AMPS DC all night long...

Usually where we camp we are only allowed to use Generator from 8AM to 8PM and most of the time from 8AM to 10AM and then again 4:30PM to 7:30PM. Currently we can re-charge our 255AH 50% charge state batteries using our shore power cable direclty connected to the generator 120VAC. This will re-charge our 255AH battery bank back up to the 90% charge state so we can do this syle of camping all over again.

Adding SOLAR PANELs for us is just going to be to reduce the run time time of our generator set. I will need to get a good solid 17-20AMPS of DC CUREENT for each of my three batteries to get a quick re-charge using SMART MODE charging of my on-board PD9260C 60AMP COnverter/charger. It will take several 120WATT Panels to produce the 14.4VDC @ 20AMPS per battery to accomplish this re-charge plan.

Each 120WATT SOLAR panel will only produce 14.4VDC from its solar charger unit at 5-6AMPS when in high sun. Three 120WATT SOLAR PANELS will give me 15-18AMPS of DC CURRENT when in high sun. I will not be able to re-charge my 255AH battery in a quick three hour charge time and it may not even get me charged back up to the 90% charge state when I run out of high sun.

My way to get aorund this problem will be to run my generator at 8AM for about an hour to get past the high current demand starting at 53AMPS DC and slowly dropping back to around 8AMPS as the batteries start taking on their charge state. After that I can safley turn off the generator and let the three 120WATT SOLAR PANELs provide the smaller charge rate until the high sun goes away.

In my circumstances I cannot start each day/night run off my batteries unless I am am charged up to at least a 90% charge state.

Just passing all this along to show you that you just can't show up with solar panels and be somewhat successful about camping all day/night off the batteries without some good planning.

I'm pretty sure you will want to use some of your 120VAC and 12VDC appliances when camping off the power grid and not just use flashing and candles like we all did back in the TENT camping days.

Just some of my pre-planning for adding SOLAR PANELS soon for my OFF-ROAD POPUP camper.

I am planning on two120WATT SOLAR PANELS on the front part of my roof with a larger 240WATT SOLAR PANEL on the rear of my POPUP trailer roof.

Will look much like these google images

I will use ALUMINUM UNISTRUT sections to mount the solar panels on the POPUP roof

Roy Ken

ensign · 02-12-2015, 10:46 AM

I do have a generator and use it. I am just thinking that when I go away on that long afternoon hike, I have something to add a bit more juice to the batteries.

I realize that a 100W solar panel won't give me that many amps, but I guess every little bit helps, particularly when the furnace has to go on in the evening.

Ensign

brianca2 · 02-12-2015, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seann45

Way over priced... You can get much better for less money...

That is not what I paid. And the go power frames are better than most on the market. And then use German or Japan panels

RoyBraddy · 02-12-2015, 11:46 AM

The trick for me was to always get my batteries up to their 90% charge state before I start using them big time. If I just trickle charge them after they have dropped to 50% charge or lower than I DO NOT get the full performance out them. They will not produce the specified DC CURRENT to run my furnace fan all night for instance.

Since we camp alot off the grid if I continue to drop my batteries below 50% charge and not get back to their 90% charge state then I may start doing harm to my batteries. I also have to do a full 100% charge state about every 12-14 charge cycles of 50% to 90%. This takes around 12 hours to do using smart mode charging techniques. My problem is here I am usually not allowed to run my generator that long of a time due to generator run time restrictions. There is always catches if you follow the rules hehe...

If you never get you batteries down below 70% lets say then your solar panels will act like tricle chargers and keep the batteries at least at 90% and eventually 100%. I just use too much from my batteries to be able to do that... We like to light up our camping area at night and end the day watching some HDTV. ALways interested in the live WX Broadcasts for the area we are in.. I am also a ham radio nut and get to alot of that as well camping off the power grid.

Everyone has their own plan to make it for several days based on how they like to camp off the batteries...

ALot of their methods would definitely not work for me and the way we use our battery power in a one day/night battery run...

This is why you make some dry runs at home and see what you all really want to do running off the power grid...

When we are camping off the power grid we monitor our battery banks like a hawk and can read out the 12VDC levels and also input/out DC charging current. This is my three meter setup

This meter reading would tell me my battery banks are down to around 50% Charge state and the trailer is drawing 18AMPs DC Current.

If this happens before I can run my 2KW Generator I would stop using power from the batteries and get re-charged to 90% charge state right away.

This is not absolute but close enough for me to know what status my battery banks is in...

I'm sure others do this in different ways but this has worked pretty good for us since 2009 doing it this way.. Same batteries are still working some 7 years later (Installed in 2008 when I purchased the OFF-ROAD POPUP camper)...

Roy Ken

Caryl · 02-12-2015, 11:55 AM

The problem with solar is the amount of time you get direct sunlight on your panels. I have been thinking if there is a way to utilize the tv antenna.

The tv antenna mechanism is actually perfect. It would allow you to angle your panel(s) to 30 degrees or so as well as turn your array so it faces the sun.

**Mustang65** · 02-12-2015, 02:55 PM

I tried to attach my Wi-Fi extender on the antenna of our previous TT, but as light as the unit was it still was too much weight (1 lb) on the end of the antenna arm. Almost snapped the hand crank. That lasted 1 day before I took it off. You would have to have someone on the roof to assist in raising the antenna assembly with the panel on it. I would also think that the flat area of the panel would cause some issues in the wind.

Just my thoughts

Don

Caryl · 02-12-2015, 03:02 PM

I would never drive down the road with the solar panels anything but laying flat and locked down.

I am just trying to come up with a way to "aim" the panels once I set up camp. Not every camping sight will be facing south.

Good to know about how "weak" the TV antenna apparatus is.

**Mustang65** · 02-12-2015, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caryl

I am just trying to come up with a way to "aim" the panels once I set up camp. Not every camping sight will be facing south.

I thought about that prior to mounting mine flat on the roof. Then after calculating things out and thinking about past sites we camped at, I just mounted it on the roof. Since I opted to go for the high voltage panels (like those mounted on the roofs of houses) and an MPPT SOLAR charge controller it makes up for the lack of direct sunshine. My batteries are always charged by about 2PM and 3 or 4PM if it is cloudy. The extra voltage and the MPPT help a lot. Buy an extra panel or two and MPPT controller and mount the panels on the roof. More secure and you do not have to worry about trying to track the sun. More POWER!!!

Just my thoughts,

Don

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