Solar

[jerdog]

Anyone have any experience with a company named Goalzero? Looks like they have some products that will fit in well the "boondocking" lifestyle.

[RoyBraddy]

I'm guessing it depends on why you want SOLAR.

I have been learning on how to live with larger battery banks for camping OFF-ROAD since 2009 and pretty much know what is good for our camping off the power grid lifestyle.

We do all went want to do in the one day/one night run off our batteries and then recharge the batteries the next morning (when allowed) back up to their their 90% charge state so we can do it all over again the next day/night battery run.

Adding solar for us would be to supplement the re-charging of the battery bank.

Our batteries need some 50-55AMPs DC CHARGE when first hit with smart mode charging each morning which is more current than the small solar installation will produce if you want to get re-charged within the quickest time possible...

In my case i will run the generator for the first hour so the on-board trailer smart mode converter/charger can get the battery charge started. After about an hour this current demand will taper back to around 8AMP DC CURRENT or so and this then could be handled by the small solar panel installs while still in the high sun.

We absolutely will not start our evening camping without our batteries being at the 90% charge state t keep things from going dark on us around 10PM each night.

Now if your camping only requires a few 120VAC low wattage items to be running during the day or night then these portable solar panel stand-alone stations might be useful.

I can draw a solid 20-22AMPS DC CURRENT from my battery bank for hours during the evening. The solar panels would have to replace all of this usage during the high sun periods. My way of thinking solar would be a great supplement of using the generator for theses higher current needs.

I would not be able to totally depend on the solar panels on my small roof on my OFF-ROAD POPUP trailer. i could probably on get around two 120WATT Panel on one end and maybe a 240WATT PANEL across the rear part of the roof. When the 120WATT Solar panels only produce around 5-6AMPS DC Current when in high sun then the only way to get my larger battery re-charged in my way of thinking would be to use the generator first to get past the high 50-55AMP DC CURRENT period and then allow the solar panels to finish the 90% charge state before I lose the high sun.

Just my way of thinking here... Haven't played with the solar panels yet...

Roy ken

[Seann45]

Prices seem high and the quality seems low... by low quality I mean the panels are not the best on the market place
You can check out WWW.thesunworks.com

[ddrueckh]

amsolar has good quality kits. They are not cheap, but you get what you pay for. I have 320 watts. You need to remember that you will not always be in the sun. There will be clouds and trees over you. Having more wattage makes up for this. I like having mine mounted on the roof. I believe the portable systems are just too portable and will one day grow legs and walk away. The only time I run a generator is to run the AC. My solar system keeps up with everything else.

[DanNJanice]

As others have said. A lot depends on your expected usage. If you want to live like you do in your home, IOW, lights on everywhere, dishwasher, washer/dryer, Air conditioner running 24x7, etc, then you would need a lot of panels.
In my case, I run everything off of propane that I can, Refridge, Heat, coffee pot. I have LED lights everywhere, which help enormously. Have a small 400W inverter to run the television and small electrical items like the computer for a couple of hours at night. I my average usage is about 25 - 50 amp-hours / night, depending on how much the furnace runs. I have two 12V batteries and 200 watts of solar. As long as I have a reasonable amount of sun each day, I have always been able to recharge the batteries. However, I do carry a small Yamaha 2000W genny...just in case.
I use two of these panels
http://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Watts-V...s=Solar+Panels
And this controller
http://www.amazon.com/Morningstar-TS...lar+controller

[Seann45]

Originally Posted by DanNJanice

As others have said. A lot depends on your expected usage. If you want to live like you do in your home, IOW, lights on everywhere, dishwasher, washer/dryer, Air conditioner running 24x7, etc, then you would need a lot of panels.

and batteries.

[Mustang65]

Originally Posted by DanNJanice

As others have said. A lot depends on your expected usage. If you want to live like you do in your home, IOW, lights on everywhere, dishwasher, washer/dryer, Air conditioner running 24x7, etc, then you would need a lot of panels.

Originally Posted by Seann45

and batteries.

2x

Take a look at Seann's boon docking tally on his post, he is an EXPERT at boondocking!!

Don

[Seann45]

Originally Posted by Mustang65

2x

Take a look at Seann's boon docking tally on his post, he is an EXPERT at boondocking!!

Don

LOL thanks Don but I am just an enthusiast.

[Racinforthefinish]

Question on solar, do you need a disconnect on your solar system for when you plug in to shore power? Some say with a good MPPT you don't need to.

[Seann45]

NO you do not need to unplug your panels..
Yes you do need a controller.. but that has noting to do with being plugged in..
BUT the inverter you have may need to be unplugged depending on type and how it is wired

[JesseS]

I don't have any solar on my new rig yet, but I boondocked for 8 years with a 29' MH. I had 2X250 watt panels with a 30Amp controller charging 2 Trojan T-105's, never had a problem with power. We made coffee, my wife's "stuff" in the morning. Used the sat radio, charged our toys, led lights at night, dvd player w/22' tv for a couple hours. I use a Bogart Engineering power monitoring system and the alarm was set for 60% battery level, almost never hit it, and the 500 watt panels had the batteries back to 90%+ by 1-2 PM and full by 5PM. I will be using 3 250 watt panels and 2 Trojan T-145's on my new coach and don't anticipate any issues.