Solar panel

[catmanriff]

thanks! good advice.

ok, after doing more research and looking at the pre made kits vs building something, it appears that the Zamp is significantly overpriced. But, knowing nothing about the controllers, how would one know if the controller/battery tender units that come with these kits are decent? And,  on the DIY kit posted earlier, I added up about $300 of parts. What makes that better than something like this:

https://www.renogy.com/products/kits/starter-kits/

[pjcd]

I don't know much about it, with that being said, for me, a kit is the way to go. Sounds like the general consensus is a minimum of 100 watt. 90% of my camping is in shaded campsites, hopefully the 100 watt unit is adequate.

[Merlin]

thanks! good advice.

ok, after doing more research and looking at the pre made kits vs building something, it appears that the Zamp is significantly overpriced. But, knowing nothing about the controllers, how would one know if the controller/battery tender units that come with these kits are decent? And,  on the DIY kit posted earlier, I added up about $300 of parts. What makes that better than something like this:

https://www.renogy.com/products/kits/starter-kits/

As far as Renogy is concerned, I would recommend their folding "suitcase" kits for portable solar, instead of the permanent installation kits in your post. The open box 100 watt set up seem like a decent value and is what I'm considering next.

https://www.renogy.com/products/solar-kits/folding-solar-suitcases/
https://www.renogy.com/renogy-100-watt-eclipse-solar-suitcase-open-box-like-new/



I'm also considering the lightweight Acopower portable, since it's on sale right now.

https://www.amazon.com/ACOPOWER-Foldable-Portable-Monocrystalline-Controller/dp/B01M8LCDN2/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1512089330&sr=8-6&keywords=folding+RV+solar+power

I have no experience with either.

[DavidM]

Renogy kits are not badly priced, unlike the Zamp kit. Renogy is a Chinese supplier. I say supplier because I have no idea if they really make anything themselves.

I am pretty sure that there is no real difference among solar panels. One Chinese made panel is just as good as an American made one. But electronics, ie controllers are different. I have had one Chinese supplied controller fail withing a few weeks. Most hobbyists like me have had the same experience with Chinese supplied electronics.

So I believe one should buy a name brand, American designed but probably Chinese made controller like Morningstar. To add credence to this view, go to any of the main online solar panels vendors like wholesalesolar.com and see which controllers they sell. They sell Outback, Schneider, Morningstar, Blue Sky, Magnum, etc. These are solid controllers that will stand up well. They do cost more than the pure Chinese junk controllers, about 2-3 times more. But you get what you pay for in this case. Also note that the Morningstar 12 amp controller that I referenced in my article is the only one I know of that is completely waterproof for mounting outside on your battery box.

Before you jump on a suitcase package, look at the flexible solar panels. They cost more but are about 1/3 the weight of a conventional panel.

And to the guy who camps in shade. You probably need about 50-100' of cable to get into a sunny spot. No package will give you that. MC4 cables that I discussed in the article will.

And finally to Roger: That Acopower kit looks good except for the controller. But note the position of the controller- near the panel. That is backwards not to mention that it probably isn't waterproof. A panel usually has plenty of voltage output- 17 is the maximum power point typically, so it can stand a voltage drop from the panel to the controller through 100' of cable and still work ok. But you want the controller to be as close as possible to the battery to avoid any voltage drop on the output side. The controller is responsible for maintaining the three step charging profile and a long cable run to the battery screws that up. The controller sees 14V at its terminals but due to voltage drop the battery may only see 13 volts which won't do much charging.

I have seen some installations that almost doubled their actual output when wired correctly vs incorrectly as Acopower's diagram seems to  indicate.

David

[Diversteve]

This guy has some good information about what works and what does not.
Check it out.
https://handybobsolar.wordpress.com/

[DavidM]

Wow, he is an opinionated SOB. Having said that, I agree with virtually everything he says.

David

[Merlin]

Great advice, David. Whatever I go with for panels, I'll use the Morningstar controller in your article and mount it next to the batteries. The longer of the wires really does need to be from the panels to the controller and not the other way around! Thanks!

[catmanriff]

This guy has some good information about what works and what does not.
Check it out.
https://handybobsolar.wordpress.com/

fascinating reading. I may have to read all his stuff a few times for it to sink in.

thanks

[Merlin]

The June 2018 issue of Trailer Life Magazine has a how-to article on installing solar in a camper. I recommend it for the basics to anyone considering a move to solar.

Edit: Upon more careful reading of the article, I found a number of mistakes and misleading statements about solar. The installation info is ok, but I'm not impressed with some of the "facts" .  I plan to send a letter to the editor about it.

[Merlin]

As a quick "real-time" update, I'm using solar power right now to run my camper and it's working out great. I've got a flexible Renogy 100 watt panel on 40' of wire I can get in the sun most of the day, hooked up to an older MPPT controller, and that power goes into my 2 Group 31 12V batteries. The batteries are getting fully charged each day and we are using electrical power pretty much normally (except of course no A/C or microwave). I'll post full details and photos when we get back. More than a week of this month-long trip is at rustic sites off the grid.

[DavidM]

Merlin:

I assume that you are back by now and can tell us more about how your solar panel setup works. You say above that it keeps your batteries fully charged. How many AHs do you estimate that you use each day? How hard was it to position the panels so they get sun?

David

[nhlakes]

Would love to see some updates on what folks are doing with solar.  Now that I have my generator situation nailed having a 100wts of folding portable solar is rising up my list.   I've had my eye on this setup but have really not done enough research yet... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079JVBVL3/

(Then again solar falls behind an Andersen No-Sway and a Weboost on my list, so I'm in no hurry. )

[Powder Hounds]

Hi,

I just finished a little solar project today.

Picked up an older Zamp 60 watt panel at a garage sale for a very good price, it was still in the box and the seller included 50 ft of 10 GA solar wire. It was a great deal.

We have to store our rig with no access to power, so this little panel is perfect for maintaining a full charge while sitting in storage.

Put together a new SAE harness with a waterproof 15 AMP blade fuse and installed a basic Zamp 8 amp charger. Mounted the charger in the pass through and ran the wires up through the floor. We have a portable Zamp 120 watt kit as well so the connections are now all the same.

The most difficult part was bending the bracket that is attached to the panel. We live in a condo so everything was made on the back of the truck tailgate. I had to heat the aluminum up with a torch prior to bending. I used the old soot trick to know when the aluminum was ready to be bent. Pre drilled some relief holes to help with the 90 degree bends as well.

Kept me busy for a few hours! Lots of fun!

[MitchB]

Looks nice

[Merlin]

My solar system consists of a Renogy 100 watt flexible panel and 40 feet of 10 AWG outdoor rated cable with MC4 connectors to the panel. The other end of the wire has a Minnkota trolling motor water proofing locking type connector for plugging into the corresponding socket I mounted on the battery box. In the battery box I have a Morningstar 15A MPPT charge controller that is outdoor rated (but not waterproof). The 10 AWG wiring from that goes through a Blue Seas 30A circuit breaker that also serves as an on-off switch and then to the two group 31 AGM 12V marine batteries (in parallel). The remote monitor for the controller is mounted inside the camper.

I put the panel wherever there is the most direct sun (moved throughout the day if necessary). It's very light and easy to re-position; it's been on picnic tables, trees, the camper, the tow vehicle, a chair, etc. The panel stores in the pass-through in the foam padded packaging it came in. can reliably supply between 6-8 amps into the batteries when in the sun. Light shade or light clouds, about half that. So, with a typical sunny summer camping day I can generate 50-60 amp-hours of electricity. I don't yet have a good way to monitor amp-hour usage in the camper, but at the 4 campsites and 10 days total I've used the system, the batteries always been fully recharged each day.

I'm really happy with the system. If I had to do it over, I would do exactly the same thing.