I've done some homework on this topic regarding boondocking / power conservation but want to ask some questions to those who have done this, as I've become a bit confused. Am looking to go with some LED lights and a dual battery w/ master shutoff sw, with genset as a charger/backup vs. solar set up. Some of you will ask "why" and the answer is "simplicity" vs setting up solar (I'm no electrician...not sure if I'm comfy with setting up solar unless convinced otherwise). What are the pros/cons of each? Appreciate honest discussion.

I wanted the ability to be somewhat self sufficient, off the grid, if necessary.Toward that end, I added (2) additional group 24 batteries for a total of (4) in a custom vented battery box.I added (2) 135 watt solar panels and 30 amp charge controller.I also replaced all the interior lights with LEDs.I longer plug the fifth wheel in at home and the solar keeps the batteries topped off.We have not had the opportunity to dry camp yet.I think it was well worth the effort and expense.Hope this info will be helpful.Bill

Pros, Top of the list Silence Once installed it does not require gas/diesel so ROI is dependent on how long you will keep your RV. Potentially it will keep batteries fully charged and they will last longer. Negative, cost, not so much if you do it your self. Solar panels have come down price to below a dollar per watt. They will not power AC but with conservation most everything else. It is not that hard to do it yourself and to get it right with good quality components. There are decisions to make i.e. a high voltage system, panels meant for grid tie system mine puts out 50V and required an MPPT converter but puts out usable current in shade and on cloudy days.

Pro for solar: I don't have to stick around the campground while the generator runs for hours. I can go to town, hike, sleep, whatever catches my fancy as the panels do all the work.Pro for solar: my system is set to equalize my batteries once per month. I don't have to think about it, I don't have to remember, and I don't have to run the generator for hours to do it.Pro for solar: I don't have to buy gas and carry extra gas when camping.pro for solar: My panels charge up my batteries faster than my generator does. It takes about 3 hours of a good sunny day to get to 100%. A generator will take you to 90% fairly well but after that...con for solar: I have to exercise my generator once per month to keep it working.Honestly, once it is installed, there is nothing simpler than solar power.It just keeps on giving. I'm considering having it installed on a house, if we ever get one.

What dahkota said. Another con for solar is the need to park in the sun. For OP, typically we boondockers do the LED lights, multiple batteries, AND solar/charging method of choice. Solar charges batteries, it doesn't really run anything.

LED and dual batteries vs solar | Good Sam Community

time2roll
Nomad
May 05, 2014
Solar panel --> Controller --> Battery. It really is that simple.

Always on nothing to fiddle with when camping.
Batteries will stay tip top 100% charged when not in use.
Batteries seemed to gain capacity once solar was added.

Generators are just for air conditioning IMO. In which case I prefer hookups anyday vs generator.

With a generator most RVs also need to upgrade the converter or you carry a 30+ amp portable charger to get a decent charge rate.
Shadow_Catcher
Explorer
May 05, 2014
If you use high voltage panels you get useable current from sun up to sun down and in shaded camp sites, not a lot but some. We spent eight days on the North shore of Lake Superior. Our needs are modest and at the end of the eight days we were are 64% SOC.
12thgenusa
Explorer
May 06, 2014
ewarnerusa wrote:
Solar charges batteries, it doesn't really run anything.

I see this statement fairly often, but it's really not true. Solar powers everything. Batteries just store the excess for when there is not enough or no solar.
Ivylog
Explorer III
May 06, 2014
Led's draw 1/10 the power of halogens and can be bought for $2 on Ebay. Often parking in the shade is the difference in having to run the generator for AC. Yes I have 200W of solar but I still have to run the generator 2-3 hours/day BUT we are energy hogs.
I would start with LEDs and more batteries plus a good generator and see how it goes.
2oldman
Explorer II
May 06, 2014
RE: Solar doesn't run things

12thgenusa wrote:
Solar powers everything. Batteries just store the excess for when there is not enough or no solar.
I guess it's a matter of interpretation.

I'm often asked about my 6 solar panels: "What will they run?". For that question I have stock answers that really don't make sense, like "Oh, my blender, my toaster, but not the a/c." At least then I don't have to watch his eyes glaze over while I explain how solar panels charge batteries, and it's the batteries and the inverter that actually "run stuff."

Asking "What will they run?" is a question more suited for a grid-tie residential setup, where there are no batteries.
ewarnerusa
Nomad
May 06, 2014
12thgenusa wrote:
ewarnerusa wrote:
Solar charges batteries, it doesn't really run anything.

I see this statement fairly often, but it's really not true. Solar powers everything. Batteries just store the excess for when there is not enough or no solar.

Like the other poster said, I guess it is interpretation. The batteries run everything, with or without solar present. Solar just adds capacity back to the batteries.
12thgenusa
Explorer
May 06, 2014
Well I don't believe it's interpretation. If your system is wired correctly, the solar output is wired in parallel with the batteries. Because of the lower resistance of the solar portion as compared to the batteries, any 12-volt draw will pull from solar before the batteries.

Solar will power anything up to its capacity. The batteries only kick in when solar max power is reached. In my case, 25+ amps will power a lot of things. I have many times seen the solar putting out 17 or more amps with only 2 amps going to charge the batteries.

On high draw items beyond the capacity of solar only, it still contributes up to its limit. I've watched it contribute 23 amps toward the total 86 need to run the coffee pot or the 132 needed for the MW.

Batteries don't make power, only store it. All of the power comes from the sun.

At least that's how my system works. I wouldn't be satisfied with anything less.
MrWizard
Moderator
May 06, 2014
ecept for a few people who use portable power

you don't really "set up" solar

its installed , and then its used

every now and then you wipe the dust and road grime off the panels
and you check and water your batteries, which is regular routine maintenance you should already be doing
ewarnerusa
Nomad
May 06, 2014
12thgenusa wrote:
Well I don't believe it's interpretation. If your system is wired correctly, the solar output is wired in parallel with the batteries.

By system wired parallel with the batteries do you mean your 12V main power panel is also wired into your charge controller output?

12thgenusa wrote:
Because of the lower resistance of the solar portion as compared to the batteries, any 12-volt draw will pull from solar before the batteries.

Solar will power anything up to its capacity. The batteries only kick in when solar max power is reached. In my case, 25+ amps will power a lot of things. I have many times seen the solar putting out 17 or more amps with only 2 amps going to charge the batteries.

On high draw items beyond the capacity of solar only, it still contributes up to its limit.

I agree, although my panels' output is routed through a controller and then to the batteries. So draws are pulled from the battery at the same time the panels are pushing into the battery. The Morningstar charge controller regulates the flow.
AlbertaNewbie
Explorer
May 06, 2014
LEDs then solar, then if needed small genset. I'd sink $1000 into solar (and have) before I'd buy a $500 genset(powerhouse 2100pri). And yes my panel works in the shade (less amps but it still works).