solar for your RV
So I was poking around this morning on Amazon, and I see that the parts to add solar to your RV have made doing so *really* competitive with generators, not just in long term operating costs, but in u...
Forum Discussion
Solar has been a reasonable cost option for many years... if your electrical needs are negligible.
200w of solar panel will generate typically something around 800w-hr of power per day or about 66amp-hr @ 12v but in reality efficiency losses, you can probably expect about 50amp-hr actually making it into the battery. If you just want to run a few lights for a couple hours and charge a phone, perfectly feasible.
Of course, if you camp in a shady area or the weather is overcast, you may get little or nothing, so if you want reliable power, you need to still carry the generator or you need a battery bank capable of multiple days of operation.
If all you want is 800w-hr per day, I would look at a little 1000w inverter generator with a charger sized accordingly. Now you can find generators under $200. You have power on demand at around 25lb and very quiet.
As you get to 2000w and above, the reason to get a generator is you want to run more substantial loads.
200w of solar panel will generate typically something around 800w-hr of power per day or about 66amp-hr @ 12v but in reality efficiency losses, you can probably expect about 50amp-hr actually making it into the battery. If you just want to run a few lights for a couple hours and charge a phone, perfectly feasible.
Of course, if you camp in a shady area or the weather is overcast, you may get little or nothing, so if you want reliable power, you need to still carry the generator or you need a battery bank capable of multiple days of operation.
If all you want is 800w-hr per day, I would look at a little 1000w inverter generator with a charger sized accordingly. Now you can find generators under $200. You have power on demand at around 25lb and very quiet.
As you get to 2000w and above, the reason to get a generator is you want to run more substantial loads.
