Solar Install: what would you change

I’d install a fourth panel at the very rear of my TT for those rare times the three in front are partly or fully shaded or there is low light. Will do so this spring. I don’t agree about wiring in series.

As a one who has relied on solar power for a long time, my first response is add more panel capacity than you think you need. (I hear that little monsters get really cranky without their DVD's!)

Those handy little 'capacity calculators' often don't account for extended cloudy days, tree-shaded campsites, sun on the fridge side of the rig, etc. but extra solar panel capacity can help get you over those humps. Even on cloudy days a solar panel will output some power and if you have extra panels that might just be enough. Even shaded campsites may get a few hours of sun and, again, if you have enough panels that may allow you to leave the rig in place and go hiking or swiming instead of moving your house to a sunnier spot.

As I'm sure you've found, panels can be expensive, rivaling the cost of the batteries, but with a little planning up front, adding additional panels later can be relatively simple, especially if the wire from roof to charge controller is over-sized during the initial installation and a charge controller with enough capacity for additional panels is chosen right from the get-go.

As a final comment, power from a solar source, unless grossly over-sized, needs to be managed and that requires some sort of monitor such as the Xantrex LinkPRO

I agree. “I wish I didn’t have so many solar panels” said nobody ever.

Batteries do you no good if they are not charged.

Another option is adding a 1000W Champion into the mix to cover you for three days of cloudy days.

A few hours a day will fix you up.

I started with two 160 watt solar panels, a 30 amp MPPT controller and two 6 volt GC batteries. A few years latter I now have three 160 watt panels, four 6 volt GC batteries, and a 2000 watt PSW inverter and wish that I had installed a bigger charge controller and bigger wire.

Not exactly "solar" but related to the lifestyle...

Having a couple extra extended battery packs for phones and other electronics is good for emergencies and video game addicts of the younger generation.

They can be used in the eve, cooped up shady days, and not risk fridge, heater, etc of the main banks ;)

Id make the panels adjustable tiltable in two or more directions if possible..

“I’d make the panels adjustable tiltable in two or more directions if possible..“

I disagree. Yes, improves solar harvest but I don’t want to climb up to raise upon arrival and l don’t want to climb up to lower when leaving. Buy an additional panel.

since we often camp in shaded campgrounds, lots of trees etc. and try to keep the trailer cool, in addition to panels on the roof I have 3 portable panels and 150ft of #10 wire. Actually we started with portable and then added panels to the roof. so, anytime we are shaded to much, out come the portable panels. And being fairly far north, non tilting roof panels suffer a signficant loss due to angle especially in the fall. So, our two portable panels outperform the 3 same size roof panels most of the year.

I have two MPPT controllers with the roof being the master and the portable being the slave.

Flexible panels are VERY inefficient and are prone to breakage. Rigid panels are a much better choice. They are more efficient, less likely to break/stop working and have much longer warranties. I’m not sure what you mean by semi-flexible, but if you are referring to the panels that can contour to a rounded roof, these are the inefficient panels I mentioned. If you use 12 volt panels, there is no reason to use an MPPT controller. MPPT controllers are intended for higher voltage panels. They take the extra voltage above 12 volt and turn it into additional amperage going into the batteries (assuming a 12 volt battery bank). If the panels only put out 12 volt (or very close to 12 volt), there is no benefit to using MPPT. It is always best to design your system to handle possible future expansion. Use larger wire than you think you will need. Use a solar charge controller rated for more capacity than you need, etc. This will cost a little more up front, but will make it much easier and cheaper to expand the system later (and almost everyone wants to expand their system once they see what solar can do for them).

I have a very large solar array (1410 watts) on my 5er with a large battery bank (1040 amp hours). All of my components were sized larger than needed. This was not so much for future expansion in my case, but to improve efficiency. Think of electricity like water. The larger the pipe (wire) it flows through, the easier it flows.

Chad, above, has some good points. Typically, get more panel than you think you need. Once it is ll installed, you will think of other things to power with that "free" solar charging.

FWIW, I have one 235W panel, a Morningstar MPPT charge controller, and 300 AH of batteries. The panel tilts for Winter storage application. My solar system is designed to run a small 120V fridge. It does that and more.