Solar Panels
Hi, I'm interested in installing Solar Panels on my 1998 Holiday Rambler Endeavor soon. I'm wondering if this Solar Kit a great price and way to start my sustainable journey and also what will it ...
Forum Discussion
Additional info sharing SP projects, a few are repeats from input by others in this thread:)!
> Take the time to read up on SP in general. AM Solar is another site that has some good layman's terms and reading on real world solar. Jack Mayer also has a Solar section on his thread. And others that have been provided in this thread. (It's OK not to become an expert, I prove that daily, but get informed enough to know some of the lingo.)
> Take and energy audit of your needs. Know what you consume, and then add a 15-20% margin on top of this. (I went overkill, and added 25% margin.)
> Ask yourself if you will be climbing up to tilt panels to get ultimate output? And ask yourself for how long? (A person at 55 may say yes, a person at 65+ may say no...)
> Buy more then you need. The labor is about the same, and the overall cost difference to add a few more hundred watts of panels, is minimal over the full scheme of a new Solar Panel system.
> If budget forces multiple phases on adding Solar, be sure to select components that will support additional Solar Panels in the future. (Wire gauge, controller, etc.)
> Add a good meter, so you know what is going in/out and current situation on your battery bank.
> Quality components, and attention to detail on install - can equate to problem free usage.
Our System, or 'ReDo' of our electronics:)!
> X's 4 L16 AGM Lifelines, for 800AH bank. (Replaced two 8D AGM's)
> Magnum 2800 PSW, with all of the related components, including BMK-Meter
> 1200W of 48V Panasonic Panels. 5X's 240W, high efficiency on angle and temp. (Read the spec details on panels, as you get what you pay for. 100W on a higher quality/spec panel - could be as much as 10-15% more output over the day in less then ideal conditions and locations in relation to Old Sol.)
> Flat mounted, as I decided to not climb up on the roof:)!
> Two roof combiner boxes, to allow for future expansion if I want.
> Each panel runs thru an individual breaker, to allow isolation when trouble shooting.
> Midnight Solar Classic 150 controller (Pretty slick unit with some nice features.
When boondocking, we consume 130-150AH per day. I planned for 200AH, as I knew we were adding more HiFi (Got Tubes:)!) equipment, and at the same time doing conservation inside via LED. I feel the 200AH potential daily usage, gives us pretty good safety margin on what reality will be.
One other thing that we did, as I had the components I bought installed by Temecula Valley RV (Great attention to detail, and I was pleased with the on going communication during the process.), was mount four of these panels raised up off the roof on a traditional home mounting rack. We covered the large shower sunroof, and have these 4 out of 5 panels mounted with no shadow from roof gear. The light still comes in to the shower/bathroom, but shaded so next to zero heat gain from the sunroof. Side benefit is the sunroof is not a drum during heavy rain and hail. And finally the solar panels run a put cooler, as they have good air flow under neath. We're still two inches lower then the AC covers, and TVRV added front and back angle plates as limb guards.
It's been about 7 months since this makeover, and so far all is going well. Learning the system in different times of the year. For example, with 6" of snow on top, even 1200W of SP will not give you any power:)!
Best of luck to all of you on your SP projects. And have fun!
Smitty
> Take the time to read up on SP in general. AM Solar is another site that has some good layman's terms and reading on real world solar. Jack Mayer also has a Solar section on his thread. And others that have been provided in this thread. (It's OK not to become an expert, I prove that daily, but get informed enough to know some of the lingo.)
> Take and energy audit of your needs. Know what you consume, and then add a 15-20% margin on top of this. (I went overkill, and added 25% margin.)
> Ask yourself if you will be climbing up to tilt panels to get ultimate output? And ask yourself for how long? (A person at 55 may say yes, a person at 65+ may say no...)
> Buy more then you need. The labor is about the same, and the overall cost difference to add a few more hundred watts of panels, is minimal over the full scheme of a new Solar Panel system.
> If budget forces multiple phases on adding Solar, be sure to select components that will support additional Solar Panels in the future. (Wire gauge, controller, etc.)
> Add a good meter, so you know what is going in/out and current situation on your battery bank.
> Quality components, and attention to detail on install - can equate to problem free usage.
Our System, or 'ReDo' of our electronics:)!
> X's 4 L16 AGM Lifelines, for 800AH bank. (Replaced two 8D AGM's)
> Magnum 2800 PSW, with all of the related components, including BMK-Meter
> 1200W of 48V Panasonic Panels. 5X's 240W, high efficiency on angle and temp. (Read the spec details on panels, as you get what you pay for. 100W on a higher quality/spec panel - could be as much as 10-15% more output over the day in less then ideal conditions and locations in relation to Old Sol.)
> Flat mounted, as I decided to not climb up on the roof:)!
> Two roof combiner boxes, to allow for future expansion if I want.
> Each panel runs thru an individual breaker, to allow isolation when trouble shooting.
> Midnight Solar Classic 150 controller (Pretty slick unit with some nice features.
When boondocking, we consume 130-150AH per day. I planned for 200AH, as I knew we were adding more HiFi (Got Tubes:)!) equipment, and at the same time doing conservation inside via LED. I feel the 200AH potential daily usage, gives us pretty good safety margin on what reality will be.
One other thing that we did, as I had the components I bought installed by Temecula Valley RV (Great attention to detail, and I was pleased with the on going communication during the process.), was mount four of these panels raised up off the roof on a traditional home mounting rack. We covered the large shower sunroof, and have these 4 out of 5 panels mounted with no shadow from roof gear. The light still comes in to the shower/bathroom, but shaded so next to zero heat gain from the sunroof. Side benefit is the sunroof is not a drum during heavy rain and hail. And finally the solar panels run a put cooler, as they have good air flow under neath. We're still two inches lower then the AC covers, and TVRV added front and back angle plates as limb guards.
It's been about 7 months since this makeover, and so far all is going well. Learning the system in different times of the year. For example, with 6" of snow on top, even 1200W of SP will not give you any power:)!
Best of luck to all of you on your SP projects. And have fun!
Smitty
