How to measure how much solar we need?
(hope this is right section) Brought home TT last month and now have basics taken care of and RV is road ready. Now starting to think about bigger long term projects. One project is, we would like...
Forum Discussion
We live in BC, not the PNW, but have similar conditions on the Island to what they get in the PNW.
For camping in the provincial parks here (sites are in the woods)solar is totally useless. We only use the solar when camping off grid out in the open in summer.
To get by off grid in the woods, no solar, it is all about generator and charger and batteries. We do not go without comforts either. Have a 2000w inverter to run the microwave, kettle, toaster, etc.
In 35F temps in February short days, lots of furnace time, daily AH can be near 200AH, half that being furnace, so that is a recharge every day with a 460AH bank.
I can recharge the battery bank from 50% to 90% in the two hour window the parks give from 9-11am in the morning (we don't run the gen for the 6-8pm window) because we have a Honda 3000 that can run 130 amps of charging.
So if you want your comforts, you have to be prepared. If you don't have enough charger or generator or battery, you have to cut back on the comforts.
IMO, unless you are camping out in the open in winter there is no point having any solar at all. Even if you do have "some" the weather is against you and the days are too short to get anything done anyway.
Solar is for summer out in the open or winter down South in the open.
For camping in the provincial parks here (sites are in the woods)solar is totally useless. We only use the solar when camping off grid out in the open in summer.
To get by off grid in the woods, no solar, it is all about generator and charger and batteries. We do not go without comforts either. Have a 2000w inverter to run the microwave, kettle, toaster, etc.
In 35F temps in February short days, lots of furnace time, daily AH can be near 200AH, half that being furnace, so that is a recharge every day with a 460AH bank.
I can recharge the battery bank from 50% to 90% in the two hour window the parks give from 9-11am in the morning (we don't run the gen for the 6-8pm window) because we have a Honda 3000 that can run 130 amps of charging.
So if you want your comforts, you have to be prepared. If you don't have enough charger or generator or battery, you have to cut back on the comforts.
IMO, unless you are camping out in the open in winter there is no point having any solar at all. Even if you do have "some" the weather is against you and the days are too short to get anything done anyway.
Solar is for summer out in the open or winter down South in the open.
