Just Starting Solar Research
Man, there's a lot to read and digest with possibly installing a small solar panel. I very recently replaced my original 1-stage converter/charger with the Progressive Dynamics PD4600 series conve...
Forum Discussion
rfuerst911sc wrote:
I too am researching solar and so far from what I've read you really need to install 240 - 300 watts to be effective. Mainly due to shadows or less than ideal conditions you will rarely get the max rating out of the panels.
There is no real "cut and dry" stuff when it comes to solar.
The amount of solar wattage required depends on how much battery you are attempting to charge.
A small group 24 battery requires a very small amount of solar compared to say several pairs of 6V GC batts.
Putting 240-300 watt panels on a single group 24 battery is a bit like using a tank to swat a fly with, just over kill. But yet 240-300W of solar on several pairs of 6V GC batts would be a good place to start.
Usage also should be factored in, in other words, are you simply trying to just keep the batteries charge while in storage (80W would be more than enough).
Are you wanting to simply reduce some gen time while boondocking (80W might help depending on how discharged the batteries are).
Are you trying to weekend warrior it (no gen), in this case 80W most likely is not going to help much, perhaps give you an hr or two extra battery time for the weekend..
No matter what though once you have more than 20-30W of solar you should have a controller to prevent over charging.
