Renogy solar?

X2

Simplygib wrote:
I've had enough.

DJ - good luck with your system.

~DJ~ wrote:
Sure appreciate your time folks!!

I guess what my goal is as far as solar is for a "little help" when camped in the right locations. I don't plan to never run my genny again. That is not possible. My TC does not have AC so in the heat of summer I'm heading for the high mountains and camping in the shade of forests.

This is why I'm leaning toward a smaller less expensive system. Then in the Spring/Fall it would help me out a little camping in more open areas.

My TT came from factory with a 15 watt solar and it keeps my batteries charged all winter which also powers some electrical stuff like alarms, tv, etc. IF I keep the snow off!!!

DJ ; The system you chose may serve you well, the good part is you can always add another panel if needed. You may have to upgrade the controller or add another one but its doable. The only restriction is the available space. Good luck with your project.

I hadn't realized an alternator, a generator, and an "alternate energy source" are all actually interchangeable words. Isn't solar an alternate energy source?

So when I go in to the parts dealer for an old 800 series Scout and ask for an alternator it'll be OK? Does my Duramax use an alternator or a generator? If I say I'd like to get a generator for my camper, does that mean an alternator for the truck?

Strange, this english language.

I bought a similar 100 watt panel w. a 10 am controller. The panel was $147, the controller was 10 bucks. Then I gave it a little more thought and liked the sound of 10-12 amps rather than 5 amps. So when I bought the 2nd panel, I had to buy another controller (20 watt) at $15. So now I have a total of $25 in controllers. Big deal ! Ya never know, I mite buy another 100 watt panel just to put that first 10 amp'er to work.
And yes, I will always need a generator, no matter how many watts I have. Solar just doesn't work good in the shade,.....something about trees,......they give me trouble using my Kingdome too (;

RJsfishin wrote:
I bought a similar 100 watt panel w. a 10 am controller. The panel was $147, the controller was 10 bucks. Then I gave it a little more thought and liked the sound of 10-12 amps rather than 5 amps. So when I bought the 2nd panel, I had to buy another controller (20 watt) at $15. So now I have a total of $25 in controllers. Big deal ! Ya never know, I mite buy another 100 watt panel just to put that first 10 amp'er to work.
And yes, I will always need a generator, no matter how many watts I have. Solar just doesn't work good in the shade,.....something about trees,......they give me trouble using my Kingdome too (;

Good to hear from someone else that does not claim they never have to use an alternate sourse to charge batteries. I was beginning to feel quite lonely. :B

The industry had a cow when alternators were first introduced. AC Delco tried to soothe the outraged by calling them AC generators then generators.

I look at it this way. Call it a DC generator and it had better have a commutator and regulator cutout. Call it an AC generator and it will be for house current. Call something an alternator and it will have diodes (rectifiers). When I walked into an 11.02 megawatt plant a month ago the gizmos that produce 5,200 volt electric power are referred to as "generators". The industry wised up and labelled the new hand carried units "Inverter Generators" and that is exactly what they are.

As far as THE ORIGINAL POSTER'S question. IMHO I give it thumbs up. A system has to start somewhere, and this is as good as any. Like experience, it takes time but in the end everything will fit, if even for a couple of years. The process is called "growing in to". My most humble ownself uses it quite often.

"Work will expand to fill the time allowed," was one of those Laws that were popular a while ago.

So applying that to solar, we see that the more you have the more you use.

It is true that you find out what the balance is for YOU by experience.

No application to anyone else, but the first year (2011) we got solar I had five batteries and got 80w of solar. A month later we had 210w solar. That proved to be too much, so I returned the 80w and kept the 130w panel in 2011.

In 2012 we ran with just the 130w panel (but now on four batteries), but had it in a contraption for tilting/twirling and did just fine.

However late in 2012 panel prices fell and I couldn't resist! So I got the idea I could get more solar and not have a contraption and come out the same or better. So I got two more panels real cheap.

Then in winter I got bored and built another type of contraption for the two new panels. Now here we are in 2013, camping with vastly more solar than we need, and are looking for more things to do to eat up battery AH to justify all this solar!

Who is running this whole thing anyway? Me or the solar monster? At least I don't have MPPT!!! (That would be a complete surrender to the solar monster!)

~DJ~ wrote:
I guess what my goal is as far as solar is for a "little help" when camped in the right locations. I don't plan to never run my genny again. That is not possible. My TC does not have AC so in the heat of summer I'm heading for the high mountains and camping in the shade of forests.

Like Pianotuna said - you're wrong, because this is possible. Without AC your only worry is the furnace, plus 120V devices like microwave. Everything else is peanuts, can draw as little as 40 AH a day, with proper arrangements. You can minimize the furnace draw by going for catalytic heater, and you can use the stove for pretty much anything that microwave does. To collect 40 AH a day, you need just slightly bigger panel, like 120W. Panels are cheap, and so are PWM controllers, so you might as well go for the biggest 12V panel that there is, which is, I believe, 190W.

You will of course need a 3-4 day battery bank capacity, to complete the generator-free system. I doubt that anywhere but in my area there can be more than 4 days in row when it rains from dawn to dusk - at least during camping season.

BUT... if the "right locations" that you mentioned, include shady places, then all bets are off. Solar panels do need sun, to make energy.

There are no solar rules.

Here we are camping on the North-West Coast of North America, and if it is warm enough at night (sometimes) no furnace needed. In that case our daily AH draw might be a mere 70AH. The solar can do way more than that (if the weatherman would ever get it right)

That would include the 2000w inverter drawing over 100a for running the microwave, toaster, and kettle as required. We also watch a movie on the tv/dvd, and also of course there is the dreaded laptop, so we can keep up with rv.net.

On average, that would take a 200w ish solar set-up with PWM and four batteries. Once in a while, when "summer" fails, we have to crank up the gen to catch up. But having "more solar" wouldn't help with that since when it gets cloudy, it doesn't matter how much solar you have

Almot, the Calvanist camped next door, frowning at our excessive AH usage (but no gen noise except during allowed gen times) only has to worry about a Sheltie barking when he gets too peeved at us and starts throwing things :)

What kind of output do you get in clouds or rain? I imagine some, though small?

Jim