What I had to do was setup my battery banks to run all the thing I wanted to run during the one day/night battery run then successfully re-charge my battery bank each day using my 2KW Honda Generator to power up my OFF-ROAD trailer which will recharge the batteries in a quick three hour generator run time using smart mode technology.
Once you get very successful doing this then you can start adding solar panels to keep from having to run the generator every morning for three hours.
The 120WATT SOLAR Panels will only give you around 5-6AMPS of useful current so when you do the math you find out you are going to need several solar panels if you want to have your bigger battery banks charged up to their 90% charge state in order for you to make the next day/night run off the batteries.
I have found out I have to have my generator on-board as it will charge my batteries rain or shine. Just a couple of Solar Panels are not going to give me 90%-100% charge of my batteries during a one day HIGH SUN day where we usually camp at... It may be cloudy for a whole week haha...
If you just want to run a light or something small then your solar only will work for you. If you want to run all the things you want to run in the one day/night run it will take many solar panels to get it done.
My battery run is so large I will most likely have to run my generator each day for at least a two hour run to get the high current charge of 20AMPS per battery out of the way and then let the the solar panels provide the rest of the day producing the 5-6AMPS of battery charge from each solar panel and hopefully get my battery bank up to its 90% charge state then so I can do the high current battery drain that night running my appliances.
My roof-top area of of OFF-RoAD POPUP will support a good 360WATTS of Solar panels and i will have two of them that will have quick disconnects so I can move to the ground and sit in the high SUN better if necessary. I will be tickled pink to be able to run my 2KW generator during the morning for a couple of hours when allowed to run them at the camp grounds and then let the SOLAR PANELs take over and get my battery banks up to at least their 90% charge state.
This is how I am looking at successfully using my Generator and SOlar Panels for my off-road POPUP activities here mostly on the East Side of the US. Successful meaning I will have power all day and night to run my needs no matter what the conditions are.
Roy Ken
