Solar - Poly or Mono?
I plan to order a couple of 100w panels for the RV and can't decide whether to get poly or mono. Someone says the mono doesn't handle shade well, so I think poly is the way to go, then I read that pol...
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with just a couple of panels only producing around 6AMPS DC Current while in the high sun per day (Around 6-7 hours on Average per day) will just give a real good battery trickle charging event each day. Getting the most Dc Current from the panels would be my big desires.
Trying to use small things just off the panels alone is not be a big benefit for me and I think my best use for the panels will be to keep the batteries topped off. My batteries need to be in the 90% to 100% charge state to get their full performance spec from them. The grand idea for me is to never drop the batteries below their 12.0VDC (Approximately 50% charge state) without re-charging right away. Having this silent running trickle charge from the solar panels would be a big thing for my style of camping off the power grid.
I started out in baby steps and since 2009 have been using my 255AH battery bank camping of the power grid. Then I would run my 2KW Generator at 8AM each morning to re-charge the battery banks back to their 90% charge state using smart mode charging in a quick three hour generator run time.
I am just now starting to think SOLAR PANELS. By adding solar panels I think I cut down my generator run time to only around one hour per day to get past the initial high current demand of around 50AMPS DC Current and then the solar panels could provide the 15AMPS DC Current during the 6-7 hours of high SUN to get my battery bank up to the 90% or 100% charge state before I start using them again the next evening through the night. If my batteries never drops below the 90% charge state then I probably won't need to run the generator at all each day.
This is what I will be doing my new solar panels. I am planning to add two 120WATT panels on the front of roof and one larger 240WATT panel across the back of the roof on my OFF-ROAD POPUP camper. Hoping to get 15-20Amps DC Current during a typical high sun day. My back-up plan when NO SUN will be my 2KW Honda Generator. I consider the smart mode converter/charger system, larger battery bank, solar panels with controller, and 2KW Generator a must have for my style of camping off the power grid.
We do almost everything we would normally do at an electric camp ground camping off the power grid with the exception of using the high wattage Air Conditioner or High wattage Microwave. Our biggest drain off the batteries of course is between 6PM to 11PM keeping up with the favorite TV shows and the local weather radar conditions, keeping touch with the kids, paying some bills, some surfing on the internet. and playing with my Ham radio hehe... We light up our patio area just like we do at regular camp sites.
We give up flashlights and candles a long time ago but still have them around for emergencies.
Just some of my thoughts here on camping off the power grid using some solar panels to reduce my generator run times.
Roy Ken
Trying to use small things just off the panels alone is not be a big benefit for me and I think my best use for the panels will be to keep the batteries topped off. My batteries need to be in the 90% to 100% charge state to get their full performance spec from them. The grand idea for me is to never drop the batteries below their 12.0VDC (Approximately 50% charge state) without re-charging right away. Having this silent running trickle charge from the solar panels would be a big thing for my style of camping off the power grid.
I started out in baby steps and since 2009 have been using my 255AH battery bank camping of the power grid. Then I would run my 2KW Generator at 8AM each morning to re-charge the battery banks back to their 90% charge state using smart mode charging in a quick three hour generator run time.
I am just now starting to think SOLAR PANELS. By adding solar panels I think I cut down my generator run time to only around one hour per day to get past the initial high current demand of around 50AMPS DC Current and then the solar panels could provide the 15AMPS DC Current during the 6-7 hours of high SUN to get my battery bank up to the 90% or 100% charge state before I start using them again the next evening through the night. If my batteries never drops below the 90% charge state then I probably won't need to run the generator at all each day.
This is what I will be doing my new solar panels. I am planning to add two 120WATT panels on the front of roof and one larger 240WATT panel across the back of the roof on my OFF-ROAD POPUP camper. Hoping to get 15-20Amps DC Current during a typical high sun day. My back-up plan when NO SUN will be my 2KW Honda Generator. I consider the smart mode converter/charger system, larger battery bank, solar panels with controller, and 2KW Generator a must have for my style of camping off the power grid.
We do almost everything we would normally do at an electric camp ground camping off the power grid with the exception of using the high wattage Air Conditioner or High wattage Microwave. Our biggest drain off the batteries of course is between 6PM to 11PM keeping up with the favorite TV shows and the local weather radar conditions, keeping touch with the kids, paying some bills, some surfing on the internet. and playing with my Ham radio hehe... We light up our patio area just like we do at regular camp sites.
We give up flashlights and candles a long time ago but still have them around for emergencies.
Just some of my thoughts here on camping off the power grid using some solar panels to reduce my generator run times.
Roy Ken
