Solar Requirements - Confirmation
I'm taking a 3 month mountain biking trip through British Columbia this summer. Most of the time will be spent camping at National/Provincial parks without access to electric. When I really break it d...
Forum Discussion
CptSydor wrote:
Seems like I'm not that far off with my solar estimates and it's possible in similar conditions. Though I definitely need to work on the generator back-up.
Don't sweat it too much. The 1000W "generator" part of your generator back-up is more than you will need, given your energy use. With +200W solar there is a good chance that you won't have to run a genny during this trip, depends on the weather and amount of shade on the camps.
But you need to replace the WFCO - a better converter will come handy both in generator mode and on shore power.
Parallel panels won't shut down in leafy shade, but the output will drop. If running the generator less is one of the objectives - get more solar wattage and monocrystaline panels. Again, BC weather is a lottery, it might not let you enjoy the benefits of solar, so investing too much for this particular trip won't make sense. Though panels are cheap, Grape controller is cheaper yet, and BC is probably not the only destination in your future.
