Solar Rv awning -- does it pencil out?

pianotuna wrote:
Timmo solar is under $1 per watt installed.

Where are you buying fuel at those prices today?

You have not factored in maintenance. My Yamaha wants oil every 50 hours. If I relied on it totally and ran 24/7 that's every two days, two hours.

Not in Canada but in a lot of the USA, it's still a reasonable long term assumption.

Odd, my Yamaha calls for oil change every 100hr.

If you just need to charge the batteries, solar is a good option. Generator's make sense when you need high load, longer duration output.

pianotuna wrote:
Timmo solar is under $1 per watt installed.

With batteries and AC inverter?

Timmo solar is under $1 per watt installed.

Where are you buying fuel at those prices today?

You have not factored in maintenance. My Yamaha wants oil every 50 hours. If I relied on it totally and ran 24/7 that's every two days, two hours.

“You get charging-while-driving from the engine in the tow vehicle or motorhome anyway…”

Not that much goes through that tiny little wire, Ski.

$10 per watt=ridiculously expensive.

Here is a link to Solar vs Honda financial breakeven analysis that will help determine which source of power is cost effective. This analysis indicates for the Honda 2000, it will take about 5.5 year breakeven, or around 1954 days of usage.



https://www.nroa2003.com/download/Miscellaneous/Cost_of_Solar_vs_Honda.xls

Of course the breakeven analysis for carbon emissions is a different story all together. At what point does the accumulated emissions from the generator's manufacture and operation match that of the solar panel emissions? If we take a page from the BEV's breakeven analysis, then it probably is several years away for heavy RV users and probably never for the occasional weekender.

Can I install a solar awning on my Ford E-Series Van? Is the power it generates significant? Need advice! Thanks!

The Everlanders on you toob and the web doubled their panel capacity on a truck camper by using a slide system to deploy panels to the sides of the fixed set. They also shade the sides of the camper somewhat. They retract automatically if you forget when you go to move the truck.

The system uses conventional rigid panels and common rugged commercial parts.

Dusty R wrote:
Is there anyway of knowing how much power you can get from a solar panel in a given area ?

Sure, there are maps you can look up that estimate output when coupled with the panel ratings.

This thing though is a joke. Much better options...especially when it negates having an actual awning.

The roof is the logical first place for panels and after that smaller rigid panels that fold down to the sides would be a smarter option...and much cheaper.

Lwiddis wrote:
and there’s no charging when rolled up while driving or during windy days.

You get charging-while-driving from the engine in the tow vehicle or motorhome anyway - so that's not a "problem" that this "solution" solves.

Basically, they took all the problems inherent in solar systems - and then added a few more by throwing an awning into the mix.

Do Not Want.