Solar strategy in the east

1: I'd go for 100 watts minimum. Anything less and it is almost at the verge at being pointless.

2: I'd calculate space to ensure there is no shading done by the A/C unit, vents, skylight, and other things on the top, then place as many panels as possible, and use a MPPT controller to handle the incoming current. Rule of thumb is one watt of solar for every one amp-hour in the battery bank, but a lot of RVs are too small to be able to swing that.

3: Portable solar can be a pain. Yes, you can make a kit that folds out for 100 or so watts, but one might be just as well off mounting a panel on the side of the rig if there is no roof space. Yes, this is a lot less efficient (using cos (sun's angle) instead of the sine of it), but it is better than nothing.

4: You will find solar useful, provided it is sufficient enough to keep the batteries charged. It will never replace a generator, but it isn't meant to.

I have found that I now look for spots that say sunny/partial shade vs before solar a shady spot was always preferred.

In a conopy of trees you may as well just get 50 watts assuming you have sun during storage.

I have found many shady spots can get a couple hours of good sun so the "load the roof to the max" option may still work out OK.

Portable I would not bother due to the hassle but others seem to do great with it.

You may not always be able to avoid running the generator. And for the times you can reduce run time by 50% to 100% you may find it is worth the effort to get solar.

In marginal light conditions I believe a higher voltage system + MPPT will give better output.

All with a grain of salt from a west coast camper ;)

My plans at the moment is to mount three 120WATT panels on my off-road popup roof and having two of them mounted on a quick disconnect hinge where they can become portable units.

Too many shade trees here on the East side of the US haha...

Roy Ken

Snowman9000 wrote:
How should people who dry camp mostly in wooded sites think about solar?

3) Portable solar, try to find a sunny spot for them?
. How many watts will a 100w panel put out when fully shaded by trees?

They should think twice and three times -it's a waste. Portable. About 1, if even that.