How much SOLAR?

Boon Docker wrote:
We have heard from an authority about wasting money, so get a grip folks and listen up.

You'd think an extra panel was $1000.

Boon Docker wrote:
We have heard from an authority about wasting money, so get a grip folks and listen up. :B

Yea if it is a choice of diesel then by all means throw another $10,000+ down no hesitation. But with solar if you spend and extra $100 on a bit more capacity or better controller you are the village dummy..... :R
Must scrimp on solar, must do the bare minimum, nothing extra. The generator might feel unneeded and sad too often.

We have heard from an authority about wasting money, so get a grip folks and listen up. :B

"Get a grip folks. Figure out how much power you actually use, buy the batteries necessary to support that use, and then buy the solar panels needed to keep those batteries charged. Use the money you saved by not buying excess capacity to go camping! "

You forgot time. You need batteries to support that use for how long?
You draw from the batteries in short time bursts, but the solar is "low and slow" making up over time. Tortoise and hare.

Over-panelling is good where there is some "waste" at noon, but then it does better when the sun is lower the rest of the day. So not wasted. Time matters.

naturist wrote:
Get a grip folks. Figure out how much power you actually use, buy the batteries necessary to support that use, and then buy the solar panels needed to keep those batteries charged.

The OP was pretty specific on what his usage is, my usage was similar, and my answer was appropriate for that. I do have a grip.

All those folks saying 300, 400 watts needed are not considering that unless you are also considering how much battery you have, AND you are only running stuff at noon, most of that solar capacity will be a waste of money.

Here's why.

For the most part, running things takes power out of the battery, unless you are using LESS power than the panels are creating AT THAT MOMENT. The panels replace what comes out of the battery, but only while the sun is shining, and then mostly only during the 4 hours around noon when the sun is strongest. 100 watts of panels will produce just about the 40 amp hours you dare use of the standard 80 amp hour single battery most TTs are delivered with. If that's all the battery you have, putting 200 watts on it means it will fully charge in only 3 or 4 hours. If you have 400 watts worth of panels, AND provided your battery can also charge at that high rate, it'll only take an hour or so. What happens to the charge from that 400 watts of panels during the rest of the solar day? Unless you have a device running during that time, all that capacity does exactly nothing. Waste of money.

So here's the deal: (A) you bet, more of everything is better -- but possibly wastefully expensive; (B) if you don't actually USE 1,000 amp hours of power daily, you don't need the ten 100 amp hour lithium batteries costing $10,000; (C) if a single 80 amp hour lead acid battery works for you, you only need a single 100 watt solar panel, unless, perhaps, you camp permanently under cloudy skies or under the trees.

Get a grip folks. Figure out how much power you actually use, buy the batteries necessary to support that use, and then buy the solar panels needed to keep those batteries charged. Use the money you saved by not buying excess capacity to go camping!

Gulfcoast wrote:
Another kinda vague solar question... but it's about the best I can do.

If a guy headed to southern Arizona in the winter months and wanted to have enough solar for a TV, travel trailer furnace, lights, to charge a laptop daily, and keep the trailer electronics going....

On average, how many watts would I need? 200 - 300 - 400? I will use 6-volt golf cart batteries.

You guys that do it often have some idea on what is needed.

Thanks for your help.

I have 520 watts with a 1000 watt inverter and we get by pretty good camping in the desert near Quartzsite in January without issue. we run the furnace at night as needed, my wife's CPAP, charge our phones, run the water pump and most any lights we want.

2oldman wrote:
After you cart around panels for a year you may rethink putting them on the roof.

And depending on results the OP will know if 200 is enough or need to cram 600+ up there.
Best energy audit is one of actual usage vs collection.

2oldman wrote:
After you cart around panels for a year you may rethink putting them on the roof.

X2

After you cart around panels for a year you may rethink putting them on the roof.