Should I install a solar panel on the roof?

[jtcpartners]

I am researching the possibility and feasibility of installing a solar panel on the roof of my Jayco Seneca 36MS 37' Class C RV. When dry camping would a solar panel allow me to use the tv or 1 air conditioner? Are the results of installing solar on the roof worth it? If someone could explain this in novice terms the benefits of installing a solar panel I would greatly appreciate it. I'm just trying to decide if I want to further research this or just forget about it.

[Sandia_Man]

The size of your battery bank and inverter determine how large of a current demand you could power and for how long. Running an AC unit will require a very large battery bank and will only be able deliver this amount of power for a short duration leaving you with severely depleted batteries. Solar is always a good idea but it does not run electrical items directly. Solar provides charging capabilities when the sun is shining to restore amphours consumed from your battery bank. A properly sized generator will run your AC and charge your battery bank via your onboard converter. As of yet, we have not made the plunge for solar as we our power hogs and require a generator to fully enjoy the amenities available on our TT while off the power grid.

[RJsfishin]

One 100 watt solar panel is about the same as running a small 10 amp battery charger, but only when the sun is shining, and only if the panel is always pointing at the sun.
A single panel on the roof will be inefficient, because it will seldom be facing directly into the sun, therefore it will be like even a smaller than a 10 amp battery charger.
IMO, if you are going w/ just 1 panel, and you have a place to store/haul it, I would use it as a portable panel, then you can move it a couple 3 times a day, making it much more efficient.
Fixed panels on the roof are great, providing you have more of them.
Would I dare say that 1 portable panel, could put out nearly the same as 2 fixed panels on the roof, in a days time ?

[Mremdal33]

KJINTF wrote:
As the previous folks stated large loads like the standard AC systems used in RV's require a lot more power than the typical RV Solar system can produce. I use a home made "swamp cooler" with a simple 12 Vdc fan (Fantastic Fan makes a great one) for cooling the majority of the time and the genset if the overhead system is required.

This document might be of some help

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BxN-ydf9Fcj-V1lyWVdETGJmdkU/edit

Linky

[KJINTF]

As the previous folks stated large loads like the standard AC systems used in RV's require a lot more power than the typical RV Solar system can produce. I use a home made "swamp cooler" with a simple 12 Vdc fan (Fantastic Fan makes a great one) for cooling the majority of the time and the genset if the overhead system is required.

This document might be of some help

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BxN-ydf9Fcj-V1lyWVdETGJmdkU/edit?usp=sharing

[westend]

Solar won't handle AC but it will offer other benefits. Besides providing battery charging for your daily use, it will keep the batteries charged when stored, resulting in better battery longevity. Coupled with an inverter, you can have 120 V available wherever you are.

It's not mandatory to have four 6v batteries to have solar charging and conserving on electricity will be be dependent on how much you're using and amount of sun available.

Pianotuna has posted a short punch list on how to implement solar. Maybe he'll post it again. Part of that list involves determining how much power you use. Downloadable spreadsheet to estimate power use.

[donn0128]

In novice terms, yes solar makes a lot of sense. But NOT for high amperage items like AC units. You could not carry enough batteries to run that for more than say 10 seconds.
Properly matched solar and batteries can carry you for weeks without having to use a generator. But you also need to understand how to conserve. Using gas when ever you can, keeping your electric consumption to an absolute minimum. That does not mean you cant watch TV for a couple of hours a nite, just dont leave a lot of lights on all day, using LED lights, running of propane everything you can and having a sufficiently large battery bank. That means at least 4-6VDC golf cart batteries.