Solar on a small TT

You were probably on the low energy use side of things until you mentioned microwave. It isnt that the micro will consume a ton of amp hours, it's that it has a high current draw. Battery, inverter and cable sizes all go up when trying to power something like that. Having an idea of how may amp hours you use will help determine how much solar you need. If you carry a small generator that could be used for running the heavy items and also cover times of poor sun. A generator and a GOOD converter are an effective means of putting in the heavy amps that the battery wants early in the charge.

Microwave generally requires 2000 watts sine wave inverter and 4+ batteries and then 400+ watts solar. You might get by on less but it will have compromises.

Otherwise it is just about fitting panels on the roof while minimizing shadow issues from vents, A/C, antenna etc. 200 to 300 watts should serve well with two batteries for off-grid camping.

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https://www.solarblvd.com/12-volt-solar-panels/

I am a huge fan of solar power......it's FREE after the initial costs are paid.

But.......solar requires sunshine to work.
If you like a nice, cool shady spot.....the output will disappoint.

You cannot easily move the trailer around to get some sun with a rooftop, but with a 15' cable from a portable panel, finding a sunny spot becomes less of a challenge.

A typical 100W solar panel is 47" long by 21" wide.

Thanks for the replies everyone! I was thinking I would shoot for 400 watts minimum of solar. More curious how easy it is to get 400 watts on such a small roof. Probably isn't easy based on the size of panels. I was looking at 250-280 watt panels which are larger than the 100 watt panels (of course), but it actually might be easier to fit smaller, lower output panels on a small roof so this gives me some ideas.

I'll see if I can get on the roof of one and see what available areas I have. If needed, I could always try and install as much rooftop and then make up the rest with a portable setup that I would deploy in the mornings and stow before heading out. Second concern will be where to store batteries. I'll likely start with lead but move to a self-built lithium battery eventually.

Microwave use is not an important requirement compared to all the other things I would like to be able to run, so optionally I can just plan to cook with propane instead in trips without shore power.

eflyersteve wrote:
Thanks for the replies everyone! I was thinking I would shoot for 400 watts minimum of solar. More curious how easy it is to get 400 watts on such a small roof. Probably isn't easy based on the size of panels. I was looking at 250-280 watt panels which are larger than the 100 watt panels (of course), but it actually might be easier to fit smaller, lower output panels on a small roof so this gives me some ideas.

I'll see if I can get on the roof of one and see what available areas I have. If needed, I could always try and install as much rooftop and then make up the rest with a portable setup that I would deploy in the mornings and stow before heading out. Second concern will be where to store batteries. I'll likely start with lead but move to a self-built lithium battery eventually.

Microwave use is not an important requirement compared to all the other things I would like to be able to run, so optionally I can just plan to cook with propane instead in trips without shore power.

Yes, 24 volt panels have fantastic prices but 12 volts will often fit the footprint better. Look at panel dimensions then cut out some cardboard shapes and go up and see what fits. As mentioned look for potential shading issues. I can tilt in either direction but of course try to place the awing to the south. Consider where you will places a combiner box if you use pwm and where you will send the cable down. Frig vent, stack or roof termination.

eflyersteve wrote:

Microwave use is not an important requirement compared to all the other things I would like to be able to run, so optionally I can just plan to cook with propane instead in trips without shore power.

I think that makes a whole lot of sense. Propane is much much more energy dense than lead-acid batteries, though of course cannot be "recharged" using solar power.

A crock pot often works nicely with solar power. Just take care to investigate the power requirement; a normal traditional crock pot uses a pretty low wattage element, maybe a couple hundred watts, but there are also dual-use ones that can be fryers and have a much larger element. You would want the first kind, of course.

I don't know what your roof space looks like, but I had an Escape 17B that came with an optional 95 watt panel mounted across the back end of the roof. I added a 100 watt panel to the front. The combination worked well combined with a pair of 232 amp hour 6V batteries during the summer months, but during the low angle winter sun I found I needed to add a portable panel (a 160 watt) to keep up with my usage. All 12V panels wired in parallel through a Blue Skies Sun Charger 30 PWM controller.

Using a 1000 watt pure sine wave inverter, I typically make a pot of coffee in the morning (6 amp hours), sometimes toast (9 amp hours), do a bunch of photo editing on a power hungry laptop (5 - 10 amp hours). I have a 600 watt microwave that uses 1.5 amp hours per minute that I sometimes use for dinner, although my primary cooking is on a propane grill/stove. This is on top of the normal uses. I average 30 - 40 amp hours per day.

rjxj wrote:
You were probably on the low energy use side of things until you mentioned microwave.

It's interesting how often folks will come up with a shopping list of small draw items they want to power with battery / solar but then almost as an afterthought throw in a high draw appliance such as a microwave oven and think nothing of it. :R That tells me they haven't thought this through thoroughly, not realizing what a game changer any high draw device represents. Some solar aficiondos willing to throw their wallet at a project like this wouldn't agree but I see solar as most practical for those willing to actively manage their power consumption and restrict their usage to low draw devices.

Hi,

You may be a candidate for semi flexible panels that could be permanently attached to the roof.

Beware any shading.

"This may require me to use some carry-out portable panels that I feel are less than ideal (theft mainly)." IMO you will get tired of set up and take down of portable panels. And I'm not a fan flexible panels for heat and cupping reasons.

Most RV solar companies sell multiple sizes of rigid panels. 100 watt panels are not required. WindyNation for instance has 30 watt panels at 16x27 inches and 60 watt panels at 25x26 inches. Other companies have other sizes. Something will fit with enough watts to recharge your batteries.