Solar performance #s

[Itinerant1]

I posted some of this on another board and thought it might interest some seeing there are a lot of solar system installs on rv using folks here. Here are some numbers from the past year. Habit from the past of record keeping info for performances and cost. A quick run down of dispersed camping, solar system and performance of system. If you keep records of your system and performance please post. It might help others on what they want with possible expectations.

Dispersed camping
2016 (4/16 - 12/31) 200 days
2017 (1/1 - 12/31) 365 days
Consecutive days dispersed camping as of January 8, 2017 starting 12/23/16 - 381 days, still going.

Using previous 2 years of rving (fulltiming) prior to solar install (4/13/16), RV park cost averaged to $25.00 a day.
443 days of dispersed camping needed for return on solar. System has paid for itself.

States AZ, UT, WY, ID, MT, ND, SD, NV
6,105 miles traveled with 5th wheel

Solar info...
Installed at Starlight Solar in Yuma, AZ last year in the spring.

*12v 500ah (400ah usable) lithium batteries (GBS LFP battery system) http://www.starlightsolar.com/elite-power-solutions-lfmp-battery/index.html
*8 CTI-160 watt monocrystalline solar panels (1,280 watts), 2 in series, 4 sets parallel (37 vmp). Panels lay flat on the roof.
*Combiner box to Magnum PT100 controller
*Magnum 3012 hybrid inverter (3000w).
There is a 7" display monitor and the ME-ARC 50 to read the performance of the system, individual cell voltages/ cell temps. A sub panel was added so everything in the 5th wheel except the water heater is running through the inverter.
Total weight for entire system 500#

This is what the system has harvested since the beginning of the year (2017) by month. Every morning I'll record previous day data from the Me-Arc.

Month ____ KWH_____ Ah to batteries
January___87.3______6,360
February__101.4_____7,410
March_____136.5_____9,950
April_____166.8_____12,210
May_______167.6_____12,260
June______164.2_____12,030
July______174.6_____12,770
August____152.1_____11,150
September_108.0_____7,920
October___90.0_____6,540
November _84.3______6,200
December _94.5______6,710
Total __1,527.3kwh___111,510ah
On/Work hours 4,214.4

*Harvest Total – Displays the total amount of energy in kilowatt hours (shown as KWH) delivered to the batteries.
*AH to Batt – Displays the total amp-hours (AH) delivered from the PT array to the DC system.
*On/Work Time – Displays the number of hours of active production by the PV array.

* Highest daily kwh haversted was on July 21st of 7.4 (740ah) in Idaho outside of Yellowstone National Park.

* Lowest daily kwh harvested was on September 15th of 0.2 (20ah) in North Dakota outside of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Heavy overcast skies with rain.

In the past year the Honda EU2000i genterator has been used 7 times for 2 hours each time which charges at 100ah rate from the Magnum 3012 inverter/ charger into the battery bank and 3 times for 3 hours each when we ran the air conditioner before heading to higher elevation. Some of these run times where just to exercise the generator.

[Almot]

SMKettner in SoCal who doesn't post here anymore, have set an example years ago, when installed 660W and after a season decided to leave his genny home. IMO, applies to most of Southwest, save for A/C run. Back then 660W was considered big. Your 1000W is huge.

My 500W at Lat 41 in winter harvests almost nothing when it rains, 10AH at best. But, since 10AH is ~1/3 of what I use on some days, and since it doesn't rain often in desert, I'm not worried. That it, not worried that there is no genny to exercise :)...

Your numbers - downscaled to 500W - agree with what my system "would" harvest if given a chance. The problem is, I'm below its capability most of the time. Controller drops to Float (current-based termination of Absorption stage, not a forceful timer) at noon or earlier. Life is good when it's sunny (and not too hot).

[Lwiddis]

Great report! I'm happy with my solar too.