SOLAR

[Colo_Native]

I am going to put solar on and I was looking to get this http://www.renogy-store.com/200W-12V-Monocrystalline-Premium-Kit-p/kit-premium200d.htm with a 40A MPPT controller or the 300W setup up to 400W. I will add a 1500w inverter at a later date. What are the pros and cons of Renogy, they cost less but are close to same specs as most other 100W panels I have seen. I don't have a gold mine of money so I have to do this on a budget.

I only need to run the microwave and a toaster off the inverter, I am hoping to not ever have to by a generator. I only need the inverter on the road between stops.

[Colo_Native]

2oldman wrote:

Colo Native wrote:
.. so feasibly what am I looking at here, no way not to have a generator and use solar for battery charging because I don't have a lot of roof space.

You can run big-wattage stuff with enough batteries, which hopefully you have room for. The problem is the recharging.. and it sounds like that will be a problem for you without more panels.

There are some on this board who have no generator, but I think it's darn near a necessity. Without a generator, when the skies get cloudy you'll have to cut way back on energy use. That's not my style. I like lots 'o power. And I don't usually run my big wattage appliances directly from the generator. I use the gen to run my converter, and use the batteries/inverter to provide power.

there is a lot of roof but the clear area away from ac's and vents is about 6' x 8'

[2oldman]

JiminDenver wrote:
440w let us use the coffee maker and microwave.

Not without sufficient batteries, unless you have a 360w toaster and you're running it at high noon.

[JiminDenver]

You can get away without the generator. We haven't used our in years. So far our solar has been larger portables and 230w had no issues running the trailer. 440w let us use the coffee maker and microwave. With 3 panels/ 750w we run a small A/C and cook on a hot plate directly off of the solar. We have a big bank but really a grp 27 carrys us over night.

It is my experience with several different types on mono and several polys that the polys do better in lower light situations.

You can pick up the bigger panels on craigslist here for much less than online or in a shop. With up to a 275w panel you can use a $100 20 MPPT controller, a $50 set of MC4 solar cables and a few other bit for a basic system that will do well mounted or portable. I use to list the same for $500 each on CL, they sold well. I have picked up my panels for $50, $85 and $175 each.

I still have my first 230w portable. The whole thing cost less than $200 an is good for 1-200 Ah on a good day. It's great for keeping the batteries up over the winter or catching those morning rays while the flat panels sleep.

[2oldman]

Colo Native wrote:
.. so feasibly what am I looking at here, no way not to have a generator and use solar for battery charging because I don't have a lot of roof space.

You can run big-wattage stuff with enough batteries, which hopefully you have room for. The problem is the recharging.. and it sounds like that will be a problem for you without more panels.

There are some on this board who have no generator, but I think it's darn near a necessity. Without a generator, when the skies get cloudy you'll have to cut way back on energy use. That's not my style. I like lots 'o power. And I don't usually run my big wattage appliances directly from the generator. I use the gen to run my converter, and use the batteries/inverter to provide power.

[tonymull]

You're going to need a lot more battery. A few days of reheating stuff the 'old' way and you'll realize that a microwave and a toaster only save you a minute or two anyway. So figure out if, to you, that couple minutes is worth the extra batteries and extra solar...just for a microwave and toaster? We carry a microwave but only for when we have hookups, which is almost never, and frying pan toast is so much better than toaster toast it's not even a second thought!

[Colo_Native]

2oldman wrote:

Colo Native wrote:
I have 2 group 27 batteries( I think they are 80ah ea.) they are both new as I have only owned this since July. I only need the MW for warming up food one the road between destinations. I was told by a solar comp that I could get by with 300w and to use a MPPT. If I am missing something then please help. Thanks

Ok.

MW's need a lot of power, more than a couple 80ah batteries or solar can provide (for very long). As I said earlier, 4 GC's is about minimum so that you don't get a huge drop in voltage causing your inverter to shut down.

I'm not sure what the solar company understood as your question to answer it like that, but you cannot "run" a 1200w MW oven with 300w of solar. If an appliance needs 1200w, you must feed it that. It would be possible to run it at high noon on a clear cold day with at least 1200w of panels. Your 2 batteries would help, some.

Solar is not a generator for instant power. It's a slow, all-day process to replenish the power you used from your batteries to run the microwave and toaster.

OK, I get that so feasibly what am I looking at here, no way not to have a generator and use solar for battery charging because I don't have a lot of roof space.

[NinerBikes]

You'll need a 2000 watt generator to run the microwave, hopefully a quiet one. Solar for the rest of the batteries. 150 to 200 watts of solar wired in parallel and a PWM adjustable voltage charge controller should do the rest. 150Watts if portable and you chase the sun a couple times a day aiming it, 200-240 watts if up on the roof mounted permanently, they aren't as efficient nearly as sun chasing and aiming.

[2oldman]

Colo Native wrote:
I have 2 group 27 batteries( I think they are 80ah ea.) they are both new as I have only owned this since July. I only need the MW for warming up food one the road between destinations. I was told by a solar comp that I could get by with 300w and to use a MPPT. If I am missing something then please help. Thanks

Ok.

MW's need a lot of power, more than a couple 80ah batteries or solar can provide (for very long). As I said earlier, 4 GC's is about minimum so that you don't get a huge drop in voltage causing your inverter to shut down.

I'm not sure what the solar company understood as your question to answer it like that, but you cannot "run" a 1200w MW oven with 300w of solar. If an appliance needs 1200w, you must feed it that. It would be possible to run it at high noon on a clear cold day with at least 1200w of panels. Your 2 batteries would help, some.

Solar is not a generator for instant power. It's a slow, all-day process to replenish the power you used from your batteries to run the microwave and toaster.

[Colo_Native]

2oldman wrote:

Colo Native wrote:

2oldman wrote:
I sense you're falling into that common question about solar: "What can I run?"

I would like to think that I am not, That is why I asked, what am I missing?

I don't want to go off on a tangent if I'm not understanding your goals.

What is your battery setup?

I have 2 group 27 batteries( I think they are 80ah ea.) they are both new as I have only owned this since July. I only need the MW for warming up food one the road between destinations. I was told by a solar comp that I could get by with 300w and to use a MPPT. If I am missing something then please help. Thanks

[2oldman]

Colo Native wrote:

2oldman wrote:
I sense you're falling into that common question about solar: "What can I run?"

I would like to think that I am not, That is why I asked, what am I missing?

I don't want to go off on a tangent if I'm not understanding your goals.

What is your battery setup?

[Colo_Native]

2oldman wrote:

Colo Native wrote:
I only need to run the microwave and a toaster off the inverter,.

I sense you're falling into that common question about solar: "What can I run?"

I would like to think that I am not, That is why I asked, what am I missing?

[2oldman]

Colo Native wrote:
I only need to run the microwave and a toaster off the inverter,.

I sense you're falling into that common question about solar: "What can I run?"

Although solar can provide a bit of help when running stuff, its main purpose is battery charging. You'll need at least 4 good GC well-charged batteries to kick off a toaster or MW. And you'll need a PSW inverter.

[Old_Days]

I have a poly and on the back it says made in Chino California. I also have a ALEKO that is made in china. I get good power from the ALEKO panel but the frame is kind of cheap.

[NinerBikes]

Old Days wrote:
I like RENOGY solar panels they are made a lot better than some of the ones from china. Check on Amazon you my be able to get a better price.

Interesting, look at the back label, to be sure they aren't made in China. Renogy does a lot of rebranding, they are not OEM's.

I was not impressed with mono crystalline solar panels, and their performance, compared to poly crystalline panels.

[RoyB]

High wattage Power Inverters and a couple of solar panels don't do well together.

To be able to run a 2000Watt Inverter you will need to have 12VDC at 175AMPS DC Current PLUS to operate it.

A typical 120WATT Solar Panel will only produce around 5-6 AMPS DC Current when in the high sun.

This will take many many solar panels to operate a 2000WATT Inverter.

Our thoughts are only to use solar panel to re-charge our battery bank when in the high sun and then the large battery battery bank will operate the 2000 Watt Power Inverter.

Keep in mind you will only have high sun for just a few hours so you will want enough DC Current available to bring a battery up from its 50% to 90% charge in a three hour time run or so. Each battery in your battery bank will want to see 14.4VDC with the capacity of 17-20AMPS DC Current to be able to charge each battery in the bank from their 50% charge state to their 90% charge state in a three hour time frame.

I would want at least enough solar panels to give me 14.4VDC with a capacity of 20AMPS DC Current feeding my battery bank. In the six hour average high sun time each day I would be able to at least re-charge a couple of my batteries to their 90% charge state.

Just some things to think about when planning your solar system. 5-6 DC AMPS capacity from each panel is not really alot of charging current.

My 255AH battery bank will demand a good 53AMPS DC CURRENT when first hit with 14.4VDC from the charge source and then this starts tapering back. By the end of the first hour of charging it is usually down to around 6-8AMPS DC current demand where the solar panels will finish off the daily charge to the 90% charge state pretty easy. The trick is going to be how do you get the initial 53 DC AMPS initial charge going. In my case this will require me to run my 2KW Generator for the first hour then let the solar panels finish the 90% charge state time. My OFF-ROAD POPUP trailer only has room on its roof for three 120WATT Solar Panels...

My 12VDC runs off my batteries is around 20AMPS DC current from 6PM to 10PM each evening and then I also have around 1-2 AMPS parasitic drain 24/7. My 255AH battery setup will drain down to around 12.0VDC by 8AM each morning when I am allowed to run my 2KW generator to start my re-charge back up to the 90% charge state. Having the three solar panels will reduce my use of the generator down to only one hour a day. If I don't get my batteries back up to their 90% charge state before I start using the batteries again then I run into losing my batteries before 10PM each evening.

Food for thought here...
Roy Ken