What can you do with solar?

[pianotuna]

Hi,

Please reply with what your solar system can do to enhance your RV'ing experience.

Please list the number of watts, Charge controller, inverter (if any) and amp-hours of battery bank

256 watts Unisolar in a parallel/series configuration input to charge controller 33 volts.

Blue Sky 3024 di

2500 watt Cobra MSW inverter

875 amp-hours of battery bank.

Allows me to operate the RV as if it were connected to shore power. The only high wattage item I do not run is the air conditioner.

[mena661]

RickSo wrote:

We run our RV on solar like we are plugged into shore power and only run the genset if both A/C units are needed which is very seldom. I also switched to LED lights.

LOVE your setup!!

[CJW8]

405 Watts of Kyocera solar panels (3X 135 watt), Rogue MPPT 3024 Charge Controller
4 ea group 27 Warehouse Store Batteries
Xantrex XADC 40 amp converter (mostly not used)
Xantrex True Charge 40 charger with temp compensation and remote
Xantrex 2000 watt inverter with remote
#4 welding wire throughout on Solar with about 35 ft from controller to panels and 18 inches from controller to batteries
Trimetric monitor
Mostly LED lighting with some flouresent. I have even replaced the camper outside area lighring with LED except for two.

We went on the first trip this year a couple of weeks ago to Southern Cal Sand dunes. I could have gone Gen free but we like to run the outside lights at night and the two recessed lights that I like run are power hogs. They are 35 watt each. My trimetric says they use about 6 amps total. Leave those on for 6 hours and that is 36 amp hours so I did run my 2 kw Kipor generator some in the evening to replace some of that but porbably didn't need to. I did just find 11 watt replacements bulbs so I am anxious to see if I can now go generator free.

I like to conserve but my wife could care less and I'll come back from a ride and find lights on in the daytime or all lights on if I come back from a night ride and no one in the camper. Oh well, I like to chose my battles and that one is just not worth the effort. I was going to really monitor my trimetric but I never looked at it as I was having too much fun otherwise. The lowest my batteries ever were is 12.5 in the AM. I am pretty pleased with that. It was cool enough that the heater was running some at night too. I can plug the camper into the inverter and turn off the chargers and we pretty much run like were are on shore power including microwave and single cup coffee brewer. We'll obviously need the 4kw generator for summer camping in AZ.
I now have covered RV storage with power so solar is not useful for battery maintanance so I am thinking of a single 100-150 watt solar panel mounted in the sun for battery maintenance. I am looking for a low cost 12V nominal panel in Arizona now.

[RickSo]

Here is our system.

3 -Kyocera KD235GX-LPB 235-watt solar panel's (705 watts)
1 -TriStar Remote Solar Meter 2 (TS-RM-2)
1 -Morningstar’s TriStar MPPT TS-60 solar controller
6 -Interstate 6 Volt Batteries GC2-XHD-UT batteries (696ah)
1 -Magnum (ME-ARC) advanced remote display panel
1 -Magnum (ME-AGN) auto genset start with temp probe
1 -Magnum (ME-BMK) Battery monitoring kit with shunt
1 -Magnum MS2012 Inverter

We run our RV on solar like we are plugged into shore power and only run the genset if both A/C units are needed which is very seldom. I also switched to LED lights.

[MrWizard]

PS: on the shopvac.com site it gets yet more confusing, with a mysterious "peak air watts = 220". Must be not the watts that I know, - you can't pickup any dirt with 220W.

ever clean your car with a 12v portable vac ?
i know i did

12.5v * cig plug 8amp = 100w

so i guess 220w would pickup twice as much dirt ?

i know it will pick up something,
although its might not deep clean your carpet

[Almot]

Labor costs in solar can be ridiculous, as there is little consumer's education and no uniformity in parts and layouts. With things like residential plumbing or electrical, a Home Depot clerk will tell you what you need to buy and the instructions will tell you the rest. With solar, installers make it look like an art beyond humble capabilities of an average Joe, and charge accordingly. It is indeed TAD more complicated - and less precise - than a shore electrical, but not much.

Germany is waay ahead of us in renewables and many other things. Not only they have a lower ratio of administrators to laborers than in the US so there is no inflated overhead, but they also have very smart government programs for solar. Solar is subsidized at the expense of higher electricity rates, and citizens don't mind because they understand the necessity. As a result, Germany is getting 20% of its peak power supply from solar, VS 2% in sunny California. Their solar manufacturing is booming, everybody is covering roof with solar and making extra cash for selling energy into the grid, farmers are installing panels on elevated racks in their fields and getting extra cash too. Germany plans to make 30% of annual energy out of renewable sources by the year 2020, if I'm correct.

[wintersun]

The AM panels are more expensive per Watt of power produced but that is true for all small panels. The AMsolar panels are small enough to fit on roof spaces that are too small for any other. The next smallest panel I found was the 140 Watt Kyocera. Most panels are made for residential or commercial use and are 60" long and 30-40 inches wide. Not a problem with a large trailer but impractical for any truck camper and most motorhomes at that size.

I sense in the comments a misunderstanding of how crystalline panels function. The cells will still product power with light coming in from an angle and that is by design. The more light that captured and not reflected out the greater the potential output. It is not that at 90 degrees to the sun that 100% of the light is captured but at 45 degrees only 50% will be captured.

One of the most commonly used roof panels has a fixed 5 degree tilt and it is considered good enough. They do not require a rack and rack anchoring and so the installation cost is a lot lower. In the USA up to 75% of the cost of an installation is labor and racking. Unfortunately with all the fighting in Congress we do not have a uniform set of practices so it costs 3x as much per kilowatt installed in the USA as it does in Germany.

With both my camper and my house solar installations that I did last year the cost of the panels was a small part of the total cost involved. If I priced my labor at even minimum wage the ratio would have been even more out of wack.

[Almot]

No, I didn't mean an upright vac. There is no full-height utility closet in trailers under 30ft. An extension wand would suffice, like on 1.5 gal model from the same Craftsman. Can make my own, I guess. Btw, 4A motor in specs is misleading. 4A could be the "motor" current, but the whole vac draws 8A according to Lowe's. I hope this is not a deviation from the topic of "what can you do with solar". It all boils down to daily watt-hours of usage, and amps per battery (high amps not just deplete the batts, it's killing them).

PS: on the shopvac.com site it gets yet more confusing, with a mysterious "peak air watts = 220". Must be not the watts that I know, - you can't pickup any dirt with 220W.

[time2roll]

My trailer is small so having a large upright with a beater brush is a waste. It does have a couple short extension tubes to reach where needed. I think mine has a small beater brush attachment so you can stand but the reach is not the same as a home upright. Sears has lots of attachment accessories that could be added. I am very pleased with the actual suction force compared to a small canister type we had before. Lots of power for a small unit and no worries to vacuum up water.

[Almot]

Don, women often end up running the house in "shore life", but when it comes to solar/boondock, they should not. I saw a guy who let it be, as he was old and in poor health. His generator was on for many hours every day. With 200W solar on the roof and plenty of sun.

SMK, it's an interesting Shop-vac. Amazingly, the specs says it's only 4A. This is 40A out of 3*100 AH bank, 13A per battery. Not bad. One thing I'm trying to avoid is "on your knees" model - and this one looks similar. You can't work the floor with it without bending down, no?

[time2roll]

Almot wrote:
Honestly, haven't come here to argue. Just wanted to ask about vacuums - whimsical Search function fetched this topic for some reason. What vacuums you guys use or prefer, with solar? Somebody mentioned a vacuum. 12V, 120V, how many watts or amps rated, how often? Seems that sunnier places also have a lot of sand and/or dust. No carpets or pet hair, just plain dust and sand on linoleum and coach.

I use the small Craftsman shopvac, wet/dry has advantages too.

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-2.5-gallon

Prosine 1800 makes the 120vac

[pianotuna]

Hi,

I've tried several 12 volt vacuums and they fail to impress. Since space is always a problem and since women generally end up using such an infernal device--I'd suggest letting them pick what works. (or risk them using a frying pan in a persuasive way?) (i.e. going "on strike" in the kitchen).

[Almot]

harold1946 wrote:
AM Solar ships free on any order over $150.00.
Probably some others if you search around.

I was about to argue - since panels normally don't ship for free - but checked the AM website and yes, they ship for free... BUT... (a big BUT, huge)... Their panels cost $1.90-$2.00 per watt. This is double of what panels sell at some other places, though usually 200-250W panels. AM sells only 100-150W panels. $0.90 per watt is pretty common with Chinese brands, and I have just paid $1.06 per watt of a better brand. Free pickup in Ca warehouse conveniently close to I5 interstate. Not on the East coast, though.

Honestly, haven't come here to argue. Just wanted to ask about vacuums - whimsical Search function fetched this topic for some reason. What vacuums you guys use or prefer, with solar? Somebody mentioned a vacuum. 12V, 120V, how many watts or amps rated, how often? Seems that sunnier places also have a lot of sand and/or dust. No carpets or pet hair, just plain dust and sand on linoleum and coach.

[wintersun]

We have a 220 AH "bank" and use 5-6% in a 24 hour period. 200 Watts of solar panel output with a Blue Sky 3024 controller recharges our nightly deficit in less than 3 hours during the winter months.

For us it means we can operate the fridge electronics, the house lights, the furnace motor, and the LED LCD TV, and never need to plug into shore power or fire up a generator. We don't bother with carrying a generator around or its fuel supply and never need to turn it on or shut if off or deal with the noise. Not having need of a generator and its noise provides us with peace of mind - literally.

[BFL13]

Mystery solved.

The 8.6 is the "rated amps" for that 155w panel (18v is the "rated volts" ( seems more like Imp and Vmp--can't be Isc and Voc--too low)

EDIT: the actual specs for that panel (it is 8.86 Imp note)
http://gpelectric.com/files/gpelectric/Docs/Specs/Go_Power_SPC_CTI-155.pdf

The term "8.6 amps of charging power" is from their ad here (note salesman language--we know "power" is in watts, not amps)

http://gpelectric.com/products/155-watt-solar-charging-kit

So the self-proclaimed 'smarty' 🙂 could have said that in the first place. Humph!

[WoodGlue]

CA Traveler wrote:
And who says solar isn't complicated?

It's too complicated for my pea sized brain. I was going to be a smarty and say: "It's because I'm closer to the equator"

WoodGlue