Yet another solar question

[mchero]

Been RV'ing for a long time & have been reading ALL solar posts with interest.

I was reading a recent solar post and one person brought up Solar Blvd. I visited their web site and ran across this deal;
http://www.solarblvd.com/Solar-Panels-&-Systems-Solar-Panels-By-The-Pallet/c1_250/p2815/10-LG-270-Wa...

10 LG 270 Watt 24V Solar Panels And 10 Enphase M250 Inverters for 3,499. A total of 2700 watts in panels. I also understand that the price also includes the M250 inverters.

It looks like this setup enables one to see what each panel is outputting. Also, it appears of one panel is in the shade the others will continue to produce power.

Is this a system for a fixed structure or can one use a system like this on an RV. I'm not sure what other hardware would be needed.

I'm amazed at the prices these days. Might5 be time to pull the trigger on Solar.

Thanks

[Almot]

BFL13 wrote:
{overcast}Wouldn't make me nervous. That's what the Honda 3000 and the PowerMax 100amper are for.

3-days battery bank. Then overcast next day and even the day after wouldn't make you nervous. Until you learn how to cook on propane, there is no chance to have a 3-days bank :)...
Though it can still be overcast 3 days after, in those parts.

[Almot]

mchero wrote:
I'll have to look into the possibility of creating some kind of rack in the basement compartment that you could slide the panels into. OR, I just might mount on the roof & use the refer vent to run wires.

With +200W panel this is exactly what people do. Mount on the roof and route the wires through the fridge vent. Anything over 200W is too big to be a portable. The basement you will need for batteries, controller and inverter.

Yes, 2*250W will make possible running all your devices including microwave. You will need at least 400 AH battery bank and inverter at least 1,500W. Even with all this, energy conservation is a must, if you want to avoid or minimize the generator time. More efficient furnace, lights, and keeping an eye on microwave use.

[JiminDenver]

Maybe I should have said using just the grp 27, I would have been sweating it. I wouldn't run the Champ in a CG but the 8-D in reserve is comforting. 🙂

[BFL13]

Wouldn't make me nervous. That's what the Honda 3000 and the PowerMax 100amper are for. Overcast gives me a chance to use those toys too. Wheee! It's all good Rving. 🙂

[JiminDenver]

Tracking I was getting 4a if I could even tell where the sun was and felt pretty good about even getting to float. It kept me from needing to tie into the inverter bank or run the generator. I would have been pretty nervous if the sun hadn't come out the next day.

[BFL13]

Yes, I find solar is pretty much an all or nothing deal for sunny vs overcast. Once it clags in, it doesn't matter how much solar you have, the amps you get is trivial. You can double your amps with two panels and get two amps instead of one.

[JiminDenver]

Having my system be portable has given me a chance to see what it can do for us flat/tilted/tracking compared to our needs and general weather patterns before I mounted it. Now I KNOW 230w mounted flat will cover our needs most days and a decent bank will cover a few cloudy ones.

I also know that the expense of mounting two matching panels and a bigger MPPT controller isn't going to benefit us that much. They wont cover us in heavy cloud cover where I can get only get 4a even tracking and will be total over kill the rest of the time.

[time2roll]

Before you buy these big panels you need to measure the roof space. Try to be 12" to 18" away from the air conditioner, tall roof vents etc. If you use the tv antenna extended up it will all so be an issue. Even a small amount of shade on one cell can make a significant drop in solar production. This is where smaller 12v panels can outperform if you have space issues.

Cut some cardboard templates to mock up the roof positions.

Of course if you stick with portable you can spend the day moving the panels into the best sun.

[mchero]

Almot wrote:

mchero wrote:

Long term plans are to upgrade to a newer coach, perhaps 10 years newer so I don't want to go nuts on a full solar system.

When boon docking it's just mainly lights, TV, DirecTV box and perhaps the furnace. If we are camping late fall.

230-250W panel "might" be a full solar system for all those devices, plus those that you forgot to mention, like pumps and 12V circuit of LP fridge. Assuming you don't watch sat TV more than 4 hours a day, AND don't play online games on laptop when not watching TV, AND the furnace doesn't cycle more than 25% in the night AND it's warm enough in daytime. A lot of assumptions. For some people this will work, for some won't.

230-250W will cost $300 together with Ecoworthy clone for MPPT, panel weight ~35 lbs, 3x5ft large. Possible to take in and out, a little awkward without help but doable. Easy to lean up against the wall outside.

In reality, I doubt 250W could be a full solar for you. With more than one person, you don't know what they might have in mind. You could be fishing and your partner running sat TV and bunch of lights for hours. And very powerful 120V devices like coffee maker, toaster, and microwave, all at the same time 🙂 ... Each of those will dwarf your sat TV and lights, in terms of energy. I don't consider these kitchen appliances essential for a comfortable living, but many will disagree.

So, I doubt that one big panel will cover all your needs. But it could slow down the battery drain and extend you stay enough to not to have to run a gen set before you drive home or some other place with shore power.

Like people said, this is a better alternative than paying thousands to listen to "quiet" generator.

The more I'm reading the more I think that two 250W panels on the roof would set me up!

I'd LOVE to find a local shop here in NH that sells these panels but I have a feeling I might have to have shipped.

[mchero]

be careful smketter!

Had a friend who was up on the RV roof doing some work. Did not tell the wife he was on the roof. She was in the coach and when she stepped on the step to exit the RV rocked almost knocking my friend off the roof!

I'm getting too old to brake bones! LOL

I'm reading all the post with interest! I'll have to look into the possibility of creating some kind of rack in the basement compartment that you could slide the panels into. OR, I just might mount on the roof & use the refer vent to run wires.

RM

[time2roll]

Both bolted together on a 1" square tube aluminum frame.
Not electrically connected.

Only a two step ladder so barely made the center point and let them tip onto the roof that was protected a bit with a blanket.

[Almot]

smkettner wrote:
You should have seen me pushing two of these panels connected together onto the roof.

"connected" or bolted together? 😉

[time2roll]

You should have seen me pushing two of these panels connected together onto the roof.

[Almot]

Even at 40 lbs it's too much for one person, considering the size. It may not look big in the specs, but when you see it in flesh, it's big. When you lift this 5ft long sheet and carry through the door, it suddenly becomes huge, you can hardly see where you are going.

For 2 people it doesn't matter whether it's 40 lbs or 50.