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-Watt-24V-Solar-Panels-And-10-Enphase-M250-Inverters/product_info.html10 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

If you are wanting a grid-tie system that hooks up to the pole, this is what you want. The micro-inverters are very useful.However, this will not help you if you want an off-grid system that goes to a battery bank, since the micro-inverters are making AC, not the DC needed for the charge controllers.I ran into the same deal a couple months ago, then realized there are no off-grid micro-inverters made yet. Grid tie, yes, but not for RV use.

Right. That system is for a fixed installation and 10 270 watt panels would take up a LOT of real estate. I'd be able to get two, maybe three on my trailer.What are you looking to do with the solar. How much room do you have to mount panels. How many batteries do you have or plan to have. Most of all, what kind of loads do you run.Since we know nothing of your needs, I can tell you how we use ours. We use a single 230w panel unmounted connected to a charge controller and then a battery bank. We are able to run the lights, fans, pump, and furnace as much as we want as long as we don't get too many cloudy days in a row. Most times I can keep a inverter bank up too. We have used it for TV/DVD and other smaller items. With a large enough inverter we could run a hair dryer or warm stuff up in the microwave but we wont be cooking any turkeys in it.BTW running the AC is doable but not practical.So figure out your needs first, wants second and consider the limitations of room on the roof and battery bank. I bet they may be met for less than the system you were looking at.

Hey we all get to spend $3,499.00 of his money for him! Wheee!He might be able to afford MPPT with that! :)

Oooooooo all that chocolate syrup means there has to be ice cream hiding in there somewhere. 2.7 kw charge rate would be appropriate for say 2K amp hours of batteries.DREAM SYSTEMNASA grade efficiency panels, with trackersLithium BatteriesThermoelectric coolingEverything direct currentBut this is only for vacationing. The rest of the year I would live in my stateroom penthouse on "The World".

Hi,I think you could "fool" the system into thinking it was on a grid if you had a good quality psw inverter running.At 3500 bucks pay back where I live would be many years.2700 watts x 6 hours = 16200 watt-hoursSaskpower will pay $0.04 cents per KWH so pay back on SUNNY days is $0.65 cents per day.3500 X 2 (to allow for installation) = $7000.00 /$0.65 = 107692 days before break even occurs. That's a mere 295 years.

Yet another solar question | Good Sam Community

Almot
Explorer III
Oct 11, 2013
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
Explorer III
Oct 11, 2013
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
Explorer II
Oct 11, 2013
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
Explorer II
Oct 11, 2013
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
Explorer II
Oct 11, 2013
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
Explorer II
Oct 11, 2013
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
Explorer II
Oct 11, 2013
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
Nomad
Oct 11, 2013
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
Explorer
Oct 11, 2013
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
Explorer
Oct 11, 2013
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

Forum Discussion

Yet another solar question

About Technical Issues

Related Content

Another tire question

Another WDH question

Another Water Question

another caulk question

Another tire question