Solar research
I want to add a solar system to my camp and was looking for some information. I am still in the process of doing my research but I am stuck on a few items that I cant seem to find any information. ...
Forum Discussion
Watching some Will Prouse videos is a great start as well as visiting his forum DIY Solar Forumhttps://diysolarforum.com/.
Every additional feature that you want/need adds significant sophistication but there is a lot of help out there. If you are up to the challenge, the following may be helpful:
Start with an energy audit, a spreadsheet can be found on the DIY forum. This will help clarify what you need to do.
As stated previously a combination inverter/charger/transfer switch will do what you want it to do. But you might not need this depending how you want to source your energy. Search Victron, GoPower, Cotek and the previously suggested Samlex for these (plus many others). If you have a 50A RV your options will be more limited if you want to utilize all of your 120VAC circuits vs a 30A version. The 2000/3000W and up versions tend to have more features. Victron has a lot of training available on their site.
You can also have separate inverter, charger and transfer switch. I priced this out for my application and found that the separate units that I would need would be about $100 less than a combination unit, not including wiring/fusing/etc. This is mainly because I have a 50A RV and I don’t want to rewire my power panel.
For batteries find and watch a video comparing the lifecycle cost comparison between various types and lithium. For some situations lithium is cheaper and you do not need to pay close attention to DOD of the batteries.
You might also be able to utilize the all in one unit if desirable.
Every additional feature that you want/need adds significant sophistication but there is a lot of help out there. If you are up to the challenge, the following may be helpful:
Start with an energy audit, a spreadsheet can be found on the DIY forum. This will help clarify what you need to do.
As stated previously a combination inverter/charger/transfer switch will do what you want it to do. But you might not need this depending how you want to source your energy. Search Victron, GoPower, Cotek and the previously suggested Samlex for these (plus many others). If you have a 50A RV your options will be more limited if you want to utilize all of your 120VAC circuits vs a 30A version. The 2000/3000W and up versions tend to have more features. Victron has a lot of training available on their site.
You can also have separate inverter, charger and transfer switch. I priced this out for my application and found that the separate units that I would need would be about $100 less than a combination unit, not including wiring/fusing/etc. This is mainly because I have a 50A RV and I don’t want to rewire my power panel.
For batteries find and watch a video comparing the lifecycle cost comparison between various types and lithium. For some situations lithium is cheaper and you do not need to pay close attention to DOD of the batteries.
You might also be able to utilize the all in one unit if desirable.
