Solar Power For RVs
Before we jump deep into the gritty details of precisely how my RV solar panels are powered by the sun for boondocking for the next few years, and how easy it is to design your own fully functionaly DIY solar system, I figured I’d discuss some of the principles and desired results as preamble. In fact, let’s start it off real straightforward.
Desired goals
1. Live totally off-grid self-sufficient using solely solar electricity. No plug ins, no propane generator.
2. Provide sufficient solar energy to run all electrical systems (speakers, laptop, lights, DC to AC converter, and so on) without having to really worry about conservation.
3. Choose solar panels, deep cycle batteries and a solar charge controller that’ll all mount on the RV with the most efficient setup possible.
One of my favourite parts of putting all this on paper is that although I used this technology to modify my RV, there’s absolutely no reason you couldn’t do something along the same lines for your home, cabin in the forest or motor boat. Just ensure you have a straightforward and simply defined group of objectives and that you don’t deviate from them. This might be as easy as knowing what you’re attempting to achieve in your head, however as you will see from my explanation of each goal as it related to my project, it is still way too tempting to get off line if you don’t have a reality check.
Goal 1 Explained: Be totally off grid self powered
In the start I played with the thought of some type of hybrid setup involving smaller solar panels, a generator and figuring I’d use shore power occassionally. One day into my travels I confirmed my fears that if one hour my everyday routine was listening to the growl of a propane generator, I would likely shoot myself in the face. I also found out since my motor home is made with ancient electronics, I would be required to plug in for three full days to recharge my batteries, also no good. So alternatively I opted to spend the extra cash and get sufficient panel production that no matter where I parked for the night, I would always have power.
Goal 2 Defined: Generate ample energy
There are numerous worksheets and helpful guides online that show the energy usage of various devices, so you only need to know what you will be using and for what length of time every day. From there you can choose a reasonable solar battery and panel size. It is very vital to design the correct buffer or factor of safety so you can even have enough power at the end of three cloudy days. In the end I totally over-budgeted the amount of energy I’d consume, and completely under-budgeted the amount of electricity I would generate. It’s one of those good problems that I have not been able to cure by blasting incredibly loud tunes whenever I please.
Goal 3 Explained: Choose solar parts that will mount as efficiently as can be done
Despite the fact that I was aware the BP solar panels I was looking at for less money did not exactly fit, I wanted to get them regardless, so that’s why we have a sanity check. The smaller Sanyo solar panels I purchased as a substitute barely fit, the BP ones would not have, but I just about almost went for it. There’s an extremely broad selection of different sizes, shapes and technologies, so choosing a design where each distinct part correctly interacts with all the components of the total setup is crucial to achieving peak efficiency. Anything under peak efficiency will not do, it makes no sense to get $2000 worth of solar panels when you can only ever expect to extract $1500 worth of energy.
Follow the whole series to learn all you need about RV Solar Panels.
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