Solar Panels

matthew, depends on your total of amps required to run everthing at once, but as a general i have 80l waeco and flouro's run by 200ah deep cycle battery and 100w solar panel. this setup lets me run contin for 1 week approx (sunshine dependant).Im top ending next season and will hook in another panel as currently not enough. panel approx $750 inc regulator, battery approx $220 and you'd have to look for nsw panel shops?? I also hook into car battery for charging off alternator while running using a marine battery switch
Hope this helps

I did this excersize and it just blows out.

The more people (experts) I spoke too the more I got confused.

The final straw for me was when I heard that the total energy it takes to make/buy/design and pay for a system to meet my needs out ways the total energy returned.

So what was the point?

Dollars was my reason for stopping.

Search the threads prior to this one and you'll uncover a myriad of advice and knoweldge. But it all stops and starts with money.

I will say though one thing I learned is that there is no SURE way to work it out FOR SURE because just don't know how much sun and cloud cover you will actually get.

It is not a guessing game but ...

My finaly thought is ... buy as many panels and batteries as you can afford to carry to harness and store the energy. And if it is not enough in the end then no calculation would of surficed as you couldnt afford any more anyway.

Matthew, the best answer anybody could give you is "it depends".
Seriously, there are far too many variables for a straight answer.

you have to consider the sunshine hours where you travel, the capacity of your battery, the length of stay, wether you run the Waeco as a fridge or a freezer, and on and on.

There is a lot of info on the net about your dilemma but you still have to come up with a Amp hour figure ( number of amps your fridge & lights draw times number of hours it needs running per 24h) per day to get you to the starting block.

Then you find out how many solar hours are available at the time of the year where you are travelling, add a big margin for cloudy weather and work backwards for various size panels to get a figure what number of Ah they would put back into the battery. You have to allow for charging losses here too. In case you are not familiar with charging terms, Watts = Amps x Volts. You'd use 13V for yor calculations since a battery needs at least 13v to start charging.

Or, you can try the suck it and see method and start with a 80w panel and be prepared to use alternative charging methods if you find the panel is too small. (80W is at the very low end of the scale for running a fridge, and it would have to be placed to face the sun all the time). Be prepared to purchase an additional panel once you get an idea how what you have performs and perhaps is below expectations.

Where to get it? Shop around!!! there are big differences in panel prices, sometimes one or the other is on 'special' at one or other retailer.
I got my last panel at a mailorder place called "Tasman energy". A 64W panel, shipped to Perth from Queensland was cheaper than any local supplier could offer

Do yourself a favour and also get an Ampmeter to see just how much charge you get at any moment. A multi meter would do but you'd have to disconnect wires every time you use it. Better to get a little panel meter, perhaps 0-10A size and permanently wire it into ONE lead of your charging circuit.

good luck in your search
Klaus

I went through all this caper about 6 months ago. Was all set to lash out on expensive panels etc. Then I went camping with a mate who has a Honda 1KVA gennie. Whisper quiet; only need to run it for a couple of hours per day (I use a 15amp 3 stage battery charger...NOT the 12v output of the gennie).

On that trip we had a few dramas with another bloke's trailer and needed to drill holes and re-bolt the camper section to the box-trailer section. No probs..he pulls out the gennie and ol' black n decker and drills the holes. Job's right. Can't drill holes with a solar panel.

So I ended up with a Yamaha 1kva gennie; too easy.

Cheers

Roachie

you're going to enjoy this, Matthew. Keep delving for info and you'll probably arrive at a conclusion by springtime. By that time you could've learned to fly a Boeing. It can get a little complicated.

I'd agree you'll need at least a 80w panel, a regulator and decent battery. Minimum $900 - or just go for a bit extra wattage and for just over a grand (at my local bloke's prices $660 for an 80w panel $50 for a reg and pay anything between $150-450 for a good battery) you should be right. Actually, to some degree it's pretty straightforward in that you get the wattage that you pay for and there's not usually a great deal of variation in cost. Then you need a regulator and decide on how good a battery you want.

A lot depends on whether you'll be up and about in the car every day or camped and staying put most of the time in which case you are not re-charging from you're alternator. I've done the homework and am still avoiding the cost until really necessary.

I have just done the exercise and the best answer would be to invest in a good dual battery system. By the time you add up all the costs and unknowns of the solar set up you'd be set up and enjoying the freedom of a good battery system. The cost is just too inhibitive to warrant the outlay for the perceived return. The dual battery system is always there and you don't need to set it up each time. As much as the sun's energy is free the technology and equipment isn't.
TC

Hi Matthew,

I live in the west kimberly (Derby) and have a solar power setup to suit the temperature we have here. I decided on 2 x KC80 panels and a 3 stage charger i got off ebay for $130 (MP3129 PV charge controler) jaycar sells them for $166 from memory.

The panels i got from tasman solar
tasman energy
for $600 each including freight to Derby so I think he is a good guy to deal with from my own experience.

My own setup is simply mounted to the roof of my cruiser and can be easily moved to our other vehicle in a matter of minutes.

I did do a lot of technical research and number crunching before settling on the two 80 watt panels, and we have been very pleased with this for the climate we live in. Hopefully that has answered you question.
I almost bought a yamaha/honda genset but i did not like the idea of carting it around plus fuel just to charge my aux battery for the engel (a little overkill for me) and the panels take up no space as they are roof mounted, but i can see why a gen set may suit other peoples needs.

Search for Collyn Rivers and some of the articles he has written on solar.

From what i found with solar energy, what you need is up to you and your personal requirements and where you use it ie temp, sunlight ect.

Matt,

I run an 80L Waeco and lights from an AGM 100 amp deep cycle battery coupled to a Unisolar 64 watt Solar Panel. I have done field tests at home with it (search the archives for "Jimbo", around December last year) and used it numerous times camping. So far bloody brilliant. Panel cost $540, regulator $110 (don't buy a cheapie) and cable $20.

I haven't yet tried it in winter, but will do so over the Q/B weekend. The advantage of the "amorphous" panel is that it still produces power in low light condtions. The disadvantage is that it is very big for the given power output.

Cheers,

Jim.

hi Jim. a) how big is that amo.... panel and b) what's the diff between regulators? Does it have a readout?

why a waeco, why not a gas 3 way, I know they draw more amps but work fine when motoring and when stopped run on gas, I've run mine for 10 days straight out of a 4.5kg bottle and came home with some still in it and they work brilliant on gas, I know this dosen't solve the battery charging dilemna but the lights will draw very little compared to the fridge so may not need to worry about the charging.
Just a thought.

I sell solar gear and I dont bother with them for my set up
large batteries, charged from home last for most weekend trips,
panels are expensive and a pain to carry around with you if you are going longer take two batteries and your charger. when spending a few days at powered site in town charge up again..simple

Hi Matt;
I'm with everyone who suggested a generator. I have been down the road you are going and just got a headache. I ended up buying a Honda EU10i gennie. They're not cheap ($1639 RRP), but they are quality, quiet, have good clean 240 volt power and a DC battery charger and will work on a cloudy day. Don't pay full price, bargain with cash and if the retailer won't give you 10% min. off leave and find a dealer who will. I got mine for $1475 with this approach. Lookat is as a one-off, long term investment.

Cheers

how do those 750w gennies at Bunnings compare? @ $98????????

Hi Matthew

we have 2 US solar panels, and last Christmas we ran our 70Lt waeco for 10days without any other charging, and also ran Glenn's 50Lt for a few days as well, the panels so far have been great, we have 2 100amp batteries in the camper that the panels keep charged, and a flash regulator - will have to check with Al what type it is, but it has a read out so you can get an idea of just how the batteries are doing.

Not sure on the panel cost, will have to check with Al.

Lyn

I agree with all the others spent months trying to work it out got confused and a massive head ache went and bought a Christie Honda / Bosch 55 amp alternator works great for me. The other consideration with solar is if mouted on vehicle you have to park it in the sun poor old fridge has hard enough time trying to keep cool with out inside car temp reaching huge degrees or buy those " suit case " style pannels park car in shade go for a walk and I'll bet your solar panels will walk off in the opposite direction.
Genny for mine
Barry

Mathew, some interesting replies here for you to derive some answer from!!
Most, as you can read here, don't use a solar panel, some sell them but still don't use them L0L...

Jimbo has done various tests with his own system and as you can read can give you the answers you need to make an informed decision.

I also have been using an 80w Solarex panel since 1996, originally wired direct to the Deep Cycle battery system, I now use a German made Steca 15 amp solar regular that really has "all the fruit" as they say, ($225) and shows all the Voltages and amps on a screen large enough to read from a good distance, my system also works, there are many out there that work and those that don’t are few in number and I would say would have been set up by someone without the experience to be able to offer expertise in getting the best from the solar system anyway!!

Remember it is not just a solar panel you require but a solar system, including the battery, regulator and associated wiring.

The big thing with any electrical item is the wiring, get that wrong and it undervalues the item, it comes down to money and convenience a good solar system wins for me.

next question mainey: what sort of extension lead do you use bearing in mind power loss.

ta