Generator vs Solar?

A vote for generators here.
Morally you shouldn't use them after daylight hours, also if others are in earshot it is good if you can explain that you need it to keep things going.
Some National Parks ban them completely.
Brands, probably Honda or Yamaha, in 1 KVa size Yamaha are purported to be quieter.

Duck for cover when the War starts! Check out recent threads on the subject - it can get fiery.

I am a solar advocate. We ran an upright caravan fridge (around 120 litres) and lights with one 80 w solar panel used as a portable - that is only put out when we stopped.

For gennies I am a Honda fan; light, reliable, and they just purr along so less neighbours get upset (some still will on principal). A this point I duck for cover.

Motherhen

Try a search of the archives.

Try "Solar" and then try "Generators" I think you will find several thousand hits covering all the info you will ever require.

I have both a generator and two solar panels. I had the generator first.

We did a big trip across the gunbarrel years ago and out of 4 cars I was the only one to have a generator and the others had solar panels. Unfortunately the trip coincided with a big low depression and it was clouded over for the whole trip.

Yes everyone plugged into my generator.

These days I take the generator with me but try to rely on the solar panels for most of the time. When it is sunny, and there are just the two of us and no kids the solar panels can keep up with our needs.

If we have our teenage kids, in and out of fridges, running all sorts of lights and electrical items then I need to top up the batteries in the afternoon with the generator every second day.

I love the quietness of solar but there are some problems. If it clouds over you get little or no power. I find with solar I am always checking on charge rates, battery condition etc. One panel is mounted on the car but the other is mobile so I can chase the sun. This means constantly moving the solar panel and leaving it out in the open for any light fingered opportunist to take. (You can run a steel cable down the power line so it can't be taken)

Of course having a generator destroys that peacefulness of being out in the bush. And a generator has to sit a distance away for noise and this leaves it vunerable to light findered opportunists as well.

If there is only the two of you, and you only camp for a week at most - solar is the go.

If you have kids, and want to camp for longer in one place - you will probably need a generator. I would go along with the honda or yamaha gen sets.

David

I have 'gone solar' over the last couple of years, and as long as the sun is shining, it's all good:)

However, after 3-4 days in one place w/- overcast/drizzly weather, you'll be glad you brought the genny ;-)

brands? Honda or Yamaha (not necessarily in that order)

solar? Have a talk to Mandrake, or plenty of good deals on ebay at the moment with _most_ sellers being of good repute.. stay away from any who do not display the panel dimensions in their listings....

solar regulators/charge controllers ?.. MPPT all the way (these are becoming more affordable by the day, with something to suit every budget) >> What the heck is a MPPT ?

:)

Easy decision, if your prepared to spend what a Honda/Yammi will cost you (remember the fuel, servicing etc) go -> SOLAR

Stick to *proven* technology and stay away from the copy/lookalike elcheapo panels, UNLESS your positive they are quality products and some are !!

You will need a GOOD battery system with both systems (AGM Deep Cycle)

Quality solar panels will work in cloudy and also low light conditions too.

As with most things in life if it's too cheap to believe then often it is :(

Maîneÿ . . .

We are full time on the road and have been totally solar for 5 years. More expensive to set up but my thoughts were reduced gas usage (we have compressor fridge) , not having to carry petrol and the problem not being permitted to use generators in national parks.
The only time we have trouble with running out of power is when I have watched football all afternoon on a very heavy clouded day. If you install solar make sure that they are removable so that when or if you change vans you could shift the panels.
Bottom line both will work so it is what you decide for your situation.

Neil

I also have geared up to rely mainly on solar.
I haven't been anywhere yet where the solar panels do not put back as much as I'm drawing out.
With just the two of us, the 40 litre Engel on setting 1 keeps our food and a couple of bottles cold and doesn't unduely drain the battery pack. After four to five days stationary the Battery pack still shows a full charge, being supported by the 80 watt bi-fold solar panels.

I also use a generator, or more accurately, an alternator to recharge the battery banks if necessary.

With 100Ah AGM on board and a 75Ah Thumper to run the fridge when out of the vehicle, we're pretty well covered.

Both battery packs can be recharged simultaneously when driving as I have dual in-car charging systems.

Bill.

Hi Pug

You don't get either for practicality , they are purchased more for fun as you already have a generator in the car and the $1000 + cost will never be recovered over the fuel cost of running the car just to top up batteries.

Reasons for buying the generators include that they are optimized for 240vac appliances and you may wish to take some of them, in which case you need the quiet Yamaha/Honda types -check you appliances capacity though - you can get a range that use 1kw or less but your normal irons and electric chainsaws etc use 1.5kw typically.

If its for infrequent top up charging only then try a cheap $150 genny and battery charger, and while noisy its ok for odd use.

Solar - for most that I have designed systems for its more about fun and gettting into the spirit of going solar.

There are specific cases where solar can add practical benefits e.g. I am trying to come up with a system which will be intregrated into the cars roof and be used for recharging my cars battery should it go flat - in this case it will save finding room and adding weight inside the car.

G'day Pug8,

I have a foot in both camps so to speak. I like the solar in my van because I can house plenty of panels on the roof and batteries in the van this works exceptionally well for the basic needs like refrigeration, lighting and water pumps. In the camper I found that my genny provides the best power option and this has a lot to do with convenience. The genny allows me to top up the batteries (to run the friges) when I need that. I find the generator usefull for mobile power with the camper trailer when we do remote travels. It is surpising how many times I have used the welder and grinder on the road. The best of both worlds would be to travel with both.

Mine is a Honda BTW. Looks like this for travelling.

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Kind regards

Obviously I am for solar !! LOL

Jeep has a 140 watt panel flat mounted to roof rack .. This runs the waeco fridge in the back .. Tardis has a 50 watt panel which keeps an 85aH battery happy - this powers lights (LEDS ) in and around the camper .. Haven't run out of power with this setup yet - I did when I had an 80 watt on the roof - the extra 60 watts makes all the difference especially when its cloudy .. I now carry a 100 watt Kit - JUST IN CASE ..

Cheers

Mandrake

I have always been one for a generator but only because my Honda is whisper quite. About 2 weeks ago I got a 80w folding panel that’s going up to Fraser with me to help top up the battery and when I wanted to test it out but was cloudy for 3 days and I could not perform my test...it was still working but only at about 50%. Once the sun came out I was able to do my test and got around the 4.5amps out, I should get an extra 2 days before I have to run the gennie and the charger now

We have a large solar system and inverter, live on the road for 8 months each year and we don't carry a generator.

For "emergencies" we have a 200A RedArc VSR with heavy cable connection that will give 70A of charge to the house batteries from the 85A alternator.
That back-up system cost less than $500, takes up no space, does not require smelly and dangerous fuel and has an output MUCH bigger than a generator into the batteries.

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 Motorhome

We have a Honda 10i and we would get 2.5 to 3 days out of a 100amp/hr battery running one Evakool 47L and LED lights in the camper. I would like to get solar to hopefully increase that to 4 - 5 days which is usually the longest we would stay in a spot anyway.

Whichever way you go could I suggest if you go the gennie PLEASE run your gear off a battery and use the gennie for recharging. We camped next to a bloke who ran his honda genny from 7am till 10pm and although they are quiet, the constant 'thrum' spoils the peace. By simply having a battery in his van he and the rest of the campers could have enjoyed some days of peace.

Cheers,

Mark.

I am a generator man myself, reason being I almost always take my break mid year. One break was a the Otter ways where it rained for nine days. The rain did not bother use but if we had solar we would of been in trouble.

As far as national parks are concerned, I was camping in one two years ago and had the geny running when the ranger came round. He commented about the geny (Yamaha 1KVA) and about the no generator rules, I said to him that the alternative was to Idol the patrol for an hour on fast idol. He agreed off the record, took my permit money for another three days and left. So its not black and white and some common sense prevails.

cheers shane.

I don't think anyone has mentioned the weight of the generator plus its own petrol tank vs solar panel plus regulator.

A lot depends on how long you will be in one spot. Lighting need not be a huge user of power unless you light up your camp like an oil refinery. LEDs, especially the head light type, use very little power and are more than adequate.

The small items you want to recharge can be recharged from the cars 12 V supply using a DC to DC converter - again very little power needed.

The electrical experts will probably tell you that at least an 80W panel is needed to run a 40 L fridge indefinitely, but if you can draw down some power from you car's system you can go several days with out the need to run the alternator.

I am an excess weight Nazi, so would never take a generator on a camping trip, let alone a jerry of petrol just to run it.

The cost of 80 W panel and regulator is probably less than the two brands of generator mentioned above. The weight saving would be close to 20 kg (gen plus 10L fuel), not to mention the space.

Bob