Solar options
Submitted: Monday, Nov 01, 2010 at 07:33
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Imanoone2u
Hi All
Am thinking of getting a 20odd ft van or motor home (civillian possibly) ( no model decided yet) and wanting
solar power.
My way of thinking is that a fixed solar panel system (on the roof I assume) would involve
parking the van in
bright sunshine all day to get the benefit of the sun rays... This, of course, would mean, NO
Bush Camping nor in any shady spots. this has the potential to make
Camping quite unpleasant in summer.
And having separate panels facing the sun offcourse has its theft issues when 'going for a carton of milk.... Any thoughts anyone? How do you get around this.
other then..."give up milk..." :lol:
Marcel
ps I'm sorry if this is a 'rehashed' subject, but I did a quick look around on this site but did not find the answer
Reply By: Battery Value Pty Ltd - Monday, Nov 01, 2010 at 08:13
Monday, Nov 01, 2010 at 08:13
Marcel,
this probably has already crossed your mind:
mount the panels on the roof rack of the pulling vehicle.
This can be parked some distance away in a sunny spot, and you take the panels with you whenever you drive to the next corner store in Woopwoop :)
cheers Peter
AnswerID:
434739
Follow Up By: Member - Johny boy (NSW) - Monday, Nov 01, 2010 at 08:40
Monday, Nov 01, 2010 at 08:40
Hi guys,
Im in the same jam as I have a 125 and an 80w on the roof of my van,I also have a 2 kva honda with a 25 amp smart charger as aback up,I agree with the panel on the roof of the car as I intend to mount a 3rd so I can remove it fast or just leave it on,one thing I would say is if he is buying a motor home without a small car in tow this method might be his answer ,try to mount it so it can be accessed and removed via some anderson plugs easy,Im sure that once you go solar you wont go back :)
Regards john.
FollowupID:
705831
Reply By: Member - Warwick D (SA) - Monday, Nov 01, 2010 at 08:31
Monday, Nov 01, 2010 at 08:31
Greetings, we have solar on top of our van.
Parking in partial shade(theonly real choice most of the time in the bush) has never been a problem. At the Fkinders Ranges, in partial shade, we were reading 26.5amps input. I was iniotially very suprised and suspicious. Howvever after four years use, this solar setup has performed faultlessly, and is no longer the limiting factor for duration of
bush camping. It is now, how much
water we can carry. Four weeks on slar without power is our current maximum, I have no idea what the real maximum i. We need to get more food and
water after this time. Solar on the van roof is the very first thing I would specify, after our experience. Others may offer other ideas from their experience. Good luck with your choice, as it will be your choice to suite your needs, not
mine or others.
WD
AnswerID:
434740
Reply By: Mandrake's Solar Power- Monday, Nov 01, 2010 at 08:33
Monday, Nov 01, 2010 at 08:33
You could do all 3 options as I have done .
A large panel on he roof of the Jeep - which runs the fridge in the back.
A portable kit with "security cable" which will only stop the snatch and grab thief .
and also a small panel on the roof of my camper for the lights / camera battery charging / laptop etc in the tent .
Cheers
Steve
AnswerID:
434741
Reply By: Motherhen - Tuesday, Nov 02, 2010 at 01:45
Tuesday, Nov 02, 2010 at 01:45
Hi Marcel
Like WD our panels perform in partial shade and on cloudy days. The only time they don't work so
well is in the tropics as they lose efficiency in the heat and the batteries also do no charge as
well in the heat (latter from advice from someone in the trade). However with 4 x 130 w panels and 4 x 110 a/h batteries we have heaps of power.
As we move most days, the panels are out of the shade when on the road driving, and the short time camped in the shade does not matter. We rarely have to
park in full shade, preferring to
park in the best spot for the panels if leaving the van for the day. When staying with the van, we sit out in the shade rather than in the van that will be hot whether parked in the sun or in partial shade. Although we carry a generator for using the air conditioner on hot days, we haven't done so since January 2005!
Motherhen
AnswerID:
434826